Do microfiber towels really matter?
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Robert8194
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- May 9, 2011
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For door jams, wheels or engine compartments, probably not. For use on paint for removing wax, probably so. I'm not sure expensive is the key, quality is. Maybe they are the same but use quality on the paint.
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Why shouldn't the cheap towels be used on paint?
Different people have different expectations. The only way to decide where you fit is to get some cheap ones and some good ones and decide for yourself. Price does not always equal quality.
The other thing is that some say there are certain MF towels (even expensive ones) that have scratched their paint. I've not experienced that so can't comment. Only point being, your paint might be a factor also (which again calls for experimenting on your part)
Microfiber towels are to detailers as clamps are to woodworkers. You can never have enough quantity or variety. They're one of the most basic tools.
The other thing is that some say there are certain MF towels (even expensive ones) that have scratched their paint. I've not experienced that so can't comment. Only point being, your paint might be a factor also (which again calls for experimenting on your part)
Microfiber towels are to detailers as clamps are to woodworkers. You can never have enough quantity or variety. They're one of the most basic tools.
HardLineDetail
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- Mar 8, 2013
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Remember, a good quality towel can scratch your paint as well if you don't carefully take care of them. I sometimes take about 2-5 mins per towel to take off debris stuck in the fibers that won't come off easily. IF you use that in your paint, then you are going to scratch your paint with debris stuck in your towel. That's why i always check my towel every time i wipe down something to check for anything stuck on them.
Just imagine you just finished polishing your paint and wiped down the polish with your towel just to see that you left small scratches everywhere >.<. Would be a pain to polish again just for not being careful.
Just imagine you just finished polishing your paint and wiped down the polish with your towel just to see that you left small scratches everywhere >.<. Would be a pain to polish again just for not being careful.
Elliott.lwy
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- Feb 6, 2013
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I have bought a huge pack of microfiber towels from Costco for cheap (~$20). Unfortunately they actually put fine scratches on my car. :nomore: Then I bought some MF towels from CG and I am happy with them. 
rops:
rops:- Thread starter
- #8
Yeah, I have a ton of microfibers. My question was more about quality.
Are the cobra microfibers, for example, much better than cheap ones?
Are cheap ones scratch more likely to scratch? Or is it the debris in the towels that scratch?
Pureshine
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- Dec 30, 2012
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They have a chance of marring the paint and I should've said buy quality towels. You can buy quality towels at a good price.
Durallymax
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- Aug 5, 2012
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For simple tasks, the lesser quality ones work okay, however the amount of washes they survive may be more important than anything.
You can't seem to find the big thick plush ones for QDs and waterless washes anywhere but detailing stores.
I use a lot from MFtech. For real cheap stuff like wheels, I have used some from our dairy supply place as we use all MF towels for cleaning udders. We use over 3000 MF towels per day for milking. These are very cheap, but are not bad when new. Have to be careful with their border though, it can scratch. They also do not seem to last terribly long, but its not like they are using special procedures to care for them either.
I have bought a huge pack of microfiber towels from Costco for cheap (~$20). Unfortunately they actually put fine scratches on my car. :nomore: Then I bought some MF towels from CG and I am happy with them.
Which type of CG microfiber towels did you use?
I share your practice of taking some time to take off any littlw debris on my microfiber towel. Technique trumps product anytime, anyplace, anywhere...
I`ve been using MF towels for many years. I probably have 40+ all different kinds. I don`t pay a lot for them, never more than $1 ea. and I have never seen one mark from a towel on any of my cars, frankly I think it`s a myth, now I`m not debating anyone here that may have had bad luck. But I`ve never had a problem.
Now if your towels are not washed well after or if you do not check for debris in them then it may be possible to leave marks. Spending mega dollars for MF towels IMO is a wast of money.
Now if your towels are not washed well after or if you do not check for debris in them then it may be possible to leave marks. Spending mega dollars for MF towels IMO is a wast of money.
Kevin Cullen
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- May 25, 2012
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Can be paint dependant. Some paints are hard and some are soft and scratch if you look at them sideways. As others have stated, debris and also pressure on the towel can cause damage.
BINGO!
What I see, and what someone else can see, is a huge factor/variable. Some people have a keen eye, others do not.
The same goes for pressure. Pressure, or the lack thereof can vary by huge amounts. What some might call a soft touch may not be a soft touch to others. Describing such variances using the written word is most certainly a challenge...and I might go as far to say it's nearly impossible to describe something using words so that all people could understand it to the same degree.
This is why I think Mike Phillips goes to great lengths on video stressing how important it is to raise your level of care (caution when touching paint) with each successive level of a particular detail. Even in a video Mike is still limited to how much he can make someone understand, which is what seperates one-on-one, or in-person instruction, from learning by watching a video or by reading a post or article. Nothing trumps hands on teaching and experience. In addition to hands on teaching/learning, it takes a person with a gift for teaching to know how far to break things down for a given student, and it takes a gift for knowing what to stress, when to stress it, and how to stress it. In other words, gifted teachers are NOT a dime a dozen. Mike Phillips has a passion not only for detailing, but a passion for teaching, or helping people learn. That's what makes him so successful.
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peter hurcos
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- Apr 15, 2013
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I second. That big bag of borderless towels I bought at Sam's has done just fine. Do they last forever? No. But its nice to have a big stash of towels that I switch out for another at the drop of a hat. If, and that's a big if, there is any benefit to using an expensive towel, its outweighed by my ability to have a nearly clean towel in my hand at almost all times. I do make a point of washing them separately and giving them an extra rinse cycle in the washing machine. I doubt that's really necessary.