They majority of towels I own are Rag Co. I get what I need at a very fair price. I have never had issues with lint or shedding except for the first wash and dry. Chances are many negative comments are due to misuse (the wrong towel/type of weave for the wrong task.) or poor care of the towels. (washing and drying.)
PFM drying towels are awesome. They are a twisted loop weave. That's what makes them awesome drying towels it's the blend and weave. I prefer good old waffle weave, cheaper and does the job in one extra wipe. Rag Co. makes one twisted loop weave towel.
All you want is a good 70/30 blend towel and China, Korean does not matter. You want to make sure you are using the right weave for the task. All my Chinese towels are just as good as the Korean's at getting the job done. It' the material not the country. Here are your general guidelines for weave and use. Some towels can overlap many tasks, some can't. I'm sure I missed something.
Drying: Twisted Loop or Waffle Weave.
Polish removal: Terry, Pearl (70/30 blend only) or short split fiber or dual pile towel. The shorter the weave the more bite it has for stubborn compound residue.
Rinseless: Long split circular knit weave (Eagle Edgeless) or Coral Weave. Waffle Weave for Drying.
Wax, Sealant, QD, Spray Wax: Long Split, Coral weave on sealants, coral weave may stick on some natural waxes.
Glass: I just use expired kitchen and bath towels. cotton. If you want MF use Waffle Weave. You want bite on glass. Glass is really hard so you can use cotton.
Coatings: Terry, Suede, Pearl weave. Yes you can get coating residue out of MF. Presoak tap hot water and APC and wash hot water. It may take several washes with a white vinegar rinse but it will come out as long as you are not loading the towels up with residue. Then reuse them for coatings better to wash towels a few times then buy more when your doing coatings.
Even with all that information you can get away Getting a plush shorter nap towel or a bunch of dual pile towels just different colors and just have them color coded by task to avoid cross contamination. ( I'm notorious for doing this but I know my towels are pristine.)
Part of towel care for me is not washing by task but by weave types. (I do wash my B towels used on wheels and engines separate from my A towels.) Don't wash and dry your shorter tight weaves with long plusher weaves or the longer fibers will stick to shorter fibers causing shedding and lint. Don't let product set on your towels. Have a presoak bucket with a little cheap APC mixed in with water and toss all your A towels in it while your working to keep dirt, stains and product loose. If it looks like they may have stains spray some APC on the stains before washing. No need to soak B towels, they are B towels old and meant to be stained. I've washed hundreds of towels hundreds of times and after the first wash before use the lint trap in my dryer is spotless. If your lint trap has fibers in it your doing something wrong. I've used dirt cheap towels all the way up to $20+ drying towels. I hope this helps explain the insane world of MF.
And like you said, their 12”x16” size is a plus. 
