First (for those who don't know), these are cotton handkerchiefs, not silk or poly pocket squares. While they do have a nice looking design, they're for nasal nuisances, not pocket prettiness. As someone with a chronically runny nose, I've used handkerchiefs for decades. Paper-based options might be better for those who are contagiously sick. I have about six criteria for evaluating hankies: size, softness, design, absorbency, wrinklege, and hair grabbiness. Size: Tiny hankies (hanklettes?) can't handle a sprinting nose dayvs. a mere runny nose daybecause there isn't enough surface for them to dry fast enough for reuse. These hankies are plenty big. I only have some that are slightly bigger, but most of mine are slightly smaller. Softness: If a handkerchief's fabric is rough, it can irritate your nose. Most will soften over time, so it's fairer to compare initial softness (but after one or two wash/dry cycles, to be practical). I have three sets from this brand, and this is probably the roughest. This is comparing them to the deluxe and floral versions. But that's not to say that they're unusable. I think they'll soften to being more comfortable, but for a while they won't be the ones I grab if it's allergy season and I feel like I'm going to need it a lot that day. Otherwise, I might end up with an irritated nose. Design: I match them to my outfit and like to have options and beautiful accessories. Is there a variety of colors in the set? Are they boring colors or overly repetitive in a limited palette, or are they interesting with an expansive palette? Is there any interesting weave? Is there another decorative element? There are at least slight differences in the stripe patterns across the handkerchiefs. And it's good that there is full color coverage, since so many just put a color border on a white background. My only complaint is that these are just your standard boring blend-in muted colors that are a limited, run-of-the-mill menswear palette. Maybe that's what you want, though! Absorbency: If it's too thin, your fingers get wet (ew). If a hankie's fabric has too tight of a weave or uses a nonabsorbent material like polyestergasp!it's a struggle to get that nose wiped and can lead to irritation of multiple kinds. These hankies are okay on the absorbency front, but could be better. Just like with the softness criterion, these wouldn't be my first pick on a day I think I'll need to use it a lot, but it'll be fine for most days (and otherwise serviceable, just not optimal). Wrinklege: Most of us wash our handkerchiefs, right? LOL Well I wash and dry them, but I'm not ironing or steaming them to be flat. (If I ever get a butler, they can do this!) If they're cotton and not extremely pliable, this means there will be wrinkles, and they will often be concentrated around the edges, sometimes irregularly folding the edges inward. This can puff them up more when they're folded for a pocket, and of course, make them not look their best. These handkerchiefs definitely have some wrinklege. It's probably a little higher than average. This is not a terrible thing, but it's not great, either. I included before- and after-washing pictures. Hair grabbiness: An otherwise great handkerchief can be marred if its composition or weave means it attracts your pet's hair and then puts it in your nose. These handkerchiefs are right in the middle of the acceptable-pet-hair-grabbiness zone. Overall, these handkerchiefs are okayI'm not mad at them or unhappy I have them. However, if you want a better experience and look, I'd point you to the same brand's deluxe 17" hankies. If you want prettier and less boring handkerchiefs, they have a floral option, as well. https://www.ZeeBooth.com/dp/B0C33LFMTP https://www.ZeeBooth.com/dp/B0C3H8RNMG
