Why I'm not and never been a fan of waffle weave drying towels

idriveblackcars

idriveblackcars

In time out
Joined
May 10, 2016
Messages
745
Reaction score
0
Well this spring I have become addicted to rinseless washes. I have RW my car 4 times in less than 2 weeks. I have my method down for wiping and wanted to go with a waffle weave for drying.

In the past for my traditional wash I would use damp microfiber towels and a drying aid.

Today (after my 4th wash in 12 days) I took out swirl finder lights and really started to examine the paint. I noticed what could be the start of light swirling in the places where the car gets most dirty. I also noticed a light but long straight scratch that has like a double line on the hood. Nothing a polisher can't fix but still annoying. It's only my dd gti and want to polish every other year moving forward.

The only spot I really used my waffle weave on was the hood today. And I'm blaming it on that. I don't like how the towel gets really hard and stiff when dry. They always felt abrasive to me compared to towels. And I own good ones, the cobra guzzlers.

a108c84fad4eed949746ea8930694894.jpg


I hand clean mine if they get dirty with cold water and a little microfiber rejuvenater.

How do you guys take care of your waffle weaves? Do you machine wash them ?

Do you clean them with other towels ? Hand wash them if needed of just hang em to dry?

They are very popular and detailers love them, they work great but I swear they can be a bit abrasive. Is it just me? Thoughts ?

I'm thinking switching back to just dry microfibers with a drying aid while the car is still wet.

Pics for clicks
a6397cfa04c26d56e62192d18285d893.jpg
 
I have the same towels and throw them in the washer. They're not super soft but I don't find them that abrasive. Having said that, this weekend I tried the PFM towels for the first time and it's amazing. I already ordered 6 of them and will favor that over the guzzler.
 
BSoares said:
I have the same towels and throw them in the washer. They're not super soft but I don't find them that abrasive. Having said that, this weekend I tried the PFM towels for the first time and it's amazing. I already ordered 6 of them and will favor that over the guzzler.
Click to expand...

Good to know, looking for this kind of feedback. Will check them out thanks
 
Never had a problem with my Guzzler's, I do machine wash them with MF detergent. They feel pretty soft to me. However if I was in the market for a drying towel, I would get more PFM's, they are the bomb!
 
I have one of the big PFM's for the roof and such, and 2 16x16 for the lower side panels.
 
Great lol there goes more money. I just bought 6 guzzlers and don't really like them.
 
Mine have been demoted to drying door jambs and wheels if needed. I machine wash mine with Micro Restore and a little bit of Tide.

I have switched to drying with my Metro Master Blaster and GG PFM Drying Towels when needed.
 
Cobra Guzzlers are serviceable IMO.

Hard as hell to dry a full-sized truck with any towel in a timely fashion.

I use my leaf blower, then the CG's for the mop up.
 
No one has mentioned drying, but if you air dry towels an a rack or a line, they will not be very soft. I always put mine in a dryer with medium heat and plenty of fluff time. They are much softer that way. I don't use or own any waffle weave towels.
 
BlackMDX said:
No one has mentioned drying, but if you air dry towels an a rack or a line, they will not be very soft. I always put mine in a dryer with medium heat and plenty of fluff time. They are much softer that way. I don't use or own any waffle weave towels.
Click to expand...

Yes agreed, I always dry towels in the dryer low heat..but I let these waffle weave just hang. Maybe I will wash them with my regular towels. The instructions say wash with cold water and I use medium for my towels though.
 
I think I'm just going to go back to microfiber towels and order some PFM GG towels down the line. Especially after this thread.

Thanks all
 
BSoares said:
I tried the PFM towels for the first time and it's amazing. I already ordered 6 of them
Click to expand...


Get a load of Rockefeller Mcmoneybags over here. Those things are THIRTY NINE DOLLARS EACH. The towels I use to dry myself didn't cost that much.

I have ONE and it sits as the crown jewel of my towel collection. I don't even use it on cheap vehicles, only the nice ones.
 
In my experience, the 16x16 PFMs work awesome for drying, and are a lot cheaper. (I'm guessing that's what BSoares ordered; unless they're drying a fleet of semis, can't imgagine how you'd use that many of the big ones!).

OP: I'm with you. I launder my guzzler waffle weave with the rest of my "clean load" microfibers, and just never get the warmest of fuzzies about using it on my paint. I use it now mainly for glass after a rinseless. Ironically, some people knock the PFMs for feeling a bit rough, but I've never had a problem. They also feel softer after a wash or two (I thought).
 
When I read your post it states that you wash it when you see it's getting dirty. That right there is a risky venture with a black car. If it isn't cleaned after each use, then you run the risk of having something in your towel. I have 2 dozen guzzlers, dozen DMC's, about 20 PFM 16x16 and a bunch of other drying towels, just so if I need more drying towels, I can grab a fresh clean one. The Guzzlers always seem soft to me after I launder them in Micro Restore and dry on low heat. I even used one today on my butter soft Subie paint and no issues whatsoever.
 
Cobra Guzzlers are China made, 80% polyester and 20% polyamide. Get you some 70/30's and you will see the big difference 10% makes. I only use 70/30 towels on paint! 80/20's are for glass, trim and wheels only!

And if YOU trust Chinese labeling, you are crazy! They poison babies and dogs with their products. How much faith do I have that the Chinese label these towels correctly?

Zero.

They are probably 85% or more. I only use Korean MANUFACTURED towels.
 
Dr Oldz said:
I never cared for WW towels.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the fanboy love is for waffle weave. It never made much sense. The value of microfiber is that it can be spun and woven into a very soft nap fabric that can be setup with fiber with split ends giving the "feel" of being "soft" to touch. Microfiber is relatively hard plastic, it is just spun out of yarn so thin that it appears to be soft because of the air pockets between the fibers. Waffle weave defeats this advantage.
 
Route246 said:
I'm not sure what the fanboy love is for waffle weave. It never made much sense. The value of microfiber is that it can be spun and woven into a very soft nap fabric that can be setup with fiber with split ends giving the "feel" of being "soft" to touch. Microfiber is relatively hard plastic, it is just spun out of yarn so thin that it appears to be soft because of the air pockets between the fibers. Waffle weave defeats this advantage.
Click to expand...

It's the same fiber whether it is waffle weave or split. The waffle weave doesn't catch and keep little twigs, bits of tar, rocks, etc like a split fiber drying towel can. I think waffle weave holds more water than split.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top