I never say a 800-1100 gsm detailing towel. My towels are in 6 categories:
1. Paint Safe (polish removal, Non-ruining LSP removal, Quick detailing, bird poop removal, wipe down with a waterless wash product)
2. Waterless wash towels (like a deeper nap towel such as Eurow Shag, MF Madness edgeless, Infiniti edgeless)
3. Lintless Glass Towels (used on nothing but glass, and washed only with other glass or drying towels)
4. Drying towels -I don`t like waffle weave towels no matter how soft, Never used one I liked. I like/prefer longer nap large MF towels. I generally dry with a masterblaster which removes 99.9%of the water and dry using these after. If the LSP is totally shot, the MB is not very effective so I use the towels and only blow out the retention and hard to dry areas.
5 Bug towels- Mesh but removal towels are a winner, Makes quick and easy work of bug removal. I own the same towels from several sources and its a great tool along with an APC or bug removal chemical. The key here is soaking the area good and lubrication.
6. Throw away towels. For dirty jobs and so dirty that I don`t want them in my washing machine, Even if I could get them clean, or for coating removal as some coatings ruins towels. You will know a towel is ruined if it gets stiff after coating removal. Generally the cheapest paint safe I can find fill this category. I just got a bunch of blue and yellow/green ones to replace the Chinese Junk ones I got fooled on. Sometimes you don`t know until you try them. Read more on this below.
I try not to spend a lot on towels by getting large quantities on sale when they are available. I buy a dozen of what I think I like, run them through the paces for a while and then invest big at a discount through a sale, coupon code, detail weekend or negotiation. That is why I just picked up some of the El Rey and Infiniti edgeless towels. I was needing to replace some to fit in to some high end detailing requirements I have and the existing towels I have, aged out of that standard for me. If they are good, I will buy more. The Microfiber madness are super nice, but expensive, even on sale. Its more than I ever would spend on a towel as its not so much better that others I have found for my use. I purchased some of the Infiniti edgeless microfiber towels that seem identical to the MF madness. Ill report back after I run them for a while because new towels can be deceiving. A few washes lets you know if you are onto something good or not.
My Poor boys DMTs are about 350-370 gsm ( I forget exactly what the GSM is and its not listed on their website) and they wear like Iron. I own some where between 150-200+ DMTs. I have used them since 2009 as my standard adding when on sale over the years. Yes they can pull on emblems but I think all towels can get caught on emblems. Its not a major problem with these, or any other towels I have had. Only the Junk short pile MF towels I used to use before the DMTs never get caught, because they have no nap-LOL. The majority of my DMTs are light green and the dirt can easily be seen so as to avoid swirling up my finish. The silk edge is great and has held up well. I am pretty sure these at Korean MF. They also have not shrunk at all after many washes.
Just recently purchased some 400 GSM El Rey Microfiber towels that feel really super nice and thick. At just about the same price as the DMTs, few cents more after the first time buyer discount. The increase in GSM of the El Rey Towels over the DMTs is very evident. In all fairness I have not seen the El Rey after washing yet, but I prewash all my towels before use, so I will report back shortly. My El Rey towels are Yellow and I like that I can see the dirt and specs on the towels easily so I don`t swirl up the paint. The Silk border looks well constructed, and the origin is also Korea which far outpaces Chinese MF for quality.
I purchased some cheap Chinese MF years ago and the 16" x 16" towels quickly went to 10" x 10" proving once again YGWYPF!!!!!!!!!!! They are now my throw away towels for exhaust and engine wipe downs, and I am almost through them. I recently purchased some cheap Korean MF to replace these for dirty jobs and I will let you know who that works out.
I cannot imagine a 800-1100 gsm towel allowing dirt or polish to move past the surface making removal unsafe and less than easy...but that`s just my guess as I have never seen such a dense towel. GSM is short for grams per square meter, and generally the higher the # the thicker and take longer to dry.
But I bet that most people would quickly decide "not for me after all". OTOH, when it comes to detailing I *don`t* really like my few really high-GSM MFs (doubled white ones, forget where I got `em) all that much; I`d rather have longer nap in a lower GSM for washing/drying.
. I gotta stop already.
