Which one. The Phil one is cheaper and from what I've heard incredible. What to do?
Don't forget you'll need to budget for a freewheel if you get the Phil hub. £69 at Sideways.
We've got both.
I presume you are running bolt not qr version? If so, Hope is 8mm allen key, Phil a more regular multitool 6mm - so with Hope you might need to carry an extra key.
Phil is nicer finished, v.good bearings, but a bit of a lump and limited to screw on freewheels.
Hope is more adaptable (chainline, cog sizes, 1 x 7 with a modded cassette etc). Freewheel not as reliable as I expected but easily serviced. I also like the Hope noise for not spooking walkers.
My hope has 6mm bolts.
My Hope is 6mm bolts too. Then again it is one of the first generation SS hubs and as such uses a screw-on freewheel.
The freewheel vs cog debate. Which one for tourer? Min fuss max reliability.
I have both the Phil woods has just had it's first set of replacement bearing in the rear (at least 7 years and lots of muddy rides. Sideways cycles have spares for Phil woods hub at a reasonable price.
The hope is on my work bike and has done lots more miles. It has just had it's third set of bearings but the second set lasted at least 15,000 miles. Mine has 6mm bolts.
Both are very reliable hubs.
The current Hope pro 2 cassette SS hub uses M10 bolts (for which the std allen key size is 8mm). I know the older Hope screw on freewheel hubs used smaller bolts and hence the 6mm allen key. The older Hope hubs also had smaller axle diameter = larger balls in the bearings = more reliable.
Don't know if there are any Pro 2s that came with special bolts.
The Phil is also M10 (?) bolts (i.e. the bolt is the diameter of the dropout hole with no axle stubs), but they have special heads to take 6mm allen key.