I decided it was time to change my 30 year old handkerchief collection. It might not be fair to compare them to old ones that have been washed hundreds of times and are probably not as thick as when new. But they're definitely thick, soft, and the colors are more interesting than white or plain stripes. One thing about the old ones is they didn't need to be ironed. I washed and ironed them before using them but never washed them again so I don't know if they need to be ironed again. But the quality is top notch.