I have two fullcaps in French lace --there is a distinct difference in the texture of the lace between the two.... I actually contacted John when the second one arrived and asked him to check with the factory, to see if they`d used Swiss..apparently not ...they said both were French lace, so I`d have to assume they used a different `grade`of lace... I know French is said to be harder-wearing than Swiss, but I do agree, that it can be a bit misleading or, maybe makes newbies think that Swiss is so delicate that it will disintegrate after a few washes/wears....it`s a little lighter than French but is quite sturdy too...as long as you are not too harsh with it [ like working on a building site in a hard-hat all day] it will last just fine.... certainly with Fullcaps, you can have it in Swiss, but specify the area in front of the ears in the direction of the temples, to be either `double layer Swiss` or simply French as that area is subject to pressure/ `stress` from removals. I do agree though that newbies shouldn`t shy away from Swiss if they feel they`d like a nice `light`system... and yes, French can be itchy--much more than Swiss.