Tying Details

- How many Chulyot can be made with Tosafot strings? Up to 13, which is perfect for GR”A or Chinuch (not R’ Schachter).
- I would like to tie 7-8-11-13 with Raavad (1/4 ratio). Can I do so with your strings? The Raavad strings by Ptil Tekhelet provided should be long enough to cover 7-8-11-13. Same with Rambam strings.
- I would like you to do the tying. What are next steps? Supply the beged for tying and one of our staff would do the tying based on the style of your choice. You would then get called when tying is completed.
- What happens to my old strings once cut off or untied? You have the option to keep them yourself or they can be taken for disposal of Sheimos.
- Where may I pick up the strings? We would meet locally (your place, coffee shop, etc.) to conduct the transaction.
Money Issues

- Does the tying method make much of a difference? Depends who you ask, but generally no. The bigger debate is on string ratio.
- What other cost-saving options are there? One option is to go with Rambam ratio using Raavad strings, thereby making two sets. To quote R’ Avi Grossman: “… you can buy a set of four, full length, Raavad style strings, then cut each in half, and join those eight halves with ordinary strings, and then you’ll have enough techeleth for two garments!” Technically […]
- Why are different Shittot different prices? It all depends on the amount and length of Techeiles strings. The more blue, the more expensive. It’s that simple. See the following chart (courtesy: Ptil Tekhelet store):
About Nipputz
- Do you sell Nipputz strings? It would need to be a special order.
- Techeiles Differences Between Ptil, Chabura, and Valles Q:
1) Is Techeiles Chabura (chabureh?) Techeiles supposed to be lighter in shade than Ptil Tekhelet? I have a set which I bought last year and I noticed that the the color is much closer to sky blue, as opposed to my Tallis Gadol strings (Ptil Tekhelet) which are much closer to indigo colored. If it's not supposed to be lighter, does that mean my Techeiles is fading? Isn't there supposed to be a rule against that?
2) Besides for Ptil Tekhelet and Chabura, I saw an ad for something call Techeiles Valles. Who are these people, and what is the source of their dye? I see that they carry an Eida HaChareidis hechsher, but their letter doesn't seem to cover the color, it just mentions the strings. Finally, do they sell these in Israel and how much do they cost?Thanks!A: a) The Techeiles Chabura (Toporovich) makes Techeiles from the same snails ?, though theirs is sourced from Greece (as opposed to Spain and Croatia where Ptil sources their dye from) and they supposedly do some different things, like using fresh snails and only using murex trunculus (whether or not Ptil also uses murex branderis isn’t certain, but at any rate murex snail based blue is kosher). Also, the fact that one group is more “Yeshivish” appeals to a certain crowd (though I personally never saw a snail with a black hat - though those exist in California [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplex_nigritus]).b) Valles is a name brand in Israel of Tzitzis wool that sells for more money. Their strings are supposedly much thicker and they supposedly do various Hiddurim that regular Tzitzis don’t have, hence the hechsher. The dye though with Valles is sourced by both Toporovich and Ptil (see screenshot). They sell them in Lakewood here (https://techeiles-shop.com/pages/strings) but since Toporovich is in Israel your best bet is to contact the Chabura for more info (https://www.techeiles.org/contact-us/). The above said, with the Chabura and Valles you need to do your own tying (lots of great options here https://bluefringes.com/string-tying-styles-2/) but Ptil does it as a packaged deal (https://store.tekhelet.com/?mobile=0), making them an ideal option. Hope this helps!
- What exactly are Nipputz strings? Nipputz literally means carding wool by hand (as opposed to machine) and would be done Lishma. Due to the manual process the prices would be significantly more expensive than the prices for non-Nipputz strings. Some prefer Nipputz as it’s an extra hiddur. Should there be a demand for Nipputz strings down the road, extra consideration will be made to order some sets of those in the future. This is a video demonstrating how manual carding is done, but in addition Leshem Mitzvas Tzitzis is said while doing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_fIc5lCuk&feature=emb_title
Valles and Techeiles Chabura
- Techeiles Differences Between Ptil, Chabura, and Valles Q:
1) Is Techeiles Chabura (chabureh?) Techeiles supposed to be lighter in shade than Ptil Tekhelet? I have a set which I bought last year and I noticed that the the color is much closer to sky blue, as opposed to my Tallis Gadol strings (Ptil Tekhelet) which are much closer to indigo colored. If it's not supposed to be lighter, does that mean my Techeiles is fading? Isn't there supposed to be a rule against that?
2) Besides for Ptil Tekhelet and Chabura, I saw an ad for something call Techeiles Valles. Who are these people, and what is the source of their dye? I see that they carry an Eida HaChareidis hechsher, but their letter doesn't seem to cover the color, it just mentions the strings. Finally, do they sell these in Israel and how much do they cost?Thanks!A: a) The Techeiles Chabura (Toporovich) makes Techeiles from the same snails ?, though theirs is sourced from Greece (as opposed to Spain and Croatia where Ptil sources their dye from) and they supposedly do some different things, like using fresh snails and only using murex trunculus (whether or not Ptil also uses murex branderis isn’t certain, but at any rate murex snail based blue is kosher). Also, the fact that one group is more “Yeshivish” appeals to a certain crowd (though I personally never saw a snail with a black hat - though those exist in California [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplex_nigritus]).b) Valles is a name brand in Israel of Tzitzis wool that sells for more money. Their strings are supposedly much thicker and they supposedly do various Hiddurim that regular Tzitzis don’t have, hence the hechsher. The dye though with Valles is sourced by both Toporovich and Ptil (see screenshot). They sell them in Lakewood here (https://techeiles-shop.com/pages/strings) but since Toporovich is in Israel your best bet is to contact the Chabura for more info (https://www.techeiles.org/contact-us/). The above said, with the Chabura and Valles you need to do your own tying (lots of great options here https://bluefringes.com/string-tying-styles-2/) but Ptil does it as a packaged deal (https://store.tekhelet.com/?mobile=0), making them an ideal option. Hope this helps!
- What is Valles and why is there a Hechsher of Eida HaCharedis?
Valles is a name brand in Israel of Tzitzis wool that sells for more money. Their strings are supposedly much thicker and they supposedly do various Hiddurim that regular Tzitzis don’t have, hence the hechsher. The dye though with Valles is sourced by both R’ Yechezkel Toporovich’s Chabura and Ptil.
- Techeiles Differences Between Ptil, Chabura, and Valles Q:
1) Is Techeiles Chabura (chabureh?) Techeiles supposed to be lighter in shade than Ptil Tekhelet? I have a set which I bought last year and I noticed that the the color is much closer to sky blue, as opposed to my Tallis Gadol strings (Ptil Tekhelet) which are much closer to indigo colored. If it's not supposed to be lighter, does that mean my Techeiles is fading? Isn't there supposed to be a rule against that?
2) Besides for Ptil Tekhelet and Chabura, I saw an ad for something call Techeiles Valles. Who are these people, and what is the source of their dye? I see that they carry an Eida HaChareidis hechsher, but their letter doesn't seem to cover the color, it just mentions the strings. Finally, do they sell these in Israel and how much do they cost?Thanks!A: a) The Techeiles Chabura (Toporovich) makes Techeiles from the same snails ?, though theirs is sourced from Greece (as opposed to Spain and Croatia where Ptil sources their dye from) and they supposedly do some different things, like using fresh snails and only using murex trunculus (whether or not Ptil also uses murex branderis isn’t certain, but at any rate murex snail based blue is kosher). Also, the fact that one group is more “Yeshivish” appeals to a certain crowd (though I personally never saw a snail with a black hat - though those exist in California [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplex_nigritus]).b) Valles is a name brand in Israel of Tzitzis wool that sells for more money. Their strings are supposedly much thicker and they supposedly do various Hiddurim that regular Tzitzis don’t have, hence the hechsher. The dye though with Valles is sourced by both Toporovich and Ptil (see screenshot). They sell them in Lakewood here (https://techeiles-shop.com/pages/strings) but since Toporovich is in Israel your best bet is to contact the Chabura for more info (https://www.techeiles.org/contact-us/). The above said, with the Chabura and Valles you need to do your own tying (lots of great options here https://bluefringes.com/string-tying-styles-2/) but Ptil does it as a packaged deal (https://store.tekhelet.com/?mobile=0), making them an ideal option. Hope this helps!
- What is Chabura Techeiles?
The Techeiles Chabura (Toporovich) makes Techeiles from the same murex snails, though theirs is sourced from Greece (as opposed to Spain and Croatia where Ptil sources their dye from) and they supposedly do some different things, like using fresh snails and only using Murex Trunculus (whether or not Ptil Tekhelet also uses Murex Branderis isn’t certain, but at any rate Murex snail based blue is kosher). Also, the fact that one group is more “Yeshivish” appeals to a certain crowd (though we’ve personally never saw a snail with a black hat – however they exist in California https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexaplex_nigritus).
Let's meet
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