Yes, me too. They are also quite a bit lighter than the hookworms, even in their wire bead format. My own experience on an unpowered bike tells me they have fairly good puncture resistance as well. Definitely wouldn't go with a super narrow tire as in your original post, you would have to keep the pressure pretty damn high to avoid pinch flats.
the second number on the tires refers to width, and gives you the "nominal" width of the tire when inflated. It can vary between manufacturer, and differing rim widths changes it as well. you should, IMO, be looking for something around 2". Big Apples are nice, but given that you have full suspension ( yes? ) I would perhaps look at one of the Schwalbe Marathons, which one depends on how much speed or puncture resistance matters to you. Important thing to note is there is another type of 26" tire out there, not very common, but make sure whichever one you buy is listed as an ETRO size of 559mm, at whatever width.