Many tallit buyers are not so particular about the exact striping pattern — but some are.

Greetings,
While my ancestry is Jewish I am only just reconnecting with Judaism after a generational gap. My family were Ashkenazi from eastern Europe. I am trying to find a tallit that would be true to my Ashkenazi roots, which I believe would be the the black striped. I am around 6’0 so I think the longer style, size 80, would be right. I am unsure of what to choose tor the tzitzit. Any guidance would be most helpful.
Many thanks, Jason W.

I explained a bit about sizing and tzitzit to Jason, then he followed up with a question about the tallit striping pattern.

Sorry for all the questions. I had another question about Hamefoar Prestige. It looks and sounds amazing. Are there patterns that are more or less Ashkenazic? I see places mention Turkish or Tunisian patterns and wondered what the pattern on the Hamefoar Prestige. Thanks again, Jason

Jason didn’t mention whether his roots are chassidic or not. Chassidic Jews typically wear a heftier, more ornate tallit, often with an ornate atara. Hamefoar Prestige is sort of a chassidic look that’s “okay” for non-chassidic (i.e. “Litvak”) Jews to wear. In recent years, special touches, such as double-knotted fringes, have become increasingly popular.

I explained to him that striping patterns vary somewhat, but for the most part they are quite similar. Almost all black-striped tallits have a series of five medium width stripes, where the middle one is a bit wider, and a thick band close to the fringes. The design of that thick band varies, and is largely up to the whim of the manufacturer. You’ll note that on all of the chassidic tallits, along with Hamefoar Prestige, the wide band has a simpler and more solid, pronounced look.

HaMefoar Prestige is definitely a tallit suitable for Shabbat use. Some people have one tallit for Shabbat and another for weekday use. Generally a simpler tallit would be for weekday use (with the possible exception of chassidim).