Wal-Mart's MICROTEX MF Towels

HondaMan

HondaMan

2004 Civic EX magnesium
Anybody use them/familiar with them?

I purchased a few today, just gonna use them to clean dirty areas of interior/exterior, not on main finish. I have the higher-quality (?) stuff from PAC and AG that I use for the car's body.

Still, if anybody knows something specific about their quality (# of microfibers, durability, etc), let me know. I know that there's tons of cheap, knock-off quality MF's out there, but as backups and/or for dirty/grimy areas, they're probably better than regular towels and we can use the higher-quality, more expensive MF's on our wax and acryllic finishes.
 
My local walmart has started to carry Hometex brand microfiber. These are way better than the microtex, and you get 8 for 4.97. They all passed the scratch test, but I am still hesitant to use them on paint. The microtex are okay, but if you can find the hometex, I'd go with them as they are more durable and appear to be of higher quality.
 
I've used similar brands for easily wiping metal polish from my mufflers and exhaust system.
 
I have some cheap mf towels from Walmart for about a year, can those pose a risk of scratching your car?
 
i use the big blue microtex drying towel a lot of the time. they are big and plush and pefect for spray and wipe. i did the scratch test on multiple cds using the plush side and the edges and i got no scratches. even when applying pressure, which i never do on a car finsh anyway. i still keep using them and my car has stayed as swirl free as can be. i would highly suggest them to anyone who is looking for a good over the counter microfiber. only thing that sucks is that its really large and u gotta fold it up a bit to use it. really works well for drying too.
 
My local walmart never has any MF towels. I went to Target and they had this new company, Vroom. 12 towels for $8.99 and there not bad for windows or interior.
 
ive heard some good things form vroom. u know i think a lot of people think that a lot of the mf from stores like walmart, costco, ect arent that good in qaulity. but i see it differently. microfibers have become one of the main tools now a days when it comes to detailing. word has spread and now the big companies wanna cash in on it. they've uped their mass manufacturing and are trying to cash in on the business. i think that until a mf has done a scratch test on a cd or painted finsh under flourecent lighting, it shouldnt be dismissed as inferior.

just my .02
 
OK....so as a summary (1) the stuff we buy from PAC, Autogeek, etc -- those are virtually all OK for our car's finish quality-wise and (2) the stuff in department stores (Wal-Mart, Target) may or may not be car-finish quality.

I will say this...have never done any of these "scratch tests" but the MF's I bought today feel and look pretty much like the ones I've bought from online detailers. I know there's a difference between 200,000 mf/inch and 50,000 mf/inch towels, but maybe even the latter are safe enough and better than our old traditional cloth towels?

BTW, the ones I got today are the 70-30 blend.
 
I agree with you guys that the locally available MFs are just as effective and safe. I got the Vroom 12 pack and they are really great towels, and they seem a bit more plush than the blue/white Microtex ones. I've also felt that huge microtex drying towel and it's amazingly plush (maybe more than my meguiar's ultraplush MF).

I wouldn't be surprised if online vendor MFs were made by the same company as these other "cheaper" brands. I've been on a hunt for some solid proof that the majority of MFs come from the same factory, but it doesn't help when a lot of online vendors sell their towels tagless. :nono
 
I use cheap wal-mart/autozone MF on my bumper, inner fenders, tail pipes, and windows. I use a microfiber sponge to clean my paint. I cant find a lamb's wool anywhere :(
 
djsway said:
I have some cheap mf towels from Walmart for about a year, can those pose a risk of scratching your car?
Click to expand...

Yes, they can. BUT so can the high priced "boutique" ones you can get online if you don't properly use or care for them. I don't think all MF is the same, but I don't believe that the ones available locally are "no good" either. Use good judgement, see if they will pass the "cd test," and take care of them.
 
The cd test is a joke. Every single microfiber I own can scratch a CD if any pressure is applied and that includes high quality, well regarded towels from online vendors.

The MicroTex towels are not constructed as well as higher quality towels but I have used them on paint including Ford's very soft clear coated black; the towels never introduced marring. I no longer use the locally available microfibers on paint because I prefer the feel of my towels from online vendors but they are simply not detrimental to paint finishes like so many seem to believe.
 
JaredPointer said:
Yes, they can. BUT so can the high priced "boutique" ones you can get online if you don't properly use or care for them. I don't think all MF is the same, but I don't believe that the ones available locally are "no good" either. Use good judgement, see if they will pass the "cd test," and take care of them.
Click to expand...

(1) I take it the CD test involves seeing if the MF will scratch a CD or CD-ROM?

(2) How do you misuse a MF towel such that it scratches? And what do you mean by proper care?

Thanks Jared !
 
HondaMan said:
(1) I take it the CD test involves seeing if the MF will scratch a CD or CD-ROM?
Click to expand...

Yes. Use it on the cd as you would on the paint. There's no real need to bear down on the cd with the MF....would you really do that to your paint?? If done correctly, it is a viable test, at least IMO, to "check" the MF. As with most things, approach the little test with common sense. Sure, I can get any MF to scratch a cd if I bear down enough on it - that's a given. Would I do that to my paint? Absolutley not.

HondaMan said:
(2) How do you misuse a MF towel such that it scratches? And what do you mean by proper care?
Click to expand...

Using too much pressure for one thing. :)

By proper care I mean following the cleaning & care instructions on the MF. No fabric softener, etc. That sort of thing. Store them in a place where they won't pick up crud, etc.

HTH!!
 
Thanks Jared....I was unaware that even MF's could scratch if misused...seems logical, just figured more pressure wouldn't matter. Since I am working on my Honda at this time in my life, it's not critical. When I have a nice car and I'm posting as "VetteMan" then I will be saying "Not too much pressure...not too much pressure" whenever I am using MF towels!

Yes, for my MF care I let them all (detailing and waffle weaves) soak in Dawn and rinse them out. Then I do them in the wash with some of the MF cleaners our sponsors sell. Then air drying in the laundry room or outside. I think this pretty much matches up with protocol on this site.
 
I have used the Microtex MF's for removing and buffing my cars and I have had absolutely no problems with scratching or marring. Just make sure you get the 2-pack instead of the 5-pack. The 2-pack is a 70/30 blend and is made in Korea. It is also much more plush. The 5-pack is 80/20 and made in China.
 
i just got a 24 pack of mf's from costco for i think it was 8 bucks. did the cd test and they didn't scratch the cd at all. am i doing somthing wrong. i applied alot more pressure and nothing happened again.
 
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