microfiber question

E

e30 all day

New member
i have been useing micro fiber towels from costco and BJs for quit some time now. i was jsut wondering why people are buying them for 2 to 3 dollars each. when u get get them for about 50 cents a a wholesale store



is there a difference?
 
Big difference in quality, softness, weight and overall durabiltiy. $2-$3 is still cheap. Ask about $7-$10 towels and HD guzzler drying towels.
 
wow i never even knew they could be that expensive. so for all those high class towel buyers, how do u wash them or do u just replace them
 
You definatly wash them, and no need to pay astronomical prices for towels, the ones you already have are good for basic jobs,, and get some high (not price) towels for specialty jobs.



We get all our towels from Towel Pro's, not only great towels, but prices and service to match.



IF you like to pay fopr hype and superbe marketing that's your choice, but it's not required.
 
There are people who do and will pay that much or more. This is a sensitive area for me so due to several factors and hopefully this reply will steer away from getting me in trouble. :)



I know MANY high-end detail business owners that are more trained and certified in paint then anyone I know and they also use the Costco towels! These are guys that some of you here love to hear about and listen to them because they are respected by detailers and chemical manufacturers. They even state that some products seem to work better with towels that are not as plush or thick.



If the car's paint is cleaned and prepped, then why do you need a $5 towel to remove wax or detail spray? If a less expensive towel does the same thing without harm to paint, it should not matter. However, there are many that when a new thicker towel is out, jump all over it not so much for ability, but for weight, stitching, edging, blends, etc.



Years ago, on this site and others, we used diapers and cotton towels and boasted that we did not scratch paint- now that would be considered a sin by many.



Now, the more expensive towels DO cost more to create, but OMGosh, when it comes to mark up, you can really see how it gets me going on about prices for these towels. We produce and bring in towels and know what is paid. We know where others get their towels and prices. We also work with a huge importer--containers of mf at a time. We quoted 50 thousand mf towels last month with good material weight and a 16" size. Buyer was going to pay less than 45 cents per towel! (Hope we still get that account).



A Costco towel from my experience is going to be in the 250 gram weight area, but most online retailers use a 320 or higher weight and then you can get into edging material and blends (blending 80/20 or 70/30 does not cost the seller extra fellas).



There are some insane towels right now with huge material weight claims, but in a sample I have that is 600, it is two 300 towels sewed together to look like one towel. Works and feels great, but I can get 2 towels and pay a fraction of the cost for the same material--I would rather have two pairs of shirts vs. one for the same price and material!



I'm sure your initial post will generate a huge response in time--some will strongly disagree with me as well, and that is fine. I sleep well at night with what we are doing and right now am out the door with my three kids to get dinner while mom is in San Diego for the night.



Take care and happy toweling!!!



Rob Regan





I get calls from different buyers and I can tell within the first 2 questions, where they spend their online auto time. Lots of misinformation out there that causes people to spend more than necessary.



I keep getting private emails to create a towel and price it for $8 and watch how it sells like crazy! Not going to do this, but interesting.



I just worked on a towel comparison chart recently and was surprised at the similarities of towel structure and then the difference of up to $10 per towel!



As a detail business owner, there is NO way I'm spending $5 on a polish towel when others work the same and without harm. This would be a bad business decision.
 
WCD said:
There are people who do and will pay that much or more. This is a sensitive area for me so due to several factors and hopefully this reply will steer away from getting me in trouble. :)



I know MANY high-end detail business owners that are more trained and certified in paint then anyone I know and they also use the Costco towels! These are guys that some of you here love to hear about and listen to them because they are respected by detailers and chemical manufacturers. They even state that some products seem to work better with towels that are not as plush or thick.



If the car's paint is cleaned and prepped, then why do you need a $5 towel to remove wax or detail spray? If a less expensive towel does the same thing without harm to paint, it should not matter. However, there are many that when a new thicker towel is out, jump all over it not so much for ability, but for weight, stitching, edging, blends, etc.



Years ago, on this site and others, we used diapers and cotton towels and boasted that we did not scratch paint- now that would be considered a sin by many.



Now, the more expensive towels DO cost more to create, but OMGosh, when it comes to mark up, you can really see how it gets me going on about prices for these towels. We produce and bring in towels and know what is paid. We know where others get their towels and prices. We also work with a huge importer--containers of mf at a time. We quoted 50 thousand mf towels last month with good material weight and a 16" size. Buyer was going to pay less than 45 cents per towel! (Hope we still get that account).



A Costco towel from my experience is going to be in the 250 gram weight area, but most online retailers use a 320 or higher weight and then you can get into edging material and blends (blending 80/20 or 70/30 does not cost the seller extra fellas).



There are some insane towels right now with huge material weight claims, but in a sample I have that is 600, it is two 300 towels sewed together to look like one towel. Works and feels great, but I can get 2 towels and pay a fraction of the cost for the same material--I would rather have two pairs of shirts vs. one for the same price and material!



I'm sure your initial post will generate a huge response in time--some will strongly disagree with me as well, and that is fine. I sleep well at night with what we are doing and right now am out the door with my three kids to get dinner while mom is in San Diego for the night.



Take care and happy toweling!!!



Rob Regan





I get calls from different buyers and I can tell within the first 2 questions, where they spend their online auto time. Lots of misinformation out there that causes people to spend more than necessary.



I keep getting private emails to create a towel and price it for $8 and watch how it sells like crazy! Not going to do this, but interesting.



I just worked on a towel comparison chart recently and was surprised at the similarities of towel structure and then the difference of up to $10 per towel!



As a detail business owner, there is NO way I'm spending $5 on a polish towel when others work the same and without harm. This would be a bad business decision.
Click to expand...







Rob



Great post, many here spend way too much for certain items that other than costing more offer no additional value to them or there customers.
 
I've had the same MF towels for my cars for over three years. I bought them from Walmart when they were still selling the ones with 70/30 makeup. After using them, I just throw them in the washer (by themselves, of course) and wash them like regular laundry. Haven't had any problems whatsoever. I did recently splurged and bought an Armour All drying MF towel from Walmart. Couldn't resist the bright orange color. It matches perfectly with my Microtex blue MF drying towels. GO GATORS!!:D
 
WCD, so you are saying that the Costco yellow towels will not harm your paint? I beg to differ. They left fine scratches on my paint not to mention the lint on my windows.
 
WCD said:
A cup of vinegar does wonders once in a while for washing as well!
Click to expand...



Do you pour the vinegar in at the beginning of the wash along with the detergent? I've been told that vinegar is actually a good softener and you can just use it instead of Downy.
 
I never said that they won't lint..:) They will from what I have heard. However, I know a few that use them for paint with certain products, not all, and have good success.



Marring of paint is very difficult to validate IMO. MY own van will look great, then show marring, and then look just fine- all in the same lighting. This is without doing any polishing. Seems like sometimes what I think is marring is marking in fine lines from product--more to do with humidity, heat, and so on.



There is also the control factor with towels. As crazy careful as anyone can be, we can't control nor see fine particles that can come into contact with our towels. Just today, I let my windows stay open after a detail just to get some air in the van. As I closed my drawers holding my mf towels, I thought, "If air is moving in here, then anything can get to the towels." Air occupies space and fills it. You can be perfectly still and feel no air--blow bubbles and watch them move around. Air is in constant motion and so are fine particles.



Could be towels if towels have anything in them or pressure. I'm sure you are very careful and that is why I'm not stating that you did something it's just the control factor is very difficult in finality.



I'm not sure that less material weight = scratching. The nylon stitched edges might if the towels are not folded correctly.



Always going to be debated, I suspect.



Thanks, Rob
 
IMO most microfibers these are getting better and better in quality as opposed to many years ago when they first came out. if you are having good luck with ones that are inexpensive, who's to say that you have to buy ones that cost more (just because something costs more, doesn't always necessarily mean it's better). if you are having good luck with whatever ones you are using, by all means keep using them...
 
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