cardaddy
05-19-2013, 05:57 PM
There are some things in the world of detailing that remain constant, and others that are subject to various opinions that vary as widely as the people, paints, and products and vehicles. Also it is important to consider that sometimes they are used whilst dedicating one’s free time enjoying an afternoon of doing either your best Mr. Miyagi or your best Grasshopper impersonation, just think…. “Wax on wax off”.
While it may be said that three things are also constant, those being; a compound, a polish, and a wax. The reality of that statement is there IS no reality. This is probably the largest non-constant in the entire world of detailing.
The constants are such things as the tools involved. There may be a whole host of names, manufacturers, brands, etc, but by and large that still means you need a DA of some sort, (including forced rotation) and if you’re really skilled (or not in some instances) a rotary buffer.
Another constant is towels, and for something that is a ‘constant’ it is also different from one user to another, maybe, maybe not as different as the compound, polish and wax part of the game.
This is where I have been experimenting as of late. And with that, I recently tested 8 new additions to my detailing stable for their worthiness and ‘constant’ use as I plow my way through the UN-consistency of working my way from one vehicle to another.
Group Photo: Everyone playing nicely together.
Left side, top to bottom; Gray Thunder 460 w/border, Baby Blues 530, Gray Thunder 600, Blue Sky 700
Right side, top to bottom; Zigzag Baby 300, Golden Fever 360, Yellow Fever 400, Gray Dove 460 edgeless
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170407.jpg
Hand Print shot; Ohhhhh how soft!
Top, Left to Right; Yellow Fever, Golden Fever, Zigzag Baby, Gray Dove edgeless,
Bottom Left to Right; Blue Sky, Gray Thunder, Baby Blues, Gray Dove w/edge
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170207.jpg
So, described below are my impressions while spending a day with eight of these new towels, all of whom are hoping to find a permeate home in my towel closet. I’ll just provide a short description of each and possibly an idea of where and what they may excel at.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170148.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171921.jpg
The baby of the bunch is a simple zigzag cut, Zigzag Baby. It doesn’t look like much but really surprised me with its supple feel. At only 300gsm its duty on paint may be questionable, especially anywhere near an LSP. Although I found on hard GM clears, as a virgin towel, including both before and after washing it worked fairly well. I’d still say this one will be relegated to seats, dash work, and small places where it will fold, poke, and cram into. These little zigzag’s are as affordable as the “big box” or “club store” towels and claim to be only 300gsm, yet are very soft and without a sewn border which could make them a better deal for tight places and interior work.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170159.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170153.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171804.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171637.jpg
Next along is what amount basically to twins; although not identical twins. These twins, the Baby Twins, I call Yellow Fever and Golden Fever. One is a 360gsm while the other is 400gsm and both are dual nap long/short towels. One, the 400gsm is also a 70/30 whereas the 360gsm is the typical 75/25 blend. The lighter of the two is yellow, and the big brother is gold. Both of these are far and away nicer than their price and especially gsm weight would imagine. Both are soft enough (both before and after laundering) to use during paint correction. The dual nap construction makes the short side perfect to loosen compound and even clean up the residue, while the long loop nap side plays well with LSP’s and even spritz on WOWA sealants and QD sprays. These two beauties are so affordable that I may just keep both in stock. Perhaps one for compounding, the other for polishing. Who knows? (Especially as they come in other colors.) I’ll surely be using one or the other of these twins for a while.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170143.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170129.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171602.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171408.jpg
Next are another set of twins, I’ll call them my Gray Doves one with a silk border and one without, both being the same identical weight of 460gsm. The thing is, they feel and act like TOTALLY DIFFERENT MATERIALS. Don’t get me wrong, they both feature a construction that is different than most any other microfiber towel you may have ever seen or held in your hands. It’s almost like a really fluffy teddy bear. The nap is exactly the same on both sides, no closed loops, really open and really fine and fluffy, (especially for its weight). Where the differences were found is how the nap reacts when you brush your hand across it. With the borderless/edgeless towel there is certainly an “against the grain” direction on BOTH sides of the material. Whereas the bordered towel reacts much differently, even when you do find that one direction that is somewhat against the grain, yet it doesn’t act anywhere near like the other twin.
These twins are also the most expensive of the entire 8 lot crew this time around, and in fact the borderless, edgeless towel is more than the one with the sewn on border! These are the only two of the bunch to be made in a different country as well; although I’m still not convinced they come out of the same factory. Also I’m not sure the extra cost is worth it for the edgeless version, especially when compared to the 600 and 700gsm units that are considerably less expensive. They are however the softest towels you’ll ever find or feel that is under 500gsm. They are incredibly soft though and certainly qualify for Luxury Towel status! If you have to have a Luxury Towel, that has a different feel than most everything else you’ve ever used, they are worth checking out.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170124.jpg
(Sorry I misplaced the folded photo of the Baby Blues, I have more if you want to see them drop me a PM)
Next was a total surprise; a very well constructed 530gsm dual nap I call Baby Blues. This beauty has to be the sturdiest and most solid microfiber I’ve ever had in my hand, ever! I’ve had other 530’s in the past, (Cobra grays) and I expected the Baby Blues to be very similar... boy was I surprised! Baby Blues is also dual nap like the 360’s & 400’s which means it’ll work for a whole host of jobs in my detailing stable. It has a backing material that is very strong and thick, likely adding to the measurable heft and contributing to the 530gsm specification although due to the weight of the backing material the nap or ‘tuft’ on each side is actually shorter than the Cobra 530’s.
This towel changed the most from its “virgin state” after washing than any of the other seven I tested this time around. It became much softer! So much softer in fact that even though the nap is shorter on both sides than my beloved Cobra’s it is considerably softer than they are! (Before washing it was about the same.) This towel will be one that I get a lot of work done with, I mean a LOT of work! Due to its considerable heft it’ll hold quite a bit of fluid and as such will be a more than excellent ONR or other rinseless wash towel. The way it’s constructed I swear if you put a wide clamp on both sides that you could chain each end to a truck and use it as a tow rope! No fear of ripping it apart scrubbing rough areas and getting dirt from inside wheel wells, wheels, whipping across tail pipes and polishing, or scrubbing even the dirtiest of vehicles.
On the other side of this dual personality towel is the fact that the nap is soft enough to use for removal of waxes and polishes, WOWO sealants, and when clean and soft, even LSP’s and detail sprays. For now I only have these in baby blue, which means I’ll have to be careful what duties they are used in and keep them graded accordingly, (as I do all my towels). For a word on that, when I start with a new towel I keep track of what it does during the day, and once done I sort them according to whether or not they’ll EVER get to touch paint again.
Of all these new entrants to my stable there are three that would get quite a bit of dual duty, and all three just happen to be dual nap. The 360’s, 400’s and 530’s are undoubtedly going to see more variety of uses than anything else. All three are soft enough for LSP and both sturdy enough for compounding and even washing, (both rinseless and in your soap bucket). It’s also the 360’s and/or 400’s that I’ll put in customers maintenance kits as even in inexperienced hands they’ll be OK to work with most paints, (at least until I can get back to them). The other side is they both come in more colors, so color coding to the work being done would be fairly easy. I have to say these two are very surprising how soft and supple they are.
To that point, take the Eurow 350’s and the other Kirkland towels that are so popular. I know for a fact that the little Eurow’s while not being exactly dual nap, once washed, and with a hard GM paint can actually be used without fear while doing paint correction. Same is true for the Kirkland towels, especially as they are dual nap. It’s when these two are compared to the new 360’s and 400’s where you really start to understand what a quality towel is. Obviously Costco has been doing some homework or they’d still be offering only the Eurow’s. What they do offer is a better bulk quantity towel (for the money) than anyone else, especially the embarrassingly thin bundled towels at Wal-Mart for instance. (I cannot speak to the Sam’s towels that I’ve read about, and would agree however that if Costco can come up with a decent, discount towel that I’d accept the Sam’s units to probably be as good as those that have used them say they are.) That notwithstanding, these new 360’s and 400’s are in a different league! (Which they should be, because the cost point is certainly not down there at <50¢ each where the “big box” units are.)
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170118.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170110.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171221.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171148.jpg
Two more in this bunch, the Sky Twins. Both are fluffy, both are edged, and both are very VERY heavy! The first one is a 600gsm beauty that is Gray Thunder in your hand if there ever was! Following this beauty is a monster of a towel, as big and thick as the sky itself, Big Blue Sky. In fact they may end up being twins in the same aspect as the first two, while not identical, they serve very similar duties and at fairly similar cost factors to one another. Perhaps to call them the Sky Twins; Thick Gray Sky, and Big Blue Sky might work. ;)
Day in and day out these two teddy bears are great for pretty much any LSP. WOWO, WOWA, spray waxes, very light QD sprays and even dust clearing. I’m not sure I’d use them for compounding and polishing on most cars, but for fine polishing and jewelling they surely represent the epitome of what you want to ‘not’ do in that you really don’t want anything scratching the surface after all the polishing you’ve just completed. But, it’s the final wipe down where these two shine, very absorbent very soft, and VERY THICK. Even the softest of paints will be happy with either of the Sky Twins.
Would anyone however need both? I don’t really think so. In fact, I’ll end up settling town to just one of them, maybe the 600 as it IS THAT GOOD.
And in the measurement it seems to be just a tad thicker! :xyxthumbs:
The difference “in hand” between them isn’t that big, although the folded measurement shows additional bulk on the 600. That bulk (with both) translates itself into sometimes a cumbersome feeling when working with these monster units, and when working with products that have that ‘grabby’ feeling to them.
On highly polished paints they both certainly have their place, and really is nice on a carnauba waxed surface or when cleaning up that last bit of LSP.
But... working with them you have to be aware of the bulk. Whether or not that added bulk is needed, and at additional cost for the 700 is something I’ll have to weigh more into down the road. Perhaps with enough demand extra cases would come my way, but as of now I’m likely to use only one of these twins as well.
The only real downside, (if you could call it that) is so many of these new towels work so well. I would prefer to have half a dozen 'go to' towels and call it a day.
Although as you may have noticed, I grouped 6 of these 8 new towels as "twins". While only 2, the Gray Doves are said to be true 'twins' (yet I still think the material comes from a different factory). The edgeless ones are a true joy to work with however and in the world of "Esoteric Luxury Towels" it certainly has its place! The "Baby Twins" are budget worthy indeed, and even though they are vey light (in the world of higher end towels) there performance is stellar. And again, the Baby Blues 530 is a true workhorse in every sense of the word and without a doubt I'll have plenty within reach for some time to come.
As a reference, here is a group shot showing the new additions as well as a Eurow 350 (far right), Advance Auto blue/tan (6th from right), Cobra 530 (5th from left), and a Eurow 660 shaggy (2nd from left).
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_174013.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_174008.jpg
While it may be said that three things are also constant, those being; a compound, a polish, and a wax. The reality of that statement is there IS no reality. This is probably the largest non-constant in the entire world of detailing.
The constants are such things as the tools involved. There may be a whole host of names, manufacturers, brands, etc, but by and large that still means you need a DA of some sort, (including forced rotation) and if you’re really skilled (or not in some instances) a rotary buffer.
Another constant is towels, and for something that is a ‘constant’ it is also different from one user to another, maybe, maybe not as different as the compound, polish and wax part of the game.
This is where I have been experimenting as of late. And with that, I recently tested 8 new additions to my detailing stable for their worthiness and ‘constant’ use as I plow my way through the UN-consistency of working my way from one vehicle to another.
Group Photo: Everyone playing nicely together.
Left side, top to bottom; Gray Thunder 460 w/border, Baby Blues 530, Gray Thunder 600, Blue Sky 700
Right side, top to bottom; Zigzag Baby 300, Golden Fever 360, Yellow Fever 400, Gray Dove 460 edgeless
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170407.jpg
Hand Print shot; Ohhhhh how soft!
Top, Left to Right; Yellow Fever, Golden Fever, Zigzag Baby, Gray Dove edgeless,
Bottom Left to Right; Blue Sky, Gray Thunder, Baby Blues, Gray Dove w/edge
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170207.jpg
So, described below are my impressions while spending a day with eight of these new towels, all of whom are hoping to find a permeate home in my towel closet. I’ll just provide a short description of each and possibly an idea of where and what they may excel at.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170148.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171921.jpg
The baby of the bunch is a simple zigzag cut, Zigzag Baby. It doesn’t look like much but really surprised me with its supple feel. At only 300gsm its duty on paint may be questionable, especially anywhere near an LSP. Although I found on hard GM clears, as a virgin towel, including both before and after washing it worked fairly well. I’d still say this one will be relegated to seats, dash work, and small places where it will fold, poke, and cram into. These little zigzag’s are as affordable as the “big box” or “club store” towels and claim to be only 300gsm, yet are very soft and without a sewn border which could make them a better deal for tight places and interior work.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170159.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170153.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171804.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171637.jpg
Next along is what amount basically to twins; although not identical twins. These twins, the Baby Twins, I call Yellow Fever and Golden Fever. One is a 360gsm while the other is 400gsm and both are dual nap long/short towels. One, the 400gsm is also a 70/30 whereas the 360gsm is the typical 75/25 blend. The lighter of the two is yellow, and the big brother is gold. Both of these are far and away nicer than their price and especially gsm weight would imagine. Both are soft enough (both before and after laundering) to use during paint correction. The dual nap construction makes the short side perfect to loosen compound and even clean up the residue, while the long loop nap side plays well with LSP’s and even spritz on WOWA sealants and QD sprays. These two beauties are so affordable that I may just keep both in stock. Perhaps one for compounding, the other for polishing. Who knows? (Especially as they come in other colors.) I’ll surely be using one or the other of these twins for a while.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170143.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170129.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171602.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171408.jpg
Next are another set of twins, I’ll call them my Gray Doves one with a silk border and one without, both being the same identical weight of 460gsm. The thing is, they feel and act like TOTALLY DIFFERENT MATERIALS. Don’t get me wrong, they both feature a construction that is different than most any other microfiber towel you may have ever seen or held in your hands. It’s almost like a really fluffy teddy bear. The nap is exactly the same on both sides, no closed loops, really open and really fine and fluffy, (especially for its weight). Where the differences were found is how the nap reacts when you brush your hand across it. With the borderless/edgeless towel there is certainly an “against the grain” direction on BOTH sides of the material. Whereas the bordered towel reacts much differently, even when you do find that one direction that is somewhat against the grain, yet it doesn’t act anywhere near like the other twin.
These twins are also the most expensive of the entire 8 lot crew this time around, and in fact the borderless, edgeless towel is more than the one with the sewn on border! These are the only two of the bunch to be made in a different country as well; although I’m still not convinced they come out of the same factory. Also I’m not sure the extra cost is worth it for the edgeless version, especially when compared to the 600 and 700gsm units that are considerably less expensive. They are however the softest towels you’ll ever find or feel that is under 500gsm. They are incredibly soft though and certainly qualify for Luxury Towel status! If you have to have a Luxury Towel, that has a different feel than most everything else you’ve ever used, they are worth checking out.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170124.jpg
(Sorry I misplaced the folded photo of the Baby Blues, I have more if you want to see them drop me a PM)
Next was a total surprise; a very well constructed 530gsm dual nap I call Baby Blues. This beauty has to be the sturdiest and most solid microfiber I’ve ever had in my hand, ever! I’ve had other 530’s in the past, (Cobra grays) and I expected the Baby Blues to be very similar... boy was I surprised! Baby Blues is also dual nap like the 360’s & 400’s which means it’ll work for a whole host of jobs in my detailing stable. It has a backing material that is very strong and thick, likely adding to the measurable heft and contributing to the 530gsm specification although due to the weight of the backing material the nap or ‘tuft’ on each side is actually shorter than the Cobra 530’s.
This towel changed the most from its “virgin state” after washing than any of the other seven I tested this time around. It became much softer! So much softer in fact that even though the nap is shorter on both sides than my beloved Cobra’s it is considerably softer than they are! (Before washing it was about the same.) This towel will be one that I get a lot of work done with, I mean a LOT of work! Due to its considerable heft it’ll hold quite a bit of fluid and as such will be a more than excellent ONR or other rinseless wash towel. The way it’s constructed I swear if you put a wide clamp on both sides that you could chain each end to a truck and use it as a tow rope! No fear of ripping it apart scrubbing rough areas and getting dirt from inside wheel wells, wheels, whipping across tail pipes and polishing, or scrubbing even the dirtiest of vehicles.
On the other side of this dual personality towel is the fact that the nap is soft enough to use for removal of waxes and polishes, WOWO sealants, and when clean and soft, even LSP’s and detail sprays. For now I only have these in baby blue, which means I’ll have to be careful what duties they are used in and keep them graded accordingly, (as I do all my towels). For a word on that, when I start with a new towel I keep track of what it does during the day, and once done I sort them according to whether or not they’ll EVER get to touch paint again.
Of all these new entrants to my stable there are three that would get quite a bit of dual duty, and all three just happen to be dual nap. The 360’s, 400’s and 530’s are undoubtedly going to see more variety of uses than anything else. All three are soft enough for LSP and both sturdy enough for compounding and even washing, (both rinseless and in your soap bucket). It’s also the 360’s and/or 400’s that I’ll put in customers maintenance kits as even in inexperienced hands they’ll be OK to work with most paints, (at least until I can get back to them). The other side is they both come in more colors, so color coding to the work being done would be fairly easy. I have to say these two are very surprising how soft and supple they are.
To that point, take the Eurow 350’s and the other Kirkland towels that are so popular. I know for a fact that the little Eurow’s while not being exactly dual nap, once washed, and with a hard GM paint can actually be used without fear while doing paint correction. Same is true for the Kirkland towels, especially as they are dual nap. It’s when these two are compared to the new 360’s and 400’s where you really start to understand what a quality towel is. Obviously Costco has been doing some homework or they’d still be offering only the Eurow’s. What they do offer is a better bulk quantity towel (for the money) than anyone else, especially the embarrassingly thin bundled towels at Wal-Mart for instance. (I cannot speak to the Sam’s towels that I’ve read about, and would agree however that if Costco can come up with a decent, discount towel that I’d accept the Sam’s units to probably be as good as those that have used them say they are.) That notwithstanding, these new 360’s and 400’s are in a different league! (Which they should be, because the cost point is certainly not down there at <50¢ each where the “big box” units are.)
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170118.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_170110.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171221.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_171148.jpg
Two more in this bunch, the Sky Twins. Both are fluffy, both are edged, and both are very VERY heavy! The first one is a 600gsm beauty that is Gray Thunder in your hand if there ever was! Following this beauty is a monster of a towel, as big and thick as the sky itself, Big Blue Sky. In fact they may end up being twins in the same aspect as the first two, while not identical, they serve very similar duties and at fairly similar cost factors to one another. Perhaps to call them the Sky Twins; Thick Gray Sky, and Big Blue Sky might work. ;)
Day in and day out these two teddy bears are great for pretty much any LSP. WOWO, WOWA, spray waxes, very light QD sprays and even dust clearing. I’m not sure I’d use them for compounding and polishing on most cars, but for fine polishing and jewelling they surely represent the epitome of what you want to ‘not’ do in that you really don’t want anything scratching the surface after all the polishing you’ve just completed. But, it’s the final wipe down where these two shine, very absorbent very soft, and VERY THICK. Even the softest of paints will be happy with either of the Sky Twins.
Would anyone however need both? I don’t really think so. In fact, I’ll end up settling town to just one of them, maybe the 600 as it IS THAT GOOD.
And in the measurement it seems to be just a tad thicker! :xyxthumbs:
The difference “in hand” between them isn’t that big, although the folded measurement shows additional bulk on the 600. That bulk (with both) translates itself into sometimes a cumbersome feeling when working with these monster units, and when working with products that have that ‘grabby’ feeling to them.
On highly polished paints they both certainly have their place, and really is nice on a carnauba waxed surface or when cleaning up that last bit of LSP.
But... working with them you have to be aware of the bulk. Whether or not that added bulk is needed, and at additional cost for the 700 is something I’ll have to weigh more into down the road. Perhaps with enough demand extra cases would come my way, but as of now I’m likely to use only one of these twins as well.
The only real downside, (if you could call it that) is so many of these new towels work so well. I would prefer to have half a dozen 'go to' towels and call it a day.
Although as you may have noticed, I grouped 6 of these 8 new towels as "twins". While only 2, the Gray Doves are said to be true 'twins' (yet I still think the material comes from a different factory). The edgeless ones are a true joy to work with however and in the world of "Esoteric Luxury Towels" it certainly has its place! The "Baby Twins" are budget worthy indeed, and even though they are vey light (in the world of higher end towels) there performance is stellar. And again, the Baby Blues 530 is a true workhorse in every sense of the word and without a doubt I'll have plenty within reach for some time to come.
As a reference, here is a group shot showing the new additions as well as a Eurow 350 (far right), Advance Auto blue/tan (6th from right), Cobra 530 (5th from left), and a Eurow 660 shaggy (2nd from left).
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_174013.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1869/medium/20130505_174008.jpg