A note on heavyweight and lightweight tallit fabrics

People often ask about how thin or thick a tallit is, to make sure it's suitable for their local climate. Yesterday we received the following inquiry from a woman who wanted to buy a tallit for her husband.

​I would like to order the Prima A.A. black-striped tallit as a gift for my husband's birthday. Could you explain the different thicknesses for us to make a choice? He seems to feel that the thin would be too lightweight. We live in the US, in a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC.
Gayle W.​

Usually we get the opposite request, e.g., "I live in Florida. It's hot and steamy here. I need a lightweight tallit." So I point him to the Tashbetz, Bareket or Kalil.

But when it's cold, the truth is that a heavy tallit is not going to keep you warmer than a standard weight tallit. However, some people just like to feel the weight of the tallit on their shoulders. I'm one of them, so my Shabbos tallit is a bit thick and heavy. It takes up more space when folded, but I can live with that.

In Gayle's case, I recommended she go with one of the following options:

• Prima A.A. with a lining and maybe sidebands.
• Kmo Turkish, which comes with lining and sidebands standard. The tallit fabric is a bit heavier that the Prima A.A.
• Hamefoar Prestige, which is the same as the Kmo Turkish, but with a slightly textured fabric that helps the tallit stay in place on the shoulders and has a nice, supple feel.

The Echt Turkish is super heavy tallit, but it's definitely not for everyone. The fabric is fairly stiff and the fringes (not the tzitzit, the fringes) are interlaced.

You might also want to refer to this tallit weight comparison table.

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