3M Scotch Brand MF form Costco

T

Tim Lingor

New member
I was just in Costco and spotted a 5 bister pack of 3M Scotch Brand MF towels. I think they are grey, blue and green(?). Has anyone tried these MF's yet?? I tried the search but nothing comes up(regarding that specific MF). They look and feel pretty good but I would like others' opinions before I go buy a few packs.



Thanks everyone!!:bow :D
 
i agree, those towels seem to be made for round-the-house type usage, not for the car (perhaps the interior of the car?)
 
I've currently got two packs of them! probably pick up one more... they're not quite as thick as some other MF, but the work just as well.... I used them at a recent show and they worked really well, even gave a couple to some people in the group I was with cause they liked 'em.
 
2hotford said:
They look and feel pretty good but I would like others' opinions before I go buy a few packs.
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WHY??? If they look and feel pretty good, just do a CD scratch test (with that AOL CD that you carry around with you just for this purpose) and, if they pass, why give a **** what others think?



P.S. - How big are they? For reference, the 14 x 14s at WalMart are 97 cents each and pass the CD test.
 
2hotford said:
Their cost was $19.95 Can. for 5. I would assume around $12 US otherwise.
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So wait, that's what..... $5 USD you mean?? :p :D



I don't think we'll ever beable to find a mass produced MF that is good enough for us Autopians. ;)
 
Hey!

Well I decided to go back to Costco to look at the 3M Scotch Brite Microfiber 5 pack. This time I brought in a CD to test the MF's to see if they scratch. THEY DID NOT SCRATCH!!! :up I really really pushed hard(the CD was flexing and close to breaking)!! So I bought 2 packs and will buy a couple more packs after I see how they handle the washing cycle! :xyxthumbs
 
Just wondering ... have you tried it with a NORMAL towel that is ever said to Scratch? :D why not give it a try too ... maybe it will not scratch too?
 
Ever heard of the saying 'Gilding the Lily' ?



;)



If its cheap, and it works for you, GO FOR IT i say.



I use alot of Wallyworld MF towels, $1 each u cant go wrong.



Only thing I dont use em for is windows.
 
tradertt said:
Just wondering ... have you tried it with a NORMAL towel that is ever said to Scratch? :D why not give it a try too ... maybe it will not scratch too?
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The CD test is the accepted method for testing the scratching ability of towels. If they scratch the CD, they will /"may"(edited for use of the word "may" to reflect a more accurate statement)scratch your paint!! Oh, and yes, I have and so have many others tried our regular towels--they scratch!! The 100% cotton towels made in the USA/Canada are much better than regular "100%" cotton towels. But good microfiber is hard to beat!!



Microfiber has many benefits! Perhaps you should use the Search function and see what others have to say about the topic.
 
2hotford said:
The CD test is the accepted method for testing the scratching ability of towels. If they scratch the CD, they will scratch your paint!!
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Actually, that's not quite true. A CD is a lot softer than most paints and scratches at nothing, so if it does not scratch the CD it is definitely safe, but if it leaves scratches you are left with: :nixweiss



That's the only limitation of testing something by rubbing it on a CD...
 
Hey Brian,



I use real factory/commercial CD's as the Blank CD-R's surface is very soft in comparison, and almost anything will scratch them. So when an AOL CD comes in the mail, I will use it or a CD that I have on the shelf that I really could care less about.



But you are right, generally the surface of Clear Coat paint is very hard in comparison. But, like you said, if they do not scratch the CD, they "should" be safe to use on your paint. Moreover, my truck has suffered from "100%" cotton swirls before, so I am much more careful now.:up
 
tradertt said:
Just wondering ... have you tried it with a NORMAL towel that is ever said to Scratch? :D why not give it a try too ... maybe it will not scratch too?
Click to expand...



I've tried the CD test with cotton Charisma towels and they definitely leave some marring. When trying the Charisma towel on black paint under very revealing lighting, the marring they leave on the paint (or possibly the protectant) was visible as well. In my experience, even store-bought cheapo MF towels are gentler on your paint than the best quality cotton terry.



4DSC, I agree with your reasoning but I think your difference of opinion with hotford is more a matter of semantics than anything. "I did the CD test on them and..." or "they passed the CD test with flying colors!" are commonly used phrases here in this forum, and I believe that is what hotford was referring to. But you are definitely correct when you say that what marrs a CD will not necessarily marr a clear-coat.



Hotford, thanks for sharing that with us. Once again, I'll have to brave the long lines and crowded, shopping-cart cluttered aisles of Costco.....all in search of another potential addition to my detailing arsenal.
 
Thanks Asjk07, you are right, it is just semantics. A CD coating is not the same hardness as clear coat paint but using the marring on a simple CD is an easy way to be subjective on any particular MF that you might be comparing. The CD test is just a means to give visual feedback as well as a subjective evaluation that the MF's you want to buy are better or worse than others. All it proves is that one is more coarse than an other. I prefer the lesser of two. Brian is aware that I know this very well (my dad used to paint cars for GM)



However, the poster that asked the question has little to choose from in way of detailing supplies; therefore, I thought the simplest response to him would be to use the CD as a subjective tool to evaluate whatever MF's that may be availabe to him. I am not sure if he had used the search function before, or even knew the jargon used on this forum. Sometimes in my haste,I need to realize that others might not be privy to the terminology used on this site. :nixweiss



I know the lines are long at Costco, but I think that you will be very happy if you try these MF's!! :xyxthumbs



Cheers!!
 
I have a pack of those 3 M towels. They lint like crazy. Just try it on your glass, and you'll see what I mean. They do not scratch, but their texture is more like waffle weave towels. They are very good for general use, but because they are not plush, any dirt will be right at the surface, which is what is going to scratch your patch. The good MF's from JT, Pakshak, Neatitems etc. are like terry towels, and have quite a deep nap to them. I still use the 3M's, but I use them for cleaning the interior, or for drying wheels, etc., but not on my paint.
 
One man's fruit is another man's poison. This debate could go on forever.



Meguiar's has a section is their Detailing series video(not the one on their site, but the actual video made for Body Shops) that takes this very issue and discusses several factors that make a particular MF towel a good one.



I personally have not found the towels to lint at all!:nixweiss

I have no idea why yours do??!! Moreover, if the paint is perfectly clean as it should be during a detail, dirt trapping is not an issue. My rotary will cause far more damage if there is dirt still on the paint than a MF towel of any brand will!! Just IMHO!
 
I was in Costco this weekend and saw those 3M's for $12.xx for a pack of 5, which they helpfully worked out for us to be $2.57 each. Not bad I suppose. I wonder if these are different or improved than the older packs and individually packaged ones in stores, because they looked a tiny bit different than I remember and came in blue and grey rather than "all the colours of the rainbow". :D
 
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