First impressions: New Mothers microfibers (PICS; no 56k)

[imported_Bence]

Thanks to the joint efforts of Forrest (Mothers), Geoff Tolsdorf and Darline Johnson (Schroeder & Tremayne) I got a nice box yesterday:



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel00.jpg



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel01.jpg





All towels are a 70:30; all made in Korea – except for the foam core WW, which is made in Korea, but ’further processed in Bangladesh’. I think Viking made an excellent choice with them. The packaging is a display-hanger type paper cap with the (now) signature Mothers colors & F50 motif. They are the most luxurious feeling towels I’ve ever touched. Currently I have 3M, Farécla, Lux, Lampa, Victoria Wax, MTS, Hyosung, etc. towels. I am awaiting samples from Korea, from different manufacturers, but I cannot imagine a better overall quality level or material composition.



First impressions:



- Ultra-Soft Drying Towel

This is a very substantial, positively huge (20×24) foam core WW. The tri-layer towel is heavy but not too stiff (dry), and softens nicely when wet. The weave is tight, consistent, very smooth and has a wonderful, tactile micro-fluffiness. Way better than my old WWs. I heard that foam core towels can push water around, but because of the $#!tty weather (snow & rain) I have no experience on its actual absorbency yet.



Folded

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel02.jpg



This thing is THICK!

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel03.jpg



Closeup

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel04.jpg





- Ultra-Soft Wheel & Jamb Towel

A 16×20, handy little WW, with a thinner structure and a more aggressive surface. It has rounded corners, silk borders with regular, excellent stitching. Almost as soft as the big WW; and absolutely on par with it in weave density/consistency.



Folded

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel05.jpg



An old WW in the new WWs’ sandwich. Crate size: Old – 6×6 mm, W&J – 4×5 mm, DT – 5×6 mm. The new towels have a deeper waffle structure.

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel06.jpg

[imported_Bence]

- Ultra-Soft Polishing Cloth

A very nice, tagless/edgeless 16×16 towel, with above average thickness and plushness. I got plush towels from Victoria Wax and MTS (Meg’s Euro partner), but this towel surpasses them by far with its unusual thickness and softness.



Folded

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel07.jpg



No sewn-in tag, no edge!

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel08.jpg



Thickness comparison: Mothers/Victoria Wax Plush/MTS (Meg’s EU)/Lux General/Lux Microterry/Lux MF Suede

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel09.jpg





- Ultra-Soft Quick Detail Towel

Just WOW. I’ve seen a lot of times that ’this towel is this soft, that cloth is that soft’. But this towel is simply über! Same high quality workmanship/stitching and same well chosen yellow-gold color as the polishing cloth’s (Cali. Gold). It has a dual nap thickness; one side is 1-1.5 mm thick while the fluffier side is around 5 mm. Break the wax with the shorter and give final shine with the longer. Unbelievably soft! Holy!

For me this towel was definitely a tactile superstimulus. I have soft hands (giving up body building in 1990), but this towel makes you think your hands are made of some kind of Velcro or sandpaper. It grabs every little imperfections on the skin. Spooky. Very high quality towel, I can’t wait to try it properly when the weather permits!!!



http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel10.jpg



Dual thickness nap

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel11.jpg



Top of the MFs

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel12.jpg





Final thoughts: As with the new 2005 car care lines, Mothers has excellent weapons on the field of MFs. For me the QD towel was a completely new dimension in MF softness. Foam core WWs are completely new territory for me (as WWs are generally not available in Hungary), so if you have more extensive experiences with them, please share with me/us. The jamb towel is a multifunctional one, great for heavy duty work but I had no problems removing wax with it. All four passed the CD test.

I have no informations on pricing or availability but Mothers/Viking/Schroeder & Tremayne did a great job outsourcing and offering this line.



(Note: Colors look different in a normal halogen light vs. in my phone’s LED flash.)

[ZaneO]

So does this mean the towels and accessories are officially released?



Edit - I feel a bit silly now. I`ve been excited and anxiously waiting for the Mother`s stuff to come out without realizing it`s the same as the currently available Viking stuff. I do love red and black though.

[SilverLexus]

Interesting. I am looking forward to trying some of these. I got a bunch from Viking a while back and they were very good.

[imported_Bence]

Zane,



S&T started to ship out them. From what I heard, they are on the shelves by mid-April (at the latest).

[imported_Bence]

Remark: the polishing cloth has a `general` type weave, but still thicker than a Victoria plush. The thickness-comparing pic is a bit deceiving because it is folded differently. Classic fall for Bill O`Reilly and the No Spin Zone... :D



When folded the same, they look like this:

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/Towel13.jpg

[SilverLexus]

Bence,



Is the edgeless the same weave on our normal edgeless?....it seems there is a different pattern than other edgeless towels like ExcelDetail and Fiber Works.



Also, did they give any indication on pricing?

[imported_Bence]

Lee,



No, I don`t know any details on pricing. Patrick`s edgeless towels are similar, but I haven`t used them. It looks to me that it is in fact, thicker. It has a 3 mm (maybe a little more) nap, so it is more substantial than you`d expect.

[racingbeat]

Is it just me or does anyone find that waffle weave towels catch threads easily?



btw, the edging on those towels look better than anything I`ve ever seen in any auto stores.



I think its long over due. Before the Gold Class towels appeared, I wouldn`t use 98% of the OTC towels on my bicycle. Nothing more than janitorial MF repackaged for auto stores.

[DM101]

So where can you buy them?

[Acura_RL]

So where can you buy them?



Ditto. Would Autozone happen to carry them?

[imported_Bence]

To quote Forrest: "...A&A Auto Stores, Strauss Discount Auto Stores and some other, smaller, chains will be stocking them when they reset their appearance chemicals planograms.

...

A&A should have every item in the line. I`m not sure yet about Strauss - it may be towels only (I`m waiting to hear back from them). Looks like Pep Boys will have at least the towels as well."

[SilverLexus]

Pricing from Zane:



http://waxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1130

[imported_Bence]

Good catch.

[Acura_RL]

Hmm, kinda pricey. I`ll stick to using my Vroom towels instead.