Microfiber Towels

[98LowRanger]

In our line of work microfiber towels are one of the most used (I would venture to say that every single one of us use them) and important tools that we have when you think about it. I bought a few packs from Costco last year, but as I get more into paint correction and paint coatings, I realize it may be time to upgrade. I hate the thought that I could be increasing the chance of marring/scratching the paint I spent hours correcting just because I am using a low quality microfiber towel.

I am looking to buy from The Rag Company or Microfiber Tech. Both seem to sell high quality microfiber towels that are Korean made (I hear that is a good thing) for a relatively good price (approx. $4 a towel). I like the 16x16 size and 70/30 (Polyester to Polyamide) blend seems to be the best choice.

So before I drop $3+ per a towel, my questions concerning microfiber towels are:

- What weight/GSM (grams per square meter) do you guys recommend for POLISH removal?
- For leveling a coating I heard a "short nap" microfiber is recommended...would this be above 500 gsm?

Any tips you Pros can give me on microfiber towels is appreciated!

 

[dcjredline]

I'm not a pro so I digress. (if thats the proper use of the term digress) lol

 

[Rmd]

I'm not a pro, but I have a bit of a towel addiction. For polish removal, I'd rate the MM yellow fellow as a 10 on the quality and effectiveness of removing residue. With that as the standard, MFT's polishing towels (blue and white) are nearly as good; I just bought some and was impressed with how well they removed polish residue with minimal effort. The big difference is price, MM yellows are nearly triple the price, and although I have and use the MM's, I am going to stick with the MFT polishing towels going forward based on the value factor. The MM yellow fellows are wonderful, but are not three times as good to justify three times the price per towel.
For the gsm part of your question, I think the MM towels are about 360-380, and the MFT polishing towels feel a little less. Trying to remove polish with high gsm plush towels never worked well for me. Shorter nap have better bite.

 

[conman1395]

Also not a pro but I have a towel fetish. Korean towels are nice, but they're not the only ones that are appropriate. You could honestly do everything with Microfibertech 360 towels. Also, the polyester/polyamide blend does not mean everything in terms of quality (not that you would ever want a 90/10 towel). I stick to 75/25 and 70/30. I have done a lot of work with an assortment of 360 and 530 towels. Hopefully Cardaddy chimes in.
By the way, I've grown fond of fabric edged towels versus silk edge.

 

[brettS4]

I'm not a pro so I digress. (if thats the proper use of the term digress) lol

I believe you mean 'defer'.

 

[98LowRanger]

Ok maybe I shouldn't have used the word "Pro", but I consider a lot of you guys "pros" who have much more experience then I do.

Microfiber Tech seems to have some very good towels so glad to hear that they are very comparable to The Rag Company's even though they are considerably cheaper. When paying $3+ per a towel every dollar counts!

So a good towel for a "final swipe" when leveling a coating would be in the 400 gsm range (short nap?)?

 

[cleanmycorolla]

for me, I like to use 360gsm towels for polish removal and wax removal.

for rinseless I use 600+gsm towels.

really it just depends on how you paint plays with the towel, what i suggest, by one of each you're interested in, test it, then make the big splurge.

 

[SameGuy]

Note that TRC has recently added Chinese-made detailing towels to their lineup, perhaps to compete with other companies' (MFT is just one) full range of Chinese-made offerings. That said, there is indeed a difference you can feel.

I have a microfiber fetish, but I have a really hard time justifying paying three times as much as TRC charges (for top-notch Korean towels) to get MM products made in Germany. As good as TRC's Eagle Edgeless, Avalanche, Everest and Split-Purplenality are, I can't imagine any of MM's towels are three times better.

ALL THAT SAID , most of my polishing towel collection is still made up of AutoGeek Cobras, most of them 75/25 Korean assembled in China. With all the sales and special offers here along with frequent "microfiber gifts with minimum purchase", AG towels are easily just as inexpensive as the better ones from TRC -- and have proven themselves time and again under heavy use. Hey, the proof is there: AG's Show Car Garage and studio turns out show car details every week, using the very same towels AG sells to us.

Car Care Microfiber Towels, Microfiber dusters and microfiber Detailing tools

 

[cardaddy]

Also not a pro but I have a towel fetish. Korean towels are nice, but they're not the only ones that are appropriate. You could honestly do everything with Microfibertech 360 towels. Also, the polyester/polyamide blend does not mean everything in terms of quality (not that you would ever want a 90/10 towel). I stick to 75/25 and 70/30. I have done a lot of work with an assortment of 360 and 530 towels. Hopefully Cardaddy chimes in.
By the way, I've grown fond of fabric edged towels versus silk edge.

Who ME?

I'm not a "pro" either.

And that's not all of my microfiber collection!
(Had a dirty box full, a load in the washer, another bin, and a trunk half full when I shot this pic.) Added more since then as well.


I agree, you can do pretty much anything you need with the MFT 360gsm towels. They'll remove compound, polish, even LSP. I would say though to get some of the 530's. They are the baby blue ones in that bin on the right, and on the far left on the bottom shelf next to the gray Korean edgeless. Between those and the 360's you're covered for most everything. They'll even make good drying towels! I like the MFT 530's much MUCH better than the Cobra 530's (triple folded, far right, on top of the white boxes) as they are quite a bit softer.

I would say however that everyone needs at least a 'few' Korean 500 edgeless (the gray ones on the shelf and in the bin on the floor). They're always good for QD duties, and light dusting. Also work with final wipe of any LSP before delivery. I do have some of the dual-plush 700's (on the right side of the Korean gray's) and they are GREAT for removing dust, but they'll lint when you least want it.

One that I like a lot lately is the "White Whale" (850gsm) as well as both the towels from Duragloss. They are both exactly the same, just different sizes. Not cheap at all, but a really nice towel. Their construction is similar to the "Blue Whale" (1100gsm) sewn around the edge, and across on the X & Y axis. They are softer, have deeper (and looser nap) and easier to work with than the "blue whale". (FYI there are 2 of the blue whale's on the top shelf, left side, dark blue with silver border.)

 

[MI Mike]

for me, I like to use 360gsm towels for polish removal and wax removal. for rinseless I use 600+gsm towels. really it just depends on how you paint plays with the towel, what i suggest, by one of each you're interested in, test it, then make the big splurge.

I agree. Look for made in Korea. MFT alot better than China. Do not go cheap (price), you need to use the best quality towel. It pay's in the long run. 70/30 blends are perfect.

 

[dlc95]

I really like the green towels that come with the Menzerna Ceramic Intro Kit here at AG, but I can't find them for sale here.

I just received my order of Microfiber Madness towels today. I got a few Crazy Pile, and Slogger. WOW those things are pricey... Still excited to use them though.

Of course there is the Meguiar's Supreme Shine. Very soft, and effective. Kind of a "no brainer" for a guy like me. I wonder what the gsm on those would be...

As far as plush towels go, I bought a ton of the teal Viking ultra plush before they were discontinued, and replaced with the dark blue ones. The new version is so thick that they are almost unusable. I use those for qd.

 

[Bricklin]

Note that TRC has recently added Chinese-made detailing towels to their lineup, perhaps to compete with other companies' (MFT is just one) full range of Chinese-made offerings. That said, there is indeed a difference you can feel.

I have a microfiber fetish, but I have a really hard time justifying paying three times as much as TRC charges (for top-notch Korean towels) to get MM products made in Germany. As good as TRC's Eagle Edgeless, Avalanche, Everest and Split-Purplenality are, I can't imagine any of MM's towels are three times better.

Agreed all around, although it's very important to note one big, fat misconception everyone seems to have about Microfiber Madness: With the exception of their "Incredi-" products, none of their stuff is actually made in Germany.

They're Korean towels, and damn good ones at that, but the extreme cost difference isn't due to some exotic european labor costs.

MM just plays up the whole "Imported from Germany" thing to fuel the hype and mislead folks. It's ingenious marketing 101, but it's so frustrating to know better, having done your research, and see how many people remain oblivious.

They have the towels shipped to Germany for "final inspection" and quality checks, then ship them out from there. Hence: "Imported from Germany" followed by people shelling out a tenner for a single towel. Im the MAN

 

[Setec Astronomy]

They have the towels shipped to Germany for "final inspection" and quality checks, then ship them out from there. Hence: "Imported from Germany" followed by people shelling out a tenner for a single towel.

Well, not too much different from the Zaino towels, and people snap them up like they were unicorn horns.

 

[SameGuy]

Dry Me Crazy should be Dryin' All The Way To The Bank.

 

[SameGuy]

Aside: I don't know of too many people whose microfiber towel fetish is even near the same depth as Tony's! LOL

I have about 120 utility (Kirkland Gold, Simoniz) towels in various states and perhaps 75 higher-quality towels of different shapes and sizes. I intend to add to my collections of Eagle and Split Purple-nality 16x16s before spring, but I will also be culling many towels, those for which I never reach during a session. Pity, too, because they are all good. Just for one reason or another I like the Eagles and Splits better.

 

[Bricklin]

Well, not too much different from the Zaino towels, and people snap them up like they were unicorn horns.

Build it, (Hype!) and they will come.

For those who don't believe it, spend fifteen minutes on Chemical Guys youtube channel reading the comments...

Dry Me Crazy should be Dryin' All The Way To The Bank.

When someone asks you why you'd spend over $10 on a single 17" x 25" towel, it basically turns into the towel equivalent of that street race in the fast & the furious when the Supra races the Ferrari: "More than you can afford, pal!" :laughing:



FWIW, I'm a fan of MFT & TRC offerings. They give you the good stuff while charging far more reasonable rates than anyone else.

 

[cardaddy]

Aside: I don't know of too many people whose microfiber towel fetish is even near the same depth as Tony's! LOL ....

Shhhh.... don't want CarMomma reading this thread now, do we? :laughing:

Build it, (Hype!) and they will come.

For those who don't believe it, spend fifteen minutes on Chemical Guys youtube channel reading the comments...

FWIW, I'm a fan of MFT & TRC offerings. They give you the good stuff while charging far more reasonable rates than anyone else.

Yes they DO! No secret I'm a big fan of MFT for sure.

Oh GOD....... don't get me started on people crawling on board the 'hype train'.

I'll admit that generally Korean sourced and built towels are better quality than 100% Chinese. (Although you can have Korean sourced thread and assembled in China.)

But that alone doesn't mean you need the Korean towels. I found out years ago that as long as you have a decent quality towel, you really don't need to spend 5, 6, 10 times as much on a similar one. FWIW, the last case of MFT 360's I bought I don't have $1.25 each in them. Try THAT from a Cobra, CG, TRC, MM, you name it.

Of course I have Korean sourced, as well as Korean built towels. Including a few from TRC. Are there others I'd like to try? You BETCHA! Somebody wanna' send me a big fat one in trade for a Korean 500 edgeless or two... and I'll do just that.:xyxthumbs: But will I buy towels at $10 each? Not on your life! That being said, the Duragloss towels are expensive, soft, plush, and VERY NICE... and if I were to buy a high priced one those would be it. (To clarify: Bill @ Duragloss sent me the triple-pack, mitt, polish & drying towel to sample. Then after getting them they are one of the few high priced if not the only ones (that cost that much) that I'd recommend. They are similar to Zanio blondes btw.)

 

[dlc95]

Shhhh.... don't want CarMomma reading this thread now, do we? :laughing:



Yes they DO! No secret I'm a big fan of MFT for sure.

Oh GOD....... don't get me started on people crawling on board the 'hype train'.

I'll admit that generally Korean sourced and built towels are better quality than 100% Chinese. (Although you can have Korean sourced thread and assembled in China.)

But that alone doesn't mean you need the Korean towels. I found out years ago that as long as you have a decent quality towel, you really don't need to spend 5, 6, 10 times as much on a similar one. FWIW, the last case of MFT 360's I bought I don't have $1.25 each in them. Try THAT from a Cobra, CG, TRC, MM, you name it.

Of course I have Korean sourced, as well as Korean built towels. Including a few from TRC. Are there others I'd like to try? You BETCHA! Somebody wanna' send me a big fat one in trade for a Korean 500 edgeless or two... and I'll do just that.:xyxthumbs: But will I buy towels at $10 each? Not on your life! That being said, the Duragloss towels are expensive, soft, plush, and VERY NICE... and if I were to buy a high priced one those would be it. (To clarify: Bill @ Duragloss sent me the triple-pack, mitt, polish & drying towel to sample. Then after getting them they are one of the few high priced if not the only ones (that cost that much) that I'd recommend. They are similar to Zanio blondes btw.)

Cardaddy, have you ever tried the ultra microfiber by microfiber tech? It's the 80/20, 300 gsm chinese made basic microfiber. I think The Rag Company's "all purpose" is similar.

My intent is to use them on paint, or should I just stick to Supreme Shines?

 

[dlc95]

Agreed all around, although it's very important to note one big, fat misconception everyone seems to have about Microfiber Madness: With the exception of their "Incredi-" products, none of their stuff is actually made in Germany.

They're Korean towels, and damn good ones at that, but the extreme cost difference isn't due to some exotic european labor costs.

MM just plays up the whole "Imported from Germany" thing to fuel the hype and mislead folks. It's ingenious marketing 101, but it's so frustrating to know better, having done your research, and see how many people remain oblivious.

They have the towels shipped to Germany for "final inspection" and quality checks, then ship them out from there. Hence: "Imported from Germany" followed by people shelling out a tenner for a single towel. Im the MAN

I wish I had read this BEFORE I ordered these things! Kind of felt I took myself for a ride there.

 

[SameGuy]

I believe there are good-quality, (relatively) reasonably-priced towels available from a number of sources. It comes down to finding towels you like using at a price you're willing to pay to a company that pleases you with their service. I've never had anything but great service here and will always come here first when looking for most automotive care products. But I also get amazing service from a couple of companies mentioned in this thread as well as the U.S. distributor of the German company's products. The Incredi-things are downright fantastic products, and worth every penny I paid -- especially with Corey's service.

But I'll repeat: the average price I've paid for AG towels through sales and giveaways and freebies makes them about the same price as the Korean stuff from other vendors, and knowing the same towels get used all the time in the AG garage is the best quality assurance guarantee one could get. Right now my collection is mostly TRC Koreans, but if AG keeps sending me these lovely Super Plush Juniors and Gold Plush Juniors as freebies, what's not to love? They are GREAT towels.