Newb Q: What towels for Zaino?

S

scriss

New member
Hi all! Newbie here. I've searched and found several threads that discuss what towels people like to use with what products, but haven't found anything absolutely on point. Forgive me if there's something obvious that I am missing.



My 328 is about a month old and ready for its first detailing. I am going to be doing it by hand (baby steps, people! :grinno: ). I have bought the Zaino starter kit, and plan on washing and claying, then some Z2 and Z5. Zaino includes the applicator and says to use cotton terry towels for the removal/buffing (and I assume the Z6 in between).



Question is: what cotton terry towels that are available OTC does everyone recommend?



Or can I use MF? I gather that some people say Target Vroom grey in the 2 pack are ok, but not ones that come in the higher quantity packs? And are only the nappy MF acceptable? Not the smooth ones (sorta like chamois?) Anything else that people recommend that I can find in stores?



I don't want to screw up my paint on the first go around! Thanks.
 
I use MFs with Zaino. They work just fine. BTW, picked up some of the orange Vroom 16 x 16 MFs at Target and they are really good. :)
 
Sal Zaino's recommendation is 100% Cotton Made in the US. But, I use PakShak Ultra Plush MF Towels. No difference IMO.
 
Quality MF's (Exceldetail, Autopia Store, PakShak, Danase, DF Towel) or 100% USA Cotton towels will work.



Sal does not recommend MF's because of the wide range of quality available on the market.

I personally use both. MF's 100% of the time for Zaino application and removal.

Cotton for drying along with WW (waffle-Weave) MF's.





He does recommend DF Towels which is a natural fiber MF.





Our DF Concours Towels as well as all our textile products such as our wash mitts, buffing bonnets, applicators, etc. are now approved by Zaino Brothers as safe to use with their products!



This is wonderful news! After extensive testing Sal Zaino has declared our AlpineFiber® to be safe to use with their Show Car Polishes to produce a scratch free, swirl free shine. Our products are the only all natural towels and related products to receive this coveted endorsement. We have endorsed and recommended Zaino products for years as a perfect compliment to our DF Concours line.
 
Zaino now approves 2 types of towels:

- 100% "Made in the USA" cotton

- DF Towels brand towels (DF Concours products)



I still like cotton and I use SUPIMA cotton. I usually order from Westpoint-Stevens (Martex) in bulk for a better deal. Usually free shipping. (WestPoint Home) You can go to your local Bed, Bath, & Beyond or Linens and Things and pay up to $18 per bath sized towel.



Stay away from Egyptian cotton.



I know people use the polyester microfiber. I know people have had good results with neatitems.com and pakshak. I've been very cautious. After all, "if it's not broken, don't fix it."
 
blkZ28Conv said:
Our DF Concours Towels as well as all our textile products such as our wash mitts, buffing bonnets, applicators, etc. are now approved by Zaino Brothers as safe to use with their products!



This is wonderful news! After extensive testing Sal Zaino has declared our AlpineFiber® to be safe to use with their Show Car Polishes to produce a scratch free, swirl free shine. Our products are the only all natural towels and related products to receive this coveted endorsement. We have endorsed and recommended Zaino products for years as a perfect compliment to our DF Concours line.
Click to expand...





:nixweiss Sounds like cross promotion to me...okay, it IS cross promotion. Doesn't mean anything other than DF and Zaino have an agreement to plug each other's products.



MF towels work perfectly fine with Zaino. I can't see how 100% cotton would make any difference at all. I can pick up a package of 6 orange Vroom towels at Target for $8.99 and they will work as good as anything.
 
Scottwax said:
:nixweiss Sounds like cross promotion to me...okay, it IS cross promotion. Doesn't mean anything other than DF and Zaino have an agreement to plug each other's products.



MF towels work perfectly fine with Zaino. I can't see how 100% cotton would make any difference at all. I can pick up a package of 6 orange Vroom towels at Target for $8.99 and they will work as good as anything.
Click to expand...





I agree about the Vroom orange MFs, and have similar feelings regarding other less expensive MF towels. Why some people say "I only use them for wheels or door jams", etc. is beyond me. I've been using the yellow costco towels on paintwork for a long time and they have never marred any finish, even black. Of course, some towels in the package are plusher than others, but they're all decent enough. The orange Vrooms seem similar. However, I can certainly see avoiding the really cheapo towels.



Like everyone else here, I have expensive MFs and they are softer/plusher, but if certain less expensive towels do the job without marring... :nixweiss why not use them? Many times, I actually prefer the yellow coscto towel's performance to the expensive towel. They always slide easily over the paint and leave a great finish. Mine aren't new, either, I've washed them like a thousand times (some are just now starting to look a little over the hill). I haven't used the Vrooms very long, but they seem like a good towel, too.
 
Scottwax said:
:nixweiss Sounds like cross promotion to me...okay, it IS cross promotion. Doesn't mean anything other than DF and Zaino have an agreement to plug each other's products.



MF towels work perfectly fine with Zaino. I can't see how 100% cotton would make any difference at all. I can pick up a package of 6 orange Vroom towels at Target for $8.99 and they will work as good as anything.
Click to expand...



So, what you sayinmg now is that the Vroom MF's are good for paint? and 8 for $8.99? that will do for me!:bounce
 
Scottwax said:
:nixweiss Sounds like cross promotion to me...okay, it IS cross promotion. Doesn't mean anything other than DF and Zaino have an agreement to plug each other's products...
Click to expand...



Just to set the record straight... that is absolutely untrue! There is no such agreement whatsoever and to make a statement like this without first hand knowledge is not very responsible.
 
Scottwax said:
MF towels work perfectly fine with Zaino. I can't see how 100% cotton would make any difference at all. I can pick up a package of 6 orange Vroom towels at Target for $8.99 and they will work as good as anything.
Click to expand...



I have been using those orange Vroom towels with Zaino for over two years & I agree they work just fine.



~John
 
DFTowel said:
Just to set the record straight... that is absolutely untrue! There is no such agreement whatsoever and to make a statement like this without first hand knowledge is not very responsible.
Click to expand...



Regardless of a written or oral agreement, it sure looks like cross promotion. Are you saying I can't say that something that sure looks like cross promotion appears to be?



Read your ad copy, it sure plugs Zaino pretty good, just as his site does your towels. Agreement or not, this "We have endorsed and recommended Zaino products for years as a perfect compliment to our DF Concours line." is a cross promotion. I took enough marketing classes to know what it is. If Poorboys was only recommending Pakshak microfiber towels and Pakshak was recommending using Poorboy's products as a compliment to their towels, I'd say the same thing.



If you say you and Sal have no formal agreement to promote each other's product, I'll accept your word on that.
 
I also use the orange ones. I also just started using the grey vroom ones I believe 4 to a pack. They seem a little softer and and a little higher quality. I think they are almost the same price as the 8 pack of orange.
 
JBM said:
The DF towels provide the ultimate experience no matter what lsp you are using.
Click to expand...



Could you elaborate on that? Specifically, why do you think they work better than any other towels you have tried? I've never used DF towels, give me a compelling reason to want to.
 
Just to let you guys know, in the past, the orange vroom towels had a fairly deep pile. As has come up in recent threads, now the gray vroom towels have the deep pile, while the orange ones are sort of thin.



I guess it depends on what you want to use them for, but I prefer the thicker nap, so I'll be purchasing the gray ones.
 
I was in target the other day and wandered over to the detail section. I noticed the gray towels in the 4pk seemed thicker/softer than the orange ones in the 8pk which everyone likes. I picked up some gray ones ,but have not used them yet. These are defiantly softer than the MFs I had, which were a lot cheaper.
 
Hey, thanks everyone for the great discussion! I guess I'll head over to Target, get some towels, and get to work tomorrow! Wish me luck!



- msc
 
The orange Vrooms I have aren't necessarily all that plush but they have more than enough plushness to effortlessly remove polish and LSPs, work great on glass and for drying. Definitely very soft and have noticed no degredation after 15-20 washes. You can't beat them for the price, and when you have as many MFs as I do (around 175) if you can find a quality MF at a great price, you jump on it.



I still really like the Monstery Fluffy MFs though, my go to ONR towels on cars with very soft paint. They sure aren't cheap though!
 
I am not sure where so-called "cross promotion" is even relevant to this discussion. The OP's question centered around what type of towels to use with his Zaino.

Neither Sal or Leo are in the business of testing the whole realm of products (Sal -towels or Leo - LSP) that are available but both have experience with the items they endorse to use with their products.

I also believe neither of these 2 companies sells the other's product. I believe this to be a every important textbook factor in labeling something as a "cross promotion". :nixweiss



IMHO this type of product usage information is very valuable to me when a company recommends what works best from their testing for their product.



My previous Z28, C5 Coupe and present Z06 and friend's Porsches and many other vehicle manufacturers recommend Mobil 1 as their oil of choice. Is this 'cross promotion"? I see this as very good info for the maintenance of my vehicles even though there maybe viable cheaper or more expensive alternatives.



The bottomline here is that if you use a quality towel of whatever fabric, construction or expense, they will work perfectly with Zaino. Zaino and all LSP's will work with any type of towel, even your old T-shirt.;)

The question and basis for recommendations here really pertains to maintaining the flawless finish during application and buffing that the LSP is suppose to be protecting.
 
Scottwax said:
Could you elaborate on that? Specifically, why do you think they work better than any other towels you have tried? I've never used DF towels, give me a compelling reason to want to.
Click to expand...



The first time i used a DF towel i was buffing off UPP. You know how sweet UPP is to buff off right, well, jee, it was unreal with the DF towel.



It feels like your wiping your ride down with silk or something.



You may not really care much as you do it for a living, but i would spend an extra buck or 3 on something that made me smile a little more.



Do i think it functioned better then any other quality towel, hmm, not really, it just feels better.
 
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