Microfiber Towels

[98LowRanger]

In our line of work microfiber towels are one of the most used (I would venture to say that every single one of us use them) and important tools that we have when you think about it. I bought a few packs from Costco last year, but as I get more into paint correction and paint coatings, I realize it may be time to upgrade. I hate the thought that I could be increasing the chance of marring/scratching the paint I spent hours correcting just because I am using a low quality microfiber towel.

I am looking to buy from The Rag Company or Microfiber Tech. Both seem to sell high quality microfiber towels that are Korean made (I hear that is a good thing) for a relatively good price (approx. $4 a towel). I like the 16x16 size and 70/30 (Polyester to Polyamide) blend seems to be the best choice.

So before I drop $3+ per a towel, my questions concerning microfiber towels are:

- What weight/GSM (grams per square meter) do you guys recommend for POLISH removal?
- For leveling a coating I heard a "short nap" microfiber is recommended...would this be above 500 gsm?

Any tips you Pros can give me on microfiber towels is appreciated!

[dcjredline]

I'm not a pro so I digress. (if thats the proper use of the term digress) lol

[Rmd]

I'm not a pro, but I have a bit of a towel addiction. For polish removal, I'd rate the MM yellow fellow as a 10 on the quality and effectiveness of removing residue. With that as the standard, MFT's polishing towels (blue and white) are nearly as good; I just bought some and was impressed with how well they removed polish residue with minimal effort. The big difference is price, MM yellows are nearly triple the price, and although I have and use the MM's, I am going to stick with the MFT polishing towels going forward based on the value factor. The MM yellow fellows are wonderful, but are not three times as good to justify three times the price per towel.
For the gsm part of your question, I think the MM towels are about 360-380, and the MFT polishing towels feel a little less. Trying to remove polish with high gsm plush towels never worked well for me. Shorter nap have better bite.

[conman1395]

Also not a pro but I have a towel fetish. Korean towels are nice, but they're not the only ones that are appropriate. You could honestly do everything with Microfibertech 360 towels. Also, the polyester/polyamide blend does not mean everything in terms of quality (not that you would ever want a 90/10 towel). I stick to 75/25 and 70/30. I have done a lot of work with an assortment of 360 and 530 towels. Hopefully Cardaddy chimes in.
By the way, I've grown fond of fabric edged towels versus silk edge.

[brettS4]

I'm not a pro so I digress. (if thats the proper use of the term digress) lol

I believe you mean 'defer'.

[98LowRanger]

Ok maybe I shouldn't have used the word "Pro", but I consider a lot of you guys "pros" who have much more experience then I do.

Microfiber Tech seems to have some very good towels so glad to hear that they are very comparable to The Rag Company's even though they are considerably cheaper. When paying $3+ per a towel every dollar counts!

So a good towel for a "final swipe" when leveling a coating would be in the 400 gsm range (short nap?)?

[cleanmycorolla]

for me, I like to use 360gsm towels for polish removal and wax removal.

for rinseless I use 600+gsm towels.

really it just depends on how you paint plays with the towel, what i suggest, by one of each you're interested in, test it, then make the big splurge.

[SameGuy]

Note that TRC has recently added Chinese-made detailing towels to their lineup, perhaps to compete with other companies' (MFT is just one) full range of Chinese-made offerings. That said, there is indeed a difference you can feel.

I have a microfiber fetish, but I have a really hard time justifying paying three times as much as TRC charges (for top-notch Korean towels) to get MM products made in Germany. As good as TRC's Eagle Edgeless, Avalanche, Everest and Split-Purplenality are, I can't imagine any of MM's towels are three times better.

ALL THAT SAID , most of my polishing towel collection is still made up of AutoGeek Cobras, most of them 75/25 Korean assembled in China. With all the sales and special offers here along with frequent "microfiber gifts with minimum purchase", AG towels are easily just as inexpensive as the better ones from TRC -- and have proven themselves time and again under heavy use. Hey, the proof is there: AG's Show Car Garage and studio turns out show car details every week, using the very same towels AG sells to us.

Car Care Microfiber Towels, Microfiber dusters and microfiber Detailing tools

[cardaddy]

Also not a pro but I have a towel fetish. Korean towels are nice, but they're not the only ones that are appropriate. You could honestly do everything with Microfibertech 360 towels. Also, the polyester/polyamide blend does not mean everything in terms of quality (not that you would ever want a 90/10 towel). I stick to 75/25 and 70/30. I have done a lot of work with an assortment of 360 and 530 towels. Hopefully Cardaddy chimes in.
By the way, I've grown fond of fabric edged towels versus silk edge.

Who ME?


I'm not a "pro" either.

And that's not all of my microfiber collection!
(Had a dirty box full, a load in the washer, another bin, and a trunk half full when I shot this pic.) Added more since then as well.


I agree, you can do pretty much anything you need with the MFT 360gsm towels. They'll remove compound, polish, even LSP. I would say though to get some of the 530's. They are the baby blue ones in that bin on the right, and on the far left on the bottom shelf next to the gray Korean edgeless. Between those and the 360's you're covered for most everything. They'll even make good drying towels! I like the MFT 530's much MUCH better than the Cobra 530's (triple folded, far right, on top of the white boxes) as they are quite a bit softer.

I would say however that everyone needs at least a 'few' Korean 500 edgeless (the gray ones on the shelf and in the bin on the floor). They're always good for QD duties, and light dusting. Also work with final wipe of any LSP before delivery. I do have some of the dual-plush 700's (on the right side of the Korean gray's) and they are GREAT for removing dust, but they'll lint when you least want it.

One that I like a lot lately is the "White Whale" (850gsm) as well as both the towels from Duragloss. They are both exactly the same, just different sizes. Not cheap at all, but a really nice towel. Their construction is similar to the "Blue Whale" (1100gsm) sewn around the edge, and across on the X & Y axis. They are softer, have deeper (and looser nap) and easier to work with than the "blue whale". (FYI there are 2 of the blue whale's on the top shelf, left side, dark blue with silver border.)

[MI Mike]

for me, I like to use 360gsm towels for polish removal and wax removal. for rinseless I use 600+gsm towels. really it just depends on how you paint plays with the towel, what i suggest, by one of each you're interested in, test it, then make the big splurge.

I agree. Look for made in Korea. MFT alot better than China. Do not go cheap (price), you need to use the best quality towel. It pay's in the long run. 70/30 blends are perfect.