# My experience with "tiebar.com" ties



## DocD (Jun 2, 2007)

I've always worn relatively expensive ties, with my average tie costing probably $125-$150. Since I'm a doctor, I dress casually to work, meaning I don't wear a suit, but wear a shirt, tie, khakis/slacks and a lab coat every day.

I often deal with dressing changes, wounds, cast changes, post operative patients, etc., and a result I've unfortunately ruined more than one costly tie. Therefore I have been looking for an alternative tie source for the office. Several members on this site have recommended tiebar.com so I gave them a try and have been extremely pleased with the quality/price.

Ironically, despite the price I've always spent on my ties, the tie I wore today from tiebar received compliments from 10 different patients, three staff members, one other doctor, a waitress and the manager of the place where I got my hair cut!!!! All in ONE day.

I think the most compliments I've ever received from a tie may be one compliment.

It's funny, because the tie I wore today was a little "bold" and I almost didn't even purchase the tie. I've included a link to the tie. It's hard to tell in the picture, but in addition to the lavender paisley, it contains a taupe/khaki color, a blue and other tones.

I wore the tie with a light lavender shirt and khaki color pants, therefore it brought out the colors in the tie quite a bit, but I NEVER expected comments on my new $15 tie.

Here's the link:
=


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## johnpark11 (Oct 19, 2009)

GQ did an online feature on them and since I've been sold. They have great 2.5 inch ties too...for $15. I am also a fan! I'm a $50-$100 tie guy, but not any more!


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## kintha (May 21, 2009)

I have a couple of pocket squares from there that have served me well, but the bow tie I got there is kind of ...slippery, harder to tie the other bow tie I have. Might have something to do with it being stain resistant?


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## rich_202 (Jun 20, 2009)

I was just going to ask about an online source for a cheap bowtie. It's something that I was looking to try, but it may not stick. For $15, I think I'll bite.

Thanks for posting this.


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## DocD (Jun 2, 2007)

I can tell you that the ties I purchased tie with no problem and the knots hold perfectly through a 12 hour day.

I've received $15 ties from department stores as gifts and can assure you that these ties are way beyond that quality. These ties are much closer in appearance and quality to my high end ties. I will be purchasing more ties in the near future, and have ordered a few for my son who just came home for winter break from college. He looked through the choices and picked out a few he liked. It was a pleasure purchasing 4 ties for a grand total of $60 plus one flat rate of $6 for shipping (no matter how many ties you purchase).

And I wouldn't say the bowties were "cheap", I would say that it's more accurate to call them "inexpensive".


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## rich_202 (Jun 20, 2009)

DocD said:


> And I wouldn't say the bowties were "cheap", I would say that it's more accurate to call them "inexpensive".


Ah, inexpensive. Much better choice of words.:teacha:


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## harvey_birdman (Mar 10, 2008)

Where are the ties made?


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## 46L (Jan 8, 2009)

I purchased two ties and a pocket square. I think the ties look great, but they definitely have less heft when compared to some of the other ties in my collection. My only biggest complaint is the ties do not seem to bounce back as quickly after wearing as most of my better ties. The pocket square has served my extremely well. 

Overall, they are a good value at $15 a pop. However, I prefer to wait and grab $25 Robert Talbott ties that show up at the local Nordstrom Rack.


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## BankerBrad (Sep 29, 2008)

I was actually just at the Tie Bar warehouse store today (I live about 20 min away). The owner was kind enough to show me some of their designs from their upcoming group of ties. I agree with Doc - some of their colors tend to be a little bolder. I still like quite a few of and the quality and weight is on par with much of the $40-$50 ties I own. For $15, you just can't lose.

As for the bowties, I own 2 of Tie Bar bowties and they tie just as well as my BB and Beauties bowtie.

I also stop in at the Rack here in Chicago to cherry pick Talbotts on the cheap. But they can be hard to find!


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## jamezzz122 (Dec 26, 2009)

Just ordered two of them after hearing all of the positive reviews. I usually like slimmer ties. I have been liking the 2.875" ties from BB. I decided to give tiebar.com's 2.5" ones a shot. The stripe designs are similar and some are almost identical to ones I've seen at BB. We'll see how they are when they come in.


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## DocD (Jun 2, 2007)

Everything must be kept in perspective. Although the ties in my opinion are an amazing value and are of excellent quality, etc., etc., they ARE only $15!!!

Naturally, if I was able to regularly find a Talbott or similar quality tie for $25, I would probably purchase the Talbott. But I don't usually have the time to constantly visit the discount stores and hope that I find one of these "bargains".

It's not really valid to compare a $15 tiebar product to a tie costing ten times that amount and start making critical comments about the tiebar product. The tiebar products fill a niche, and are certainly a FAR superior product to any department store product that I've seen selling in that price range or even 2-3 times that price range.

So if you're going to make a comparison, it really must be valid and kept in "perspective". 

In my case, I needed a tie that in my opinion had the qualities of a well made tie without looking cheap or like a $15 tie, and I was getting tired of ruining my expensive ties while treating patients. These ties have filled that role extremely well, while still looking good.

I'm not sure that I'd pair up all the ties I've bought from them with one of my best suits, though there are one or two that I would consider.

And the ties are made in China, which of course is the only downside in my opinion. But realistically, I couldn't expect any decent tie to be manufactured in the USA, Italy, etc., for $15. The labor costs would be prohibitive, regardless of the product quality.


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## cwf1980 (Apr 18, 2008)

*Are Doctors being advised not to wear ties?*

Doc,
I had an interesting conversation with a doctor friend who said that doctors are now being advised not to wear ties because the ties can spread germs between patients. Have you heard of this recommendation and are some doctors giving up their ties?


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## BankerBrad (Sep 29, 2008)

Doc, I agree with you. We sometimes lose perspective on comparing "picked through" merchandise (not just ties) found in the discount stores to their always-inexpensive competition. And you're right - there isn't a $45 tie in Macy's that compares with these $15 ties.

I also think the Tie Bar should be credited with designing its own neckties. From what I saw, it's no small feat!


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## 127.72 MHz (Feb 16, 2007)

cwf1980 said:


> Doc,
> I had an interesting conversation with a doctor friend who said that doctors are now being advised not to wear ties because the ties can spread germs between patients. Have you heard of this recommendation and are some doctors giving up their ties?


While I'm not a Physician I do see patients and I have not heard of any extremists advising health care providers not to wear ties for fear of vectoring disease.

Is it possible to vector disease from your tie to a patient? No doubt it's *possible*. Is it possible for you to fall down while you're walking and give yourself a subdural hematoma? Yes, it's possible. Does that mean that we should all be wearing helmets while we're walking because we *might* hurt ourselves? I don't think so,...

Great thread DocD. I don't like very many of the Tie Bar's offerings but I like a few and for $15.- a pop they're worth a try. I do wish they had a few muted patterns and colors.


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## Gilgamesh2003 (Nov 14, 2009)

https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7784552.stm
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...r-ties-to-stop-spread-of-mrsa-bug-428866.html

Looks like some UK hospitals actually are worried about patients dying from exposure to doctors' ties.


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## flatline (Dec 22, 2008)

127.72 MHz said:


> While I'm not a Physician I do see patients and I have not heard of any extremists advising health care providers not to wear ties for fear of vectoring disease.
> 
> Is it possible to vector disease from your tie to a patient? No doubt it's *possible*. Is it possible for you to fall down while you're walking and give yourself a subdural hematoma? Yes, it's possible. Does that mean that we should all be wearing helmets while we're walking because we *might* hurt ourselves? I don't think so,...
> 
> Great thread DocD. I don't like very many of the Tie Bar's offerings but I like a few and for $15.- a pop they're worth a try. I do wish they had a few muted patterns and colors.


Not saying I agree with the move to ban ties, but it _has_ been done, and seems to be gaining popularity. It's more of a 'security theatre' thing, but that's what the public understands/wants.



> Jersey City Medical Center will announce Tuesday a new plan to ban neckties for doctors who interact with patients to help prevent the spread of illness.
> 
> "Unless ties get really soiled, people never get them laundered," said Joe Scott, president of the hospital. "Ties can carry infection and we want to have the safest possible environment for our patients."
> 
> Scott's argument jibes with a recent proposal by researchers at the American Medical Association to ban all "accessories" that could carry germs. The AMA voted to pass the resolution, but it was kicked back to committee for further review.


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## DownByTheRiverSide (Oct 25, 2009)

*Why dont we just insist . . .*

that the doctors must change clothes between seeing each patient to keep from spreading infection and disease from one patient to the next.

Also, it would seem to be prudent to have separate waiting rooms for each patient, instead of the common lobby setting .... who knows what all the patients are spreading to each other.



Gilgamesh2003 said:


> https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7784552.stm
> https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...r-ties-to-stop-spread-of-mrsa-bug-428866.html
> 
> Looks like some UK hospitals actually are worried about patients dying from exposure to doctors' ties.


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

I too have been very happy with my recent Tie Bar purchase. I wish they had more traditional designs available. If they did I would surely spend a lot more money there.


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## DocD (Jun 2, 2007)

Ah.....the tie/infection issue. Yes, the UK has addressed this issue but it has been controversial in the USA. There are so many factors involved, it would be silly to isolate just the necktie.

Although it's true that clothes and lab coats do get laundered and ties usually don't, not all docs where lab coats when making rounds and you can certainly spread infection from room to room/patient to patient with a brand new lab coat once you've left the first patient room and moved to the next.

In most cases, if you are wearing a lab coat, the majority of a tie is really covered up. However, not all docs remember to wipe off their stethoscopes, etc.

Protocols HAVE changed, but bad habits have not.

Additionally, although most docs and hospital staff have increased awareness regarding hand washing, etc., the MOST often overlooked item is the pen that the doctor uses from room to room. The pen often goes from the dirty pocket to his hand, to the nursing station desk to the chart, and so on and so on. 

So isolating docs to stop wearing ties is really a silly idea in the overall scheme of things and in my opinion will have zero impact on the reduction on noscomial infections (hospital acquired).

The best/simplest method is still hand washing and all patients should insist that anyone that walks in his/her room should wash their hands or wipes off any instrument that touches his/her body.


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## FIHTies (Jun 24, 2004)

Gilgamesh2003 said:


> Looks like some UK hospitals actually are worried about patients dying from exposure to doctors' ties.


Well, I have seen some ties that can do that simply by the way they look!

The modern day Medusa ;-)


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Doc, there is a school of thought that says: If you get compliments, the tie must be good; if the _tie_ gets compliments, it is not.

I don't fall completely into that camp, but I do know I have some ties that will regularly get compliments, yet are not ties I consider to make _me_ look the best. Usually, these ties are in bright hues that are not primary colors - fuschia, lime green, and certain violets seem be reliable attention getters.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Make sure you go to www.*the*tiebar.com and tell them you came from AskAndy!!


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## cdavant (Aug 28, 2005)

By far the most contaminated things in my office are the doorknobs. I never used to hang on to a pen long enough to worry about contamination, but with the demise of drug company pens that will change.

As a humble country FP I'm exposed to pretty much what the OP gets exposed to. I dress pretty much the same as well. I gave up white coats years ago to save my remaining hearing--kids start screaming whenever they see anyone dressed in white. 

Anyway, I'm giving the tiebar a try and will see if the loopy purple and the loopy red elicit the same response. I'll wait until the sweaters come off--we'll be down to 5 tomorrow. I did credit Andy.

Wonder if any Plastic Surgeons are into bespoke lab coats? Could be a market there.


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## DocD (Jun 2, 2007)

cdavant,

As usual, you make excellent points. Doorknobs have always been a source of "cooties" for many of my patients with OCD. I have at least 2 patients that always ask me for a glove so they don't have to touch the doorknob on the way out of the treatment room!!

One of my former residents would always ask me to open the door from the locker room to the operating rooms, and it took me a few weeks to catch on that he never touch ANY doorknobs. One day no one was available to open the door, so I watched him place his hand inside his scrubs to open the door.

It's funny what you said about the pen situation. I believe that for the first time in over 20 years I may have to actually buy pens and pads for my office staff since the drug/pharm reps aren't bringing them into the office anymore.

I hope you receive the compliments when you receive your "loopy" ties. I only purchased the lavender color and a few other ties. All the compliments I received were from females, including one female doctor. Who knows.......was it the tie or my Hai Karate cologne???


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

DocD said:


> cdavant,
> 
> As usual, you make excellent points. Doorknobs have always been a source of "cooties" for many of my patients with OCD. I have at least 2 patients that always ask me for a glove so they don't have to touch the doorknob on the way out of the treatment room!!


BTW have you installed optical sensor taps in the restrooms? And removed the hand driers?


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## 77Pat (Dec 14, 2008)

I do not have a lot of ties and have been looking to buy some. I am on a budget and cannot really tell the difference of quality when in the regular department stores. I usually stick to basic patterns and just bought a tie from Brooks Brothers Outlet on sale for $25. How do these ties compare, if anyone has both?


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## MightyPir (Aug 1, 2009)

tiebar.com has some very nice ties and you will be amazed at the quality at that price point. Whenever I wear mine in the office I always get compliments. Highly recommended!!!


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## brettski (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks for the post. I tend to go through ties rather quickly (Spend a lot of time in a lab/factory environment) and was was not having much luck with other "low cost" options.


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## BankerBrad (Sep 29, 2008)

77Pat, it's funny you should ask. I was just out at BB today picking up a couple shirts and took a quick look at their ties. My belief is that the quality of the BB ties is actually not as good as the Tie Bar's ties. In fact, I saw one at BB similar to this but Tie Bar's seems to be much nicer. But admittedly, I am not an expert on ties. Just one man's belief.


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