A Sam (and David) Hober Tie Appreciation Thread

[LeviMay]

Prints obviously behave differently than grenadines, but I've always found the shape of the tie and the width at the knot point affect the knot more so than the folds.

This is a 3-fold:

whereas this is a 6-fold:

Their knots are fairly similar. I ask to have them made with less taper, so they're wider higher up.

 

[MDeKelver]

Nice shape, wider at the knot and a proper blade.

A six-fold Macclesfield with the sturdy wool lining is an absolute gem. Serious tie.

 

[pinkpanther]

Today's Hober is a repeat and is the Macclesfield #182 (6-fold construction).

I am breaking from my normal pattern (at great risk) and showing David's map pocket square because I recently acquired it and it rocks.

 

[archibaldleach]

^ Yes. Yes it does. So does the other map square.

 

[The Silverfox]

Hello everyone, I'm back from my tie-hiatus.

Been reading the backlog, good to see pink panther is still killing it.

Just ordered the map rectangle, the brown prince of wales and the midnight blue grenadine fina with white and red stripes, both in 6'fold. Basically finishing up some unfinished business.

Saw someone talking about chance of getting their stuff flagged by customs, I dont know where they live, but my experience has been that EMS always gets through (100% success rate for me so far, with 7-8 shipments), whereas UPS or regular snail mail has for me always been charged. This is for ordering to Norway.

Someone was also talking about 6-fold vs 3-fold.... The difference here will depend on the quality of the silk, by which I mean quality in the true sense of the word and not an estimate of how "good it is". You're adding more silk and trimming down the lining, so you're gaining the properties of silk and losing those of the lining. The silks vary greatly of course, but they do tend to be softer and heavier than the lining, whereas the lining is frequently stiffer and springier than the silk. So in my experience, 3 folds will tie a knot that's got more air in it, whereas a 6'fold will cinch down on itself to a greater degree, and of course the extra weight is also a factor in keeping it firm. With rather heavy and course (in terms of surface texture) weaves suchas the pindot, I find that it cinches just fine, and the tie I have in this weave, a 3-fold, ties a nice firm (and full sized) knot that stays in place. Whereas with smooth, thin and stiff weaves, such as the silk shepards check, I find that the 6-fold due to its weight and softness will form a nice firm knot that will stay, whereas the 3-fold will initially form a small dense knot that will losen over time as the rigidity and springiness of the wool lining resists and the light weight and low friction of the silk doesn't give the knot enough hold to withstand this pushback, so over time the knot will losen. I have to add though, that it only loosens to a point, whereupon it will stay perfectly content, not loosening any further, and if you looked at me you wouldn't think my tie knot was too lose, so it's not like it will look silly, it's just that I personally prefer a very tight and dense knot. I've also experienced this with the diamond weave for example, whereas the with grenadines and english patterns, it holds either way. As for the size, this depends entirely on the fabric I think, if the fabric is bulky then the 6-fold will be a deal bigger than the 3-fold, whereas for a very thin and and soft fabric, it will not be big at all, and might well be smaller.

Regarding the discussion of the warmth of wool ties. Honestly I would be shocked if anyone found themselves considerably warmer with wool ties than with silk. Silk isn't usually thought of as a very warm fabric, but in my experience it is, so I don't see switchin out silk for wool in a necktie should have made it warmer, because you've just switched out one of the warmest materials there is for another one. I live in Norway, and I've usually worn wool or cashmere scarves during the winter. This last winter I've had two of david's silk scarves, and I have to say I was never tempted to reach deeper into the drawer for one of my older cashmere or wool scarves, I pretty much wore nothing but the silk scarves, and I never regretted that. How wool ties compare to linen I don't know, but if you weren't overheating with a silk tie, I can't imagine you'd start when you switch to wool. The difference to me is entirely cosmetic, wool just has that soft fuzzy look that makes us feel like they're warmer, so they look out of place when it's hot out, but I don't think there's anything to it other than aesthetics and traditional notions of seasonal propriety.

 

[pinkpanther]

@The Silverfox - great to see you back from your tie hiatus

 

[jfrater]



Today's Hober is a repeat and is the charcoal grey/silver grenadine grossa (6-fold construction).

Beautiful combination! I am incredibly tempted to buy every Hober I see you wearing! May I ask what brand the suit is?

 

[pinkpanther]

Today's Hober is a repeat and is the English patter #19 (3-fold construction). Happy Monday everyone!

 

[pinkpanther]



Beautiful combination! I am incredibly tempted to buy every Hober I see you wearing! May I ask what brand the suit is?

Thank you sir! The suit brand is Jack Victor.

 

[archibaldleach]

Hober wedding tie in action this past Saturday.

 

[jfrater]



Thank you sir! The suit brand is Jack Victor.

Thank you! Do you specifically ask Sam or David to make your ties with 3 or more folds or do they choose based on the tie fabric?

 

[pinkpanther]



Thank you! Do you specifically ask Sam or David to make your ties with 3 or more folds or do they choose based on the tie fabric?

Tie construction is all up to you but David is there to help you with all your questions (note that Sam is Samantha, she is David's daughter). There is a lot of good information regarding tie construction on David's website and he is fantastic about addressing any questions you might have. It is probably obvious that I think his ties and customer service are second to none.

 

[kdv10]

My first picture contribution to this thread. Didn't realize how hard it is to take a tie picture.

Anyways, this was the tie that first picked my interest when I started following this thread.

I'm still working on getting my knot as crisp and clean as PinkPanther.

 

[The Silverfox]



Thank you! Do you specifically ask Sam or David to make your ties with 3 or more folds or do they choose based on the tie fabric?

If you say nothing you get the standard, which is 3 or 4 folds depending on the fabric. If you want more folds, the choice is yours, but David will be able to give you opinions on what will work best depending on what you aim to accomplish. I like my ties soft, heavyish and with a dense knot that sticks, so I tend to go for 6-folds, some like theirs light, in which case 3-fold is usually more suitable (some fabrics are still very light as 6-folds though). What David will make a judgement call on based on the fabric is which lining to pair it with. They have various thicknesses and various materials (wool, linen, cotton), and with regards to lining they usually try to pick a lining that will "counter" the qualities of the silk, so a very thin and soft silk would get a more substantial and stiffer lining than a very thick and stiff silk for example. Some linings increase weight without bulk, some increase bulk without weight and so on.

The best advice is to figure out not so much how you want the tie to be made, but rather how you want the tie to look and feel around your neck. How long and wide should the body be, how big the knot, how heavy the feel etc etc. Based on this (and which fabric you're going for of course) David can make a better recommendation for lining, width at knot area and fold count. But I'd also advice that you mix it up a little, maybe go for one light feel, one heavy and one average, or mix it up between 3 fold and 6 fold etc. My experience has been that whenever I get something other than what I thought I wanted I end up very much appreciating the variety it adds to have some that knot big and some small, some heavy and stiff and some light and soft, and at the end of the day it means I can make a choice from knowledge rather than guesswork, because I know now better what each feels like and which I want for the next one, rather than basing it on what I think I want and perhaps missing out on something I never knew I'd enjoy. I thought I was all about the thick, plush and soft weaves, and I am, but through accident I've also discovered how much I enjoy the sleek slender macclesfields etc.

Whenever I go to the hairdresser, I've experienced that the more specific I am about what I want, the sillier I end up looking because me making a request means overriding the judgement of the person who does it for a living. So my new policy is to simply describe the general style and ask them to cut me within that style in a manner that suits my face, and I can tell you that I look much less like an idiot these days than I used to. I don't think you'll ever end up looking like an idiot with a hober tie, but I still feel that the logic applies to this as well.

In summation:
Talk to David about what you enjoy, let him make some recommendations, and don't be afraid of experimenting a bit, because you'll probably come to appreciate it just for the variety even if it's not your favourite, because they're all excellent anyways.

 

[tdude]

Silver! +1 you and PP are the hober scientists