Micro fiber towel discussion, anyone?

C

CharlesW

The Rainmaker
With all the cheap MF towels flooding the market recently, I thought some discussion might be interesting.

A few things to start it off.

1. Weren't MF towels touted to have up to 200,000, even 225,000 strands of fiber per square inch? Many of the ones I see recently brag about having 90,000. No textile expert, but it sure seems like a towel with 200,000 strands would be more expensive than one with 90,000. :dunno

2. 70/30, 80/20 for ratio of Polyester and Polymide content. Is this important?

3. Which ratio is preferred for any particular use? Like drying, QDing, wax removal.

4. What is the Polyester and Polymide ratio of the cheaper towels?

5. Do the cheap MF's have the fibers split? It seems like I remember reading that the split fibers were a big part of the advantage of MF.

6. Is more plush better if the material is similar?

7. Does a waffle weave towel really dry any better than a regular terry weave MF? I have four that I rarely use. (Actually 3, I can't find one.:()

8. For almost all my use, a plush towel seems to be my preference. Part of that is probably because of always using plush cotton terry towels for so many years. Do you people feel that there is an advantage to plush, less plush or suede type for different products or uses?

9. Many of the cheaper towels are smaller. Doesn't less towel translate in to a lower cost. I have seen 12"x12" and 14"x14" rather than the more popular 16"x16" that most of mine are. An exception being the large blue MF at Wal*Mart and Target.

That ought to be enough for a start.
I'm not too much into why something is better, but rather what is better so please keep the discussion on a level that a dummy can understand.:)
I remember Ketch always saying you couldn't take care of you vehicles finish if you didn't understand the chemical makeup of the paint in the first place. Yeah, right. I don't think so.

Charles
 
I know my white Vroom towels are 75/25, while my wal mart ones are 70/30. The Vrooms feel like an overall better towel.
 
I've always wanted to know why should new MF be washed before the first use? Is MF suppose to feel staticy and sticky type when new?

I have MF from Costco here in Canada made by a company called Superex in China it has a 80/20 ratio I think this would make a difference. 70/30 MF would be more expensive in my view. I also have a MF "drying" towel from Simoniz made in Korea which doesn't say anything but is really soft. The simoniz is a bit more plush and the Costco one is suede like and they both seem to work the same.
 
It should be washed to remove machining residue and any dirt collected along the way between time of manufacture and when it reaches your possession.
 
CharlesW said:
7. Does a waffle weave towel really dry any better than a regular terry weave MF? I have four that I rarely use. (Actually 3, I can't find one.:()
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I don't think so. Personally, I never use the one I have. For drying purposes, I like the Big Blue one I got from PAC. For some reason, waffle weaves don't strike me as anything special. :dunno

CharlesW said:
8. For almost all my use, a plush towel seems to be my preference. Part of that is probably because of always using plush cotton terry towels for so many years. Do you people feel that there is an advantage to plush, less plush or suede type for different products or uses?
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I like the plush ones as well, just for the feeling it gives me of maybe being able to hold more trash away from the surface of the towel. I know it may not be the exact case, but that's the way I feel about it.



I also don't really buy into the popular school of thought that a product has to cost more money to be better. I have MF towels I have gotten locally at a fraction of the price that I am not scared to use on my finish. Example - the big blue MF towel I got a Wal-Mart. I think it's just as good a towel as the one I got from PAC. That may not be everyone else's opinion, but I have seen no ill effects, and I am pretty skeptical when it comes to my vehicle.

All too often, I see one member of a group who is highly respected post a comment about something of this nature, and a lot of people seem to jump on the bandwagon. I understand "not all MF are created equal" (to quote the popular cliche), but then again I have seen the cheapies - to me which are becoming increasingly hard to find. I think most of the ones you can pick up today are decent quality. Granted I haven't seen them all and this is my own opinion. It all comes down to one thing I suppose - I have found what I like and what works for me, and I will continue to do it that way.

Very good post Charles. :bigups
 
with the recent release of the new meguiars products i noticed they came out with a nice plush microfiber towel and a super plush terry towel. i touched the terry towela nd not only did it feel a lot softer than the microfiber it also looked a lot safer.

should the new terry towel from meguiars be just as good or better than a mf? i think it wouldnt scratch atleaST SINCE ITS 100% COTTON

plus its really plush so it looks like it would be very useful during qd or s&w to help pick up loose dirt and not scratch the finsh

http://www.meguiars.com/whatsnew/accessoryproduct_page.cfm?SKU=X-2040
 
Yeah, no matter what MFs you choose and where you buy them, it makes all the sense in the world to wash them. I really hope Leo chimes in with all the specifics about manufacturing MFs.
 
There is alot of info on Microfiber at Autopia's store. I didn't want to Copy and paste it for obvious reasons. But if your intrested in reading it .. Go to Autopia's Store front and follow the link for "How To's" the first link is for Micro fiber myths!
 
Focusedonsound said:
There is alot of info on Microfiber at Autopia's store. I didn't want to Copy and paste it for obvious reasons. But if your intrested in reading it .. Go to Autopia's Store front and follow the link for "How To's" the first link is for Micro fiber myths!
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It is an interesting article, but I guess I was looking for comments from end users as well as vendors.

This is in no way a knock at vendors, but they have to rely on what a distributor tells them. The distributor has to rely on what the manufacturer tells them. The manufacturer should be able to supply information, but will they?
Based on what I have heard about Leo at DF Towel, I do feel his information would be factual.

While I have quite a few MF towels, I seem to find myself using the same ones most often. I have no idea as to the content or the fibers per square inch, but most of them seem to have a lot more material in them than the ones I have seen at Wal*Mart. Does that make them better? Not necessarily, but that difference is pretty apparent when you compare them.
Here again, the large blue MF at Target and WallyWorld seems to be the exception.

Charles
 
JaredPointer said:
Example - the big blue MF towel I got a Wal-Mart. I think it's just as good a towel as the one I got from PAC. That may not be everyone else's opinion, but I have seen no ill effects, and I am pretty skeptical when it comes to my vehicle.
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The big blue from Wal*Mart didn't impress me at all when I first purchased it, but they had it mis-marked and I bought two of them for $4.85 each. I washed it and thought it would make a good drying towel. IMO, it didn't absorb water very readily and I wasn't at all impressed. After it was washed a few more times, it seemed to do much better. Possibly it had something in the fabric that took several washings to remove. Whatever made the difference, it has now become my towel of choice to use with Poorboy's S&W. I do a first pass with it and a finish wipe with one of my more expensive MF's.

Charles
 
Below is from Better Car Care and is my guide for buying towels.

1. Towel density is important. Density is a measure of fibers per square inch of fabric. The range for quality microfiber is 90,000 to 225,000 fibers per square inch. Generally speaking, the higher the fiber count the better the towel will absorb water and clean.

2. The ratio of the polyester and polyamide blend is important. While 80% polyester and 20% polyamide is typical, 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.

3. Make sure you look at the weave and fabric thickness (plushness) of the towel. Depending on the specific task the cloth is designed to perform, the fiber ends may be hooked (for cleaning), feathered (for polishing and glass cleaning), or tufted (for drying).

4. We all know the saying; it costs more to make quality. Microfiber is no different. Quality construction is not always obvious, so let me share some observations. The biggest complaint with automotive microfiber is that towels with cheap edging scratch your paint. There are two possible reasons. First, the factory uses a hot wire system to cut their towels. If not properly adjusted, or if a cheap machine is used, the hot wire will melt the fabric. When polyester and nylon melt, they turn into hard plastic. The second complaint is that the towel creates excessive lint. Microfiber lint is caused by towels with a high pile or a broad weave using a fiber split that’s inappropriate. The high pile or loose weave allow the fibers to break off, creating lint. The same split fiber used in a towel with a higher fabric density will lint less or not at all. Don’t assume that a towel that does not lint is a high quality towel. The cheapest towels don’t lint because they do not have split fibers.



What I observed from using Waffle Weaves . For their size and weight they absorb more water then a terry towel . I find them to be easier to ring out and much better on the paint .


I perfer plush towels for buffing product of the paint . Cheaper MF's I use for interior cleaning and applying dressing . I like using MF appli.cator pads for applying sealants & waxes . Thats about it for now . :shift
 
joyriide1113 said:
with the recent release of the new meguiars products i noticed they came out with a nice plush microfiber towel and a super plush terry towel. i touched the terry towela nd not only did it feel a lot softer than the microfiber it also looked a lot safer.

should the new terry towel from meguiars be just as good or better than a mf? i think it wouldnt scratch atleaST SINCE ITS 100% COTTON

plus its really plush so it looks like it would be very useful during qd or s&w to help pick up loose dirt and not scratch the finsh

http://www.meguiars.com/whatsnew/accessoryproduct_page.cfm?SKU=X-2040
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To me, after one washing, the new Meguiar's Supreme Shine MF towels feel as soft, or softer than the Ultra Plush Super Terry towels.

The SS MF towel is a 80/20 blend, and for the price, a very nice towel. Not as soft and plush as some others... but still a nice towel.
 
I have inexpensive MF's off eBay, green MF's from Winner's Circle (not plush but nice), Magic Towels from CMA (very plush), Miracle Towels from AutoGeek (same as the Magic Towel), MF's from Poorboy, and some MF's from ScottP. Prices vary but the last four towels I listed are excellent.

I prefer WW for drying, I've never had much success using MF's for drying. WW from Adam's, Poorboys, and Big Blue II from CMA are all excellent.

As far as the Polyester and Polyamide ratios are concerned, I've read the 70/30 blend is the most absorbant but I only find this to be true if the MF towel is soaked, wrung-out, and then they absorb just OK .... I still like WW for drying.

I find the towels that are less plush (or the less plush side of a plush towel) are best for glass cleaning while the plush towels are excellent at product removal.
 
NYV6Coupe said:
As far as the Polyester and Polyamide ratios are concerned, I've read the 70/30 blend is the most absorbant but I only find this to be true if the MF towel is soaked, wrung-out, and then they absorb just OK .... I still like WW for drying.
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Do any/all of you use a MF towel for drying after it becomes wet? Like wring it out and continue with the same towel.
I have always used a dry towel to leave the surface of the paint or glass totally dry when I finish. When a towel starts to leave moisture behind, I change towels.

Charles
 
Great Post!!

I will stick my chest out and say proudly that I have some great MF's from PB's and a 12 pack of 70/30 16X16" from eBay. I love the eBay towels! They are great for drying and work just fine for a polishing towel, applicator etc. They are a great all around towel. I'd personally rather spend the extra cash on great car care products.

Can I tell a difference between the "expensive" towels from PB and the eBay ones...maybe, but nothing that would make me only use them for door jams. Hell, I just got rid of my big plush cotton/poly towels. I think towels have came such a long way with technology that I'm fine with the cheapies for now!!

Mike
 
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