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

You just have to wipe very slowly with a WW drying towel to allow the water to wick into the fabric. I see videos of people vigorously wiping with a WW leaving trails of water behind. When you're wiping slowly you're not likely to scratch the paint.

I am however switching to drying with the GG PFM towels. I use the WW towels now for wiping the trim, windows and such dry.
I like the 16x16 PFM the best. The 16x24 towels at AA are about as big as I would want to get.

The really big $39 25x35 ones would seem too big based on using the 16x24 ones. The big one has to be quite heavy and cumbersome when loaded with water.
 
idriveblackcars said:
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.

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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
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wash them in the machine with other microfibers i bet thats your problem. they prob arent getting clean, there's dirt and road film you can't see on the towel. I use mine once then wash it. I have those and have no problems. I like the gold ones with the pad in the middle though. 4 washes in 12 days is a lot too.
 
When I RW my cars I use the Cobra Guzzler. I pat each panel dry, it takes time but since you're only doing one panel it works good.

For 2 bucket wash I use the DP blower.
 
Thanks all for the replies! And yes I washed it waay to much in a short period of time lol.

I'm going to give them another shot, going to wash them today with my good towels instead of by hand too.

But I'm going to order some PFM towels very soon. I think, and because the paint is so smooth I was dragging the towel in some places instead of blotting and just pressing it down on the panel with water.
 
DBAILEY said:
I like the 16x16 PFM the best. The 16x24 towels at AA are about as big as I would want to get.

The really big $39 25x35 ones would seem too big based on using the 16x24 ones. The big one has to be quite heavy and cumbersome when loaded with water.
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I'm usually a slide-the-towel-around dryer, and did find the 25x35 to be a bit cumbersome like you mention. But, it does work really well for laying flat if you use that approach.
 
Yes, those guessing are correct. I went with the 16x16 PFMs because I have the huge guzzlers and find the large size hard to use on vertical panels. The smaller towels worked great and having more of them makes it easier to just get another instead of trying so hard to wring out the big guzzler. I also ordered the 4 pack of glass PFMs and that should arrive tomorrow. I hope it's as nice as the paint one. This is the set I got 3 of for the paint.

Griots Garage PFM Terry Weave Towel, Set of 2
 
The WW towels I have are very old but even when new I didn't care much for them. No matter how I used them they always marred soft paint, Honda for instance. For cleaning/drying glass they are excellent which is now their sole purpose.
 
I've not had any issues with WW towels either. I strictly do bucket washes, but on our cars once I do a flood rinse, there isn't much water left on the surface and I simply go around and dab/wipe up what little is left.
 
BSoares said:
I also ordered the 4 pack of glass PFMs and that should arrive tomorrow. I hope it's as nice as the paint one.
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I love the glass PFMs. They make it super fast to get streak free windows. I let a coworker use one once and they had me get them a pack next time I had an AG order.
 
Just to chime in....

I like the Guzzler Waffle Weave drying towels and for the most part these are all I use to dry my own cars and trucks and the cars and trucks I wash.


Everyone's mileage will vary and how scratch-sensitive a paint system is - is also a huge factor. Some paints simply scratch easy. Also the type of wax, sealant or coating you use can be a factor. Most coatings I've used leave the paint feeling rubbery, not silky slick and smooth.

I used a coating on the wife's SL 500 and after washing it and drying it ONE TIME (a week or two after applying the coating), I removed the coating and went back to PBL Surface Coating, which is what I used before testing out the other coating and which is what I currently use.

With the other coating, as soon as I went to dry the car the waffle weave towels grabbed onto the paint and didn't want to slide or glide over it. With the PBL Surface coating the towels glide over the paint and I can dry the car in probably under 10 minutes, heck under 5 minutes and no scratching.


Here's a recent article I wrote, don't mind the off topic banter... :laughing:



Avoid water spots - The fast and simple way I dry my cars by Mike Phillips


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And kind of related so I just want to share for others that will read this into the future....


The least invasive method to dry your car - Patting instead of wiping off rinse water

This is a different type of waffle weave towel but you can do it with the green Guzzlers...


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:)
 
Thanks for the pm Mike, you guys at AG go above and beyond with customer service.

I machined washed these towels this morning and stuck them in the dryer instead of hanging them to dry. They don't feel as stiff. Going to give them another shot but can't wait to order some PFM towels lol
 
I also use "dryer balls", plastic, studded balls to fluff up my towels in the dryer.
 
KirkH said:
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.
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The Cobra Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towels are manufactured in Korea. 80% Polyester 20% Polyamide
 
Bobby B. said:
The Cobra Guzzler Waffle Weave Drying Towels are manufactured in Korea. 80% Polyester 20% Polyamide
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Nope. Korean Microfiber assembled in China. Check out Autogeek Towel Comparison chart and the product page.
 
I've been using the Cobra Waffle Weave Guzzler Drying Towels "Made in Korea" for years and I think they work great. I always make sure to use a clean towel each time I dry my truck. Since McKee's 37 launched the new Turbo Car Dryer I like to use that to blow off 90% of the water first and then go over it with the waffle weave drying towels.

McKee's 37 Turbo Car Dryer

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The FIBER was made in Korea. The towel was made in China. According to YOUR product page.
 
KirkH said:
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.
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Well, not exactly the same fiber if you you are talking about how it is spun into yarn. Waffle weave is not exposing the ends of the yarn the way that regular MF towels do. The ends are where you get the most absorption through the capillary effect of water's inherently high surface tension causing it to want to wick into an area of the yarn away from the ends. This goes for dust and other particles, too. This is how the latest high-tech sweat-wicking fabrics work, albeit with a different objective from a drying towel. The more exposure the more chance of absorption.

I think one thing lost on most people is that individual microfibers are not really visible by the naked eye without some form of magnification. Even under high magnification it is a little difficult to see the actual individual fibers.
 
I also use microfiber and a drying aid as my drying technique. I also use a leaf blower to get most of the water off first. I use waffle weaves for glass and it always leaves a streak free shine, but I also think they are too rough for paint.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
Who cares it doesnt matter where its made its the quality of the manufacturing that matters. A good product can be made any where, you think there aren't crappy products made in the usa?
 
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