What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

[Kyle R]

Well, the question is, what do you look for in a microfiber towel? Do you see how soft/plush the towel actually is before purchasing it? Do you check the ratio of Polyester to Polyamides? How many fibers per square inch? The price tag? Any input is appreciated.

[weavers]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

I look for one that passes the CD test. If it scratches the soft paint on my old benz then I don't want it. Next is cost. I don't like paying more than 2 dollars per towel. Last is how well it absorbed water/polish/wax.

So far all towels scratch up my benz. the cheap ones from harbor freight/costco and more expensive checmial guys and ultra plush drying towels. These towels dont scratch up other paints at all. I dunno maybe its my car.

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

I look for one that passes the CD test. If it scratches the soft paint on my old benz then I don't want it. Next is cost. I don't like paying more than 2 dollars per towel. Last is how well it absorbed water/polish/wax.

So far all towels scratch up my benz. the cheap ones from harbor freight/costco and more expensive checmial guys and ultra plush drying towels. These towels dont scratch up other paints at all. I dunno maybe its my car.

Thanks for the reply. I know what you mean about having just about every microfiber scratching your car. My dad has an 08 e350 sport and the exact same thing happens with his paint. It swirls 10x faster than mine, and I always thought nissan's paint/clear coat was the worst.

[greg0303]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

There's a big difference in microfiber towels quality. Meg's Water Magnet, Supreme Shine and Ultimate Wipe are really good and soft. I like Ultimate Wipe for final wipe offs.

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

There's a big difference in microfiber towels quality. Meg's Water Magnet, Supreme Shine and Ultimate Wipe are really good and soft. I like Ultimate Wipe for final wipe offs.

Thanks for the feedback. I should have taken into account the different jobs a microfiber can do (drying,removing wax, ect.) Believe it or not, this information is actually going to be used for something. I just can't say what yet

[Joe Dragon]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

This issue is really confusing to me. In a store you can't tell how many fibers are there because that info isn't listed, neither is the ratio of fibers in most cases. Word on the street is if the fibers are from Korea & sewn in China it could be a good towel, but that info is only from online sources who sell them.

The auto parts & discount stores usually have Brand X towels & one seems like another to me. If I buy locally & pay the sales tax the total is significantly less than onine where the cost of towels, even those on sale, ends up being doubled when shipping/handling is included. Like Weavers, I dislike paying more than a few bucks per towel, especially since I can't tell any performance difference in my limited experience with mf. So I end up using a synthetic towel to blot dry the car after washing, then cotton or mf to remove polish, then cheesecloth or a supersoft synthetic cloth to finish shining.

[STRIFE]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

I voted cost, as i always look for stuff on sale.
Once I get the towels home, either from the store or online delivery, I look at the thickness, feel...etc.
I also do a bit of research where possible, Amazon has customer reviews on products, and i believe AG has some as well....LOL...kinda funny that I reseached freakin MFs...

I have a variety of MFs.....so far, I can't tell if the el cheapo MFs are any better or worst than the Megs Ultimate or SS towels, some thick shaggy MF I bought on Amazon
I have to say i prefer a smaller towel, but I use like 40 of them to do a clay& waxing on an average size vehicle

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

This issue is really confusing to me. In a store you can't tell how many fibers are there because that info isn't listed, neither is the ratio of fibers in most cases. Word on the street is if the fibers are from Korea & sewn in China it could be a good towel, but that info is only from online sources who sell them.

The auto parts & discount stores usually have Brand X towels & one seems like another to me. If I buy locally & pay the sales tax the total is significantly less than onine where the cost of towels, even those on sale, ends up being doubled when shipping/handling is included. Like Weavers, I dislike paying more than a few bucks per towel, especially since I can't tell any performance difference in my limited experience with mf. So I end up using a synthetic towel to blot dry the car after washing, then cotton or mf to remove polish, then cheesecloth or a supersoft synthetic cloth to finish shining.

The "issue" was simply to see what a person looks for in a microfiber upon purchasing it. If they like the feel of the towel or cost. Some people choose to go further in depth to see how many fibers per square inch are in their microfiber, or what it is really made of. That gives the consumer a good idea of how plush and durable the towel really is. I appreciate the feedback.

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

I voted cost, as i always look for stuff on sale.
Once I get the towels home, either from the store or online delivery, I look at the thickness, feel...etc.
I also do a bit of research where possible, Amazon has customer reviews on products, and i believe AG has some as well....LOL...kinda funny that I reseached freakin MFs...

I have a variety of MFs.....so far, I can't tell if the el cheapo MFs are any better or worst than the Megs Ultimate or SS towels, some thick shaggy MF I bought on Amazon
I have to say i prefer a smaller towel, but I use like 40 of them to do a clay& waxing on an average size vehicle

Thanks for the input! Research is never a bad thing, and 40 towels per car is crazy!

[hemi]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

A lot of them are made in China. I always feel the towels and also check the edges where they are sewed together I have cut many edges off because I didnt like the way they felt. sometimes you find hard spots at corners that I know would scratch your paint!

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

Easily detachable labels are a great help. Cutting them off still leaves a nub that could scratch. Megs Supreme Shines are great for this reason

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

Easily detachable labels are a great help. Cutting them off still leaves a nub that could scratch. Megs Supreme Shines are great for this reason

Very good point, one of my "pet peeves"

[Kyle R]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

A lot of them are made in China. I always feel the towels and also check the edges where they are sewed together I have cut many edges off because I didnt like the way they felt. sometimes you find hard spots at corners that I know would scratch your paint!

Very good point. I didn't really think about the corners to be honest.

[Joe Dragon]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

The "issue" was simply to see what a person looks for in a microfiber upon purchasing it...

Sorry, I didn't realize 'off-the-issue' comments were verboten.

[TOGWT]

Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?

Things to look for in a micro fibre towel

• How many times the fibres are split - a higher split ensues you get a more effective cleaning towel. Splitting the fibres creates millions of edges that trap dirt and dust that bonds to the fibres and is not released until the towel is washed in hot water. Therefore, the dirt is not re-deposited on the paint surface.
• Denier [: weight per unit length (linear density) measure of a continuous filament or yarn, used traditionally in textile industry] [1]. The higher the number, the thicker the fibre
• Threads per square inch - for any towel that touches paint, you should aim for at least 150,000 threads per square inch and 200,000 or more is ideal. This high thread count is primarily for increased performance, although can often help decrease your scratch risk. In general, using plush microfiber with long threads will not only give you significantly better performance but will also help reduce your scratch/swirl risk, often by a large margin
• Density of fibre - bear in mind that less density of fibre, translate into less cleaning power and far less durability. - is a measure of fibres per square inch of fabric. The range for quality micro fibre is 90,000 to 225,000 fibres per square inch. The higher the fibre count the more absorbent. The less dense cloths are also more abrasive to delicate surfaces. Look for at least 200,000 fibres per square inch of fabric.
• Ratio - of polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fibre) blend; an 80% polyester and 20% polyamide is typical (80/20) a 70/30 blend will absorb water faster. As polyamide is much more expensive than polyester, you can expect to pay more for a 70/30 blend.
• Quality - lesser quality versions can use a weave that is too wide or a pile that is too long, which causes the fibres’ to shed during use, leaving a lint trail.
• Construction - towel boarders, one of the of the advantages of a silk/satin edging is that they won't unravel when washed several times like a non edged towel nor will they cause marring of the paint surface, it also means that they will not snag.
• Weave -the weave on micro fibre towels can be adjusted to meet specific requirements; a terry-loop, cut, hooked feathered, zigzag or Piqué waffle weaves.
• Size - available in various sizes 16 -inch x 16 / 18 / 24 -inch, drying towels 25 -inch x 16 -inch being a usable size
• Thickness - some manufacturers are rating the thickness of their towels by weight; expressed in grams per square meter or g/m2. The ratio of polyester and polyamide usually remains the same.

When choosing micro fibre quality is very important, as a lack of quality inspection will result in variable results i.e. towels that will cause surface scratches, leave a trail of lint, etc. Many of the Micro fibre products being offered on the market are made from non-split (non-absorbent and ineffective) yarn.

The manufacturer forgoes the expensive splitting procedure to save money, and the result is a failing product. Not only does the blend lose over half of its absorbing and cleaning ability but it weakens with use, greatly reducing the life of the product. Some micro fibre products from China and Korea have less density and a denier (length of measure) of 0.5 or higher, which is 50x’s larger than the preferred quality denier of 0.02 or smaller.

A good quality towel may cost more, but it will last longer. The most important thing to remember is that a good quality micro fibre towel will provide better cleaning results and is less likely to cause surface scratches than lesser quality towels Micro fibre quality is very often reflected in the purchase price, best advice; use only high quality micro fibre towels from a reputable source.

As with most things, you'll get what you pay for; as Henry Royce once commented [the quality tends to be remembered long after the price has been forgotten]