Microfiber Opinions and Thoughts

I recently got into this buying binge and bought 12 different types 16x16/40cmx40cm MF towels to augment my collection. I spent about $450 doing this so it was not a cheap exercise and my wife is scratching her head and I am struggling to find space to store them safely, too, a nice problem to have. I already had samples from AGO and Costco so I ventured out and tried other sources. I avoided the "cheaper" ones from auto parts stores, Wal-Mart, etc. 6 were waffle weave for glass and 6 were standard MF. No brands or sources mentioned here but all sources are widely known in the detailer community. The only "branded" ones were Rag Company, the rest were boutique branded.

This is not a report on testing, evaluation or comparison. It is only about my opinionated thoughts. All 12 different types performed acceptably and competently.

My opinionated conclusions are:

1. GSM (grams per square meter) is easy to calculate using a kitchen scale that registers in grams
   • GSM claims by sellers is mostly accurate
   • I only bought 300 GSM and above
2. All towels varied between 70:30 and 80:20 (some cheapers ones claim 85:15 or worse)
   • No way to validate this
3. COO is China and Korea
   • Korean towels are more expensive and generally more often 70:30 and higher GSM
   • COO has no bearing on quality IMO, these are all ODMs and manufacture according to requirements
4. High-GSM waffle weave is better than low-GSM waffle weave
   • 300 GSM waffle weave is mostly unusable for me, I prefer 400 GSM or higher
5. Stay away from dark colors, especially on upholstery, the dye will bleed
   • I actually prefer white, baby blue, etc., even though they get grungy and stained
6. Quantities were 3, 10, 20 or more in order to secure a decent per/towel discount
   • In most cases I had to buy a lot in order to secure free shipping (good excuse to buy more)
7. Dedicated MF wash (I use CG and Griots) is better than "Free and Clear" detergent, IMO
   • Only because dedicated MF wash tends to rinse out better and leave less residue
8. Rag Company sells a good product but you pay a premium for the brand
   • I consider them a safe source but I'm not so risk-averse to try unbranded or lesser branded products
9. The best, highest GSM waffle weave towels, when washed separately provide streak-free performance on glass
   • Lesson learned, wax removal will forever taint a towel and you need to keep these separate from your glass towels
10. It is much better to have too many than too few towels
    • This sounds trivial but having a big stack ready to go allows for more time efficiency
    • You don't feel constrained and can grab a clean one, even on a whim if you think you "might" need it
    • Unless you are high-volume pro, washing a few extra towels in a batch is not going to cost more

My biggest takeaway is that you mostly get what you pay for. The often-disparaged Costco towels are 80:20 and 360 GSM and perform well for me. I just wanted to venture out and see if there was anything better. What I found is that in this class (80:20, China-sourced, 300-360 GSM) they are all mostly the same.

My second takeaway is GSM is much more important with waffle weave than standard towels. It matters a ton.

gobygred said:

Great write-up! What do you think of the edge "finishing" on the towels? I have tended to stay away from MF towels with stitched edges due to the perceived potential of scratches.

Am I being concerned about something that is not a factor?

Thanks!

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I only have 2 edgeless towels. To be perfectly honest I think it is probably more of a gimmick than otherwise. If you fold the towel in quarters and follow the Mike Phillips method the edge really doesn't come into play.

This is the gold standard for best practices with respect to MF, IMO: How, why & when to inspect your microfiber towels when detailing cars

fly07sti said:

Nice!! Man, you shoulda hit me up. I’m just across the bridge and have a few towels myself. This is what I had to do to get mine all in one localized place.

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Actually, your pics earlier is what inspired me to do this. I figured, "Heck, I'm not the only crazy guy out there, why not?" Now, I'm trying to figure out where to keep them handy for use.

Ronin47 said:

Now I don’t feel so bad, I have over 700 pads from all top brands in foam,mf,wool in storage bins just like that.

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My pads all fit into two large bins. I'm done buying pads for awhile now.

fly07sti said:

Once you start buying by the case, you run out of space quickly. This wasn’t my initial plan to store my towels and pads but they were overflowing in my laundry room and my garage. Like I said, if there’s something you’ve been wanting to try, let me know. I may have it.

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Thanks. There is really nothing I wanted to try other than to "venture out" and see for myself why people are so opinionated and almost religious about their MF. I'm not. I'm just a hobbyist and my objective is to be as efficient as possible. I am also not one to "run with the crowd" and I usually have to try things myself to see how my results compare to expectation. As for PBM products (WG, McKees, etc.), Optimum, Collinite, Megs, et. al. I am really impressed with these products compared to the consumer products at the auto parts stores, Target, Wal-Mart and other places. Couple all of this to a DA, nice pads, a lot of know-how gathered here and putting in time trying things and I think I've come up with processes and methods that work well for my requirements.

Regarding MF I think I can now act authoritatively for myself when evaluating MF products based on this latest batch of purchases. It's fun, too.