Softest microfiber available?

[Zevulin]

Is 70/30 mix MF the softest available?

[jdubs]

Is 70/30 mix MF the softest available?

While i'm new at this myself I believe it has more to do with the GSM count as opposed to the specific blend. The higher the GSM the "softer" the towel.

Someone please feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

[grovlet]

I would go more by GSM - The highest I've seen is 1200 - Big Blue Drying Towel (http://www.autogeek.net/large-microfiber-drying-towel.html)

70/30 is the percentage of polyester to polymide - my understanding is the more polymide = softer....

But GSM describes how many fibers are in a sq inch - so that's a better indicator of softness

Technically both are important - but I would expect as GSM goes up you'll find they are more 70/30 than not....

FYI - it's recommended to use the right towel for the right job - you wouldn't want to use a super soft drying towel to remove dirt or apply wax/sealant - but you want a super soft towel to remove dust of buff - also certain types of microfibres are better for glass (waffle weave) vs paint (closed loop)

Microfiber Towels Comparison Chart (http://www.autogeek.net/mfchart.html)
http://www.incrediblydetailed.com/microfiber-manifesto-everything-need-know-microfiber-towels/

[RippyD]

super soft drying towel to remove dirt....
That chart recommends 700 GSM towels for waterless washing. Those work great for me. I also have some 800 GSM towels that work well. My thinking is the more liquid they hold, the better. The 800s hold a ton of water. I also like using the lightest possible color so I can see how much dirt is being picked up.

My drying towels are generally less dense, more absorbent, and much larger.

[Paul A.]

That is a great article on MF and i hope not contrary to any rules here. I have to think it's ok as they are not selling anything.

It explains all the different types of MF and should answer your question with regard to the qualities and uses of the softest towel.

[OptimumAutoSpa]

I really like the Adams double soft towels... the single soft and triple soft are amazing as well.

[Zevulin]

I really like the Adams double soft towels... the single soft and triple soft are amazing as well.
The Adams site lists the MF GSM specs but not the polyester/polyamide specs, any idea what they are?

[Zelfiris]

The highest I own is 1100 GSM and they're way too thick to be practical in most uses. After washing them, it takes a LONG time to air dry.

I say sticking around 700 GSM is good if you're looking to buy new MF towels

[AZpolisher15]

Just personal opinion/preference, but I like waterless/rinseless towels in the 420-470 gsm range. Above that, I find that the weight of a soaked towel gets to be a little heavy. I feel like it takes a little more pressure to hold the towel to vertical panels and just too much weight on horizontal panels (both of which can be compensated for in technique). It's mostly just a "feel" thing, my personal preference.

And regarding that link posted previously-- I think most of those towels are AG towels.

[kevincwelch]

I use the 1100 GSM for rinseless washing my car, which has fairly soft clear coat. For others, I use the 840 GSM towels.

I am extremely happy with Eagle edgeless towels, which I use to apply spray sealants and do my final buffing.

Sent via my mobile device...

[Tempest45]

GSM and softness are not related. GSM is a measure of density, not softness of the fibers the towel is constructed from.

[Zevulin]

GSM and softness are not related. GSM is a measure of density, not softness of the fibers the towel is constructed from.
Thanks, I'm aware GSM is unrelated to softness, which brings me back to my original question, does anyone know what the softest MF available is. From what I can tell a 70/30 mix is the softest I've seen with any of the MF manufacturers.

[Setec Astronomy]

Thanks, I'm aware GSM is unrelated to softness, which brings me back to my original question, does anyone know what the softest MF available is. From what I can tell a 70/30 mix is the softest I've seen with any of the MF manufacturers.

Just like with the GSM issue, I'm not sure that the fiber mix is the be-all, end-all recipe for "softness" (whatever that is, it's not a technical term). Here's a discussion of the fiber blend from a towel website that will remain nameless (ok, it's MFT):

"By far, the most common questions asked have to do with the blend or composition of the microfiber material. Microfiber is a blend of two man-made fibers, polyester and polyamide. Most commonly 80/20 and 70/30. Experienced users of microfiber products notice that some of their towels are labeled 70/30 and some are labeled 80/20 (sometimes 85/15 or 75/25). Some users notice that they like the towels labeled 70/30 better and assume that they are better because they are 70/30, other users notice that they like the towels labeled 80/20 better and assume that it is because they are 80/20. But this is NOT the case.

Let me tell you why. First of all, there are many other factors that effect the quality of a microfiber fabric, and there are many factors that effect the the performance for a particular task. There can be huge quality differences between two similarly constructed fabrics (yarn quality, construction quality, quality control), and there can be huge differences in performance (for a particular task) between two quality fabrics (i.e fabrics for wet mopping do not work well for car drying, and fabrics for car drying don't work well for wet mopping). And for the most part none of these quality or performance differences can be accounted for by the stated polyester/polyamide blend of the fabric.

Second, most microfiber fabrics are labeled incorrectly. The truth is that the U.S. Government requires that companies label their imported products with the country of origin and the content of the product (in our case the ratio of polyester to polyamide). They don't require that these content declarations be 100% accurate. In fact for a given product on a given production run, there will be a +/- 2% difference in fiber content, and no perceivable difference for the user. On top of that, a manufacturer will label the towels in what ever manner (within reason) the buyer requests.

You may be thinking, "That sure is deceptive.", but it really is just a matter of semantics. For the most part, all microfiber yarns start out as a blend of 70% polyester and 30% polyamide. For most microfiber products (not waffle weave) the microfiber yarn is woven through a polyester backing (ground), at this point the composition of the product is closer to 80% polyester and 20% polyamide, because you have to add in the 100% polyester backing. Some factories will call this fabric 70/30 and some 80/20."

Then there are some other factors, such as how the fibers are split or woven, etc. I'm presuming you started this thread because you swirled your instrument cluster, since you started a thread about that at the same time. So there are multiple considerations, what cleaning agent was used in conjunction with the cloth, was the dirt/dust on the lens abrasive, was the towel clean, etc.

[chefwong]

As = as important is pre spec purchase details --- the right density, nap given the application, edge detail of towel, etc which is all the easy part of this......proper care and use is probably 90% MORE important than the pre-purchase to maintain such ~softness~.

I've got plenty of ~premium MF's~, and maybe it's my luck of the draw, but this particular brand --- which see's either water of a very very light interior cleaner, is nowhere as soft as when it was brand new, nor the 50 different ways I've tried cleaning it, etc, will it get back to the softness level I expect from it.

[DogRescuer]

I believe gsm= grams per square meter.