do I really need a waffle weave towel?

G

Guitarist302008

New member
Once I finish washing my car or a car for someone that i'm detailing, I always use the standard chamois... now I know that the WW towel is the new thing, and i've been close to buying one along with a Shmitt, but 11.99 for shipping turns me right off... crazy.



Anyway... I fill up a big bucket of clean water, I put the chamois in there and squeeze it out... I usually do this before starting a new panel just to make sure that there is no dirt or grime in it.



Is this method good enough? What does the WW offer that I am missing if anything?
 
Walmart sells a drying towel that is fantastic. It is thick and two sided. It costs about $10. I like it better than my waffle weave. NO SHIPPING
 
It dries better than a chamois, it reduces your chances of marring, it last longer and is cheaper.
 
My biggest issue with a chamois (which I used for years and years, still have my "John Bull") is that it always left a *tiny* bit of water behind. Always. The chance of marring is a bit greater than with a WWMF, but no worse than with a synthetic chamois like the Absorber/etc.



The WWs do, IME, get *ALL* the water and they work like magic. The problem is that they always gradually become less and less effective until they're finally just "pushing water around" instead of soaking it up (and yeah, I've tried all the rejuvenation tricks...there are some looong threads about this).



The Ultra-soft WWMF from PakShak is nice enough that I'd simply buy a few and be done with it. But as always, it's easy for me to spend other people's money.
 
I find the big WW made by Armol Al is great! You can get it at Wal Mart. Always wondered if anyone else ever used it.
 
yeah... I know what people are saying about it leaving a little bit of water behind... it does leave just little tiny beads, but I always assumed you wouldn't see it unless it was on a darker car... plus, most of the time after I wash and dry a layer of sealant goes on so I feel like those little tiny water spots are likely rubbed off once I use the sponge and the FK1000... perhaps i'm wrong there though?
 
I think the biggest issue concerning what type of towel to use to dry is the degree of the risk of marring; even more so than not getting up all the water. If you find a towel, whether it be locally or online, that works for you in not producing marring, you've got yourself a winner.



I don't have experience specifically with FK1000, but I think generally, yes, the spots can go away with the addition of some sealant. I'd apply only in the shade/indoors because water spots can easily become nightmares. I'd test the sealant on one small area with spots, even the go away with the application and removal of the sealant, you're probably good to go.



I for one though, always strive to remove all the spots in the first place but it really depends on the practicality of one's situation.
 
I used to be a chamois user myself years ago. I have also tried various other tools/methods including the California blade when it first came out, the Absorber, etc. Most of those either went straight in the bin after a couple of uses or stored in the back of a cabinet somewhere. MF’s began to replace most of my other detailing towels/drying media since I first started using them and eventually became my almost exclusive choice.



I like the WW’s for “touch” drying for some of the same reasons mentioned by the others. However, I also like the fact (since it’s a towel) that you can use a product like Duragloss Aquawax or similar products as you dry to help further reduce the chances of marring (while adding a little protection/enhancement to the finish). Having said all that, I use DI water these days to rinse and forced air to dry. ….with limited contact of my towel(s) during the process.



btw, you must be an expert at applying FK1000P by now. ;)
 
Kean said:
Having said all that, I use DI water these days to rinse and forced air to dry. ….with limited contact of my towel(s) during the process.
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Same here. If the DI water set up isn't handy, I use an Air Wand and mini blower but I always do this in the garage.
 
Bill D said:
Same here. If the DI water set up isn't handy, I use an Air Wand and mini blower but I always do this in the garage.
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:lol: ....so do I. Some of my neighbors down the street look at me a bit strange when they see me washing my car inside. ....not to mention when I use the blower.
 
As others have said, why touch the paint. Any time you touch the paint, you risk marring.



A dionized solution like cr spotless will run you significantly more, but to me it was worth it. I figured about 15-20 cents per gallon, but large initial cost (average price per gallon calculated over estimated useful life. Actual cost was around $370 for the unit and refills)



Even with regular water and a good leaf blower and decent LSP, you should be able to blow the majority of the water off and just blotch dry the remaining beads of water. With that solution, I would use a waffle weave for its absorption qualities.
 
i'm not sure what cr spotless is, i'll have to look that up.



I did buy a WW towel though.. I went ahead and got a Cobra "guzzler"... it got good reviews so I thought i'd give it a try... I got the larger sized one as well.
 
Guitarist302008- The CRSpotless is a water deionizer; deionized water doesn't leave spots.



So yeah...you can get pretty involved with all this. When I'm getting fancy about it (which I don't always do) I'll do a final rinse with the DI/CRS, then blow most of the water off with the AirWand, spritz on some QD and dry with MFs, and then blow the remainting water out of nooks and crannies with my air compressor. The drying can take almost as long as the washing did!



My caveat with the DI rinse is that I can never get all the "regular" water displaced, so even though most of the "rinse water" doesn't spot, the stuff that drips out from who-knows-where still does.
 
Accumulator said:
Guitarist302008- The CRSpotless is a water deionizer; deionized water doesn't leave spots.



So yeah...you can get pretty involved with all this. When I'm getting fancy about it (which I don't always do) I'll do a final rinse with the DI/CRS, then blow most of the water off with the AirWand, spritz on some QD and dry with MFs, and then blow the remainting water out of nooks and crannies with my air compressor. The drying can take almost as long as the washing did!



My caveat with the DI rinse is that I can never get all the "regular" water displaced, so even though most of the "rinse water" doesn't spot, the stuff that drips out from who-knows-where still does.
Click to expand...



I know what you mean... I get all in the jams, the trunk... around the license plate... hold and press the towel under the mirrors, around the lights, etc etc and STILL it drips out!



I was looking at the electric blower actually, but, I just wasn't sure I needed it.
 
Accumulator said:
My caveat with the DI rinse is that I can never get all the "regular" water displaced, so even though most of the "rinse water" doesn't spot, the stuff that drips out from who-knows-where still does.
Click to expand...
....same here. This is why I have to say "limited" instead of "no" contact. There are still sections on my vehicles I have to address with a towel & QD during my final walk-around, although I work to keep these areas fairly isolated as I'm drying (keeping "spray" of potentially contaminated water from crevices as controlled as possible).



My Challenger is a bit easier than my wife's care except for the front nose. ....I spend more time flushing this area with DI water than other sections of the car. On the Forester, it's the roof rails and rear hatch.
 
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