SilverLexus
03-18-2006, 05:41 PM
I was contacted a few weeks ago by a rep of Fiber-Works. He asked if I would review his towels and I said yes after being assured I could share my candid observations. I was then sent a bunch of towels from Fiber-Works collection.
In general Fiber-Works ("FW") towels are quite a good deal selling at a low, but not too low price. I found the quality of the textiles to be quite high, if not reaching the very best towels in my collection such as those from PakShak and Cobra.
The biggest weakness I saw in the line was the inclusion of tags on everything. If FW can eliminate these then I will give them my highest recommendation for a great value towel. I managed to cut the tags off without too much trouble but for serious detailing enthusiasts this should be addressed.
Here are some picture of the microfiber collection, minus the grey ww drying towel and green QD towel with silk edging which are in the wash...will try to add later:
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw1.jpg
Top - Plush Towel
Left - White Edgeless
Right - Extra Plush Towel
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw2.jpg
Left - Dusting MF Mitt
Right - Washing/Scrubbing Mitt
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw3.jpg
Top - Microfiber Applicator
Left - Fine Microfiber Towel
Right - Scrubbing Towel
Here are my ratings (A-B-C-D) and comments on each towel:
Green Ultrafine silk edge towel (A-, $4): Great for QD work but be careful as the green dye got on some of the other towels in the first wash. After that, everything was fine. Also worked well as a wax removal towel and is decent on glass. Well constructed.
Grey WW Drying Towel (A-, $10.50): Excellent budget drying towel, not as soft as my Cobra or Pak but superb towel with nice edging.
Orange Extra Plush Towel (A-, $4): Terrific plush towel with good construction and very soft. Really like this one a bunch. Great for QD, wax removal, glass, very versatile!
White UltraFine Edgeless Towel (A-, $3.75): Another great towel very similar to my orange ExcelDetail towels but in white which looks good - just don`t wash with green towel like I did but now it has a cool green hue so it looks great anyway. :) Tested removing Z-2 Pro and it worked perfectly.
Microfiber Applicator (A-, $2.50): This was a new one on me. It has the "velvet" mf fiber on the applicator so there is a smooth surface. I like the UltraFine apps from Pak a little bit better but this works very well and I think I may buy a few for sealants.
Velvet type Fine Microfiber Towel (B+, $2): I`m a bit biased against the velvet weave since I find it a bit grippy but for $2 this makes for a very good interior towel. Still I might prefer the orange FW Extra Plush for that.
Microfiber drying mitt (A-, $4.75): Meant for dusting and drying I found it to work well for dusting but I prefer a good waffle weave for exterior drying. Still a very well constructed product with an attached loop. One of the best mf mitts I have actually seen.
Plush Microfiber Towel (A, $3.75): My favorite of all at a very good price. This is the versatile work towel and it gets very soft after a few washes.
Bug Scrubber Towel (B+, ??): Could not find this on the site but it`s a glass sized ww towel that is a bit stiff and worked well on taking off bug on the front bumper.
Microfiber Wash/Scrub Mitt (B+, $5.50): Interesting mitt with one side of the scrubber variety and short mf on the other side. I don`t really like mf mitts for washing but if you do I this is worthy of a look.
I hope this review helps those of you looking for a great mid-priced line of MF. :)
In general Fiber-Works ("FW") towels are quite a good deal selling at a low, but not too low price. I found the quality of the textiles to be quite high, if not reaching the very best towels in my collection such as those from PakShak and Cobra.
The biggest weakness I saw in the line was the inclusion of tags on everything. If FW can eliminate these then I will give them my highest recommendation for a great value towel. I managed to cut the tags off without too much trouble but for serious detailing enthusiasts this should be addressed.
Here are some picture of the microfiber collection, minus the grey ww drying towel and green QD towel with silk edging which are in the wash...will try to add later:
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw1.jpg
Top - Plush Towel
Left - White Edgeless
Right - Extra Plush Towel
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw2.jpg
Left - Dusting MF Mitt
Right - Washing/Scrubbing Mitt
http://homepage.mac.com/leescoggins/fw3.jpg
Top - Microfiber Applicator
Left - Fine Microfiber Towel
Right - Scrubbing Towel
Here are my ratings (A-B-C-D) and comments on each towel:
Green Ultrafine silk edge towel (A-, $4): Great for QD work but be careful as the green dye got on some of the other towels in the first wash. After that, everything was fine. Also worked well as a wax removal towel and is decent on glass. Well constructed.
Grey WW Drying Towel (A-, $10.50): Excellent budget drying towel, not as soft as my Cobra or Pak but superb towel with nice edging.
Orange Extra Plush Towel (A-, $4): Terrific plush towel with good construction and very soft. Really like this one a bunch. Great for QD, wax removal, glass, very versatile!
White UltraFine Edgeless Towel (A-, $3.75): Another great towel very similar to my orange ExcelDetail towels but in white which looks good - just don`t wash with green towel like I did but now it has a cool green hue so it looks great anyway. :) Tested removing Z-2 Pro and it worked perfectly.
Microfiber Applicator (A-, $2.50): This was a new one on me. It has the "velvet" mf fiber on the applicator so there is a smooth surface. I like the UltraFine apps from Pak a little bit better but this works very well and I think I may buy a few for sealants.
Velvet type Fine Microfiber Towel (B+, $2): I`m a bit biased against the velvet weave since I find it a bit grippy but for $2 this makes for a very good interior towel. Still I might prefer the orange FW Extra Plush for that.
Microfiber drying mitt (A-, $4.75): Meant for dusting and drying I found it to work well for dusting but I prefer a good waffle weave for exterior drying. Still a very well constructed product with an attached loop. One of the best mf mitts I have actually seen.
Plush Microfiber Towel (A, $3.75): My favorite of all at a very good price. This is the versatile work towel and it gets very soft after a few washes.
Bug Scrubber Towel (B+, ??): Could not find this on the site but it`s a glass sized ww towel that is a bit stiff and worked well on taking off bug on the front bumper.
Microfiber Wash/Scrub Mitt (B+, $5.50): Interesting mitt with one side of the scrubber variety and short mf on the other side. I don`t really like mf mitts for washing but if you do I this is worthy of a look.
I hope this review helps those of you looking for a great mid-priced line of MF. :)