Tallit Fringes

Posted by Ben G. on 17th Nov 2016

People can be very detail-oriented when looking for just the right tallit. I would like to criticize this tendency, saying style issues should be downplayed when buying a tallit -- except that I'm no different. One of those details is the fringes. 

Tallit fringes are pretty much the same on about 90% of tallitot, but some have more ornate double-knotted fringes, and some (usually Yemenite) have very ornate netted fringes.

Here is an illuminating question we received from a customer this week, followed by my reply.

Shalom
I am looking to get a tallit that is as heavy as the Turkish but without the double-knotted fringes. I want it to be as beautiful as the Hamefoar Prestige, but with the side bands that aren't white but rather made of the same material as the tallit. I would also like the silver atara that comes with the Hamefoar Prestige. What do you recommend I get? Is the Hamefoar Prestige as heavy as the Echt Turkish?
Thank you for your time. Joshua

I replied to Joshua as follows:

Thank you for your inquiry. To tell you the truth, I have been looking for pretty much the same hing for quite a while for myself.

One detail that was unclear to me: which atara are you referring to? Go to this page and tell me the exact name of the atara listed there.

Hamefoar Prestige is made by Talitania. I doubt there is any way to get it with regular fringes, but I could ask tomorrow. Keep in mind that it is definitely a weighty tallit, but not as heavy as the Echt Turkish; nothing is.

Mishkan Hatchelet used to make a tallit (I think they still do) that was very similar to Hamefoar Prestige. Sometimes it came with regular fringes, sometimes double-knotted. In fact, that's why I stopped selling it: I need to be able to provide exactly what the customer has in mind.