A good rule of thumb in MF towels for general detailing is as follows:
1. Towel density is very very important in a MF towel. Density is a measure of fibers per square inch of fabric. The range for quality microfiber is 120,000 to 250,000 fibers per square inch. In generally speaking, the higher the fiber count it has, the better the towel will work for you.
2. The ratio of the polyester and polymide blend is important. While 80% polyester and 20% polymide is typical as always, but a 70/30 blend will absorb water faster for you. As polymide is much more expensive than polyester, so you can expect to pay more for 70/30 towels these days, but with new ways their made the price is going down fast.
3. Make sure you look at the weave and thickness of the towel. Depending on the task the cloth is designed to perform for you.
4. The quality construction is not always obvious, here are some observations. The biggest complaint from folks with microfiber is that the towels with cheap edging will scratch your paint. There are some reasons First, off the factory uses a hot wire system to cut their towels and if not properly adjusted, or if a cheap machine is used, the hot wire will melt the fabric, they turn into a type of hard plastic! The second complaint is that the towel creates excessive lint. Microfiber lint is caused by towels with a high pile or a weave using a fiber split that's inappropriate for the use it was intended for (shortcut made). The high pile or loose weave allow the fibers to break off, creating lint. The same split fiber used in a towel with a higher fabric density will lint less or not at all. Don't always assume that a MF towel that does not lint is a high quality towel. Some of these cheapest towels don't lint because they do not have split fibers or their getting better made at the source.
So select you towels (as looking for some), by asking questions to other folks ( also detailers ) who have got them and ask them if they lint or have hard edges on them, and if they perform the way your looking for.
