Starting Out Microfiber Advice (Microfiber Tech)

[chillip]

I just bought all the products and equipment I need to start my first full car detail (wash, polish, seal, wax), but I now realize I do not have enough microfiber towels to do the job correctly. I live in Hawaii and do have access to PakShak, but I have done some research and Microfiber Tech seems to be the more economical option without sacrificing quality. I am looking into the 360 gsm for polish and wax removal and 530 gsm towels for waterless wash. Is that the correct use for those towels? Is there any preference/benefit for the border, hemmed or edgeless towels? I have a guzzler towel for drying and some extra microfibers towels for other jobs, but what are your recommendations for the quantity of my order to do a quality detail? Also what is considered the best MF soap for washing?

[pheerix]

I like the Korean Edgless fluffy ones for waterless because they're so fluffy they pick up all the dirt in one pass without having to do multiple passes. The Edgless design prevents scratches and you can use the edges to clean crevices as well. I use Micro Restore for detergent but you'll get a hundred different answers on this topic.

[cardaddy]

Hi Jason, got your PM... figured I'd reply here with a bit more detail.

The MFT 360 and 530 are easily your best choice for the money. Funny though, in the last 18 months ALL (affordable) vendors prices have doubled their prices from what they were in 2013. Yet both Microfiber Tech and TRC are still much more affordable than anywhere else.

Sticking with MFT though.... I'd suggest a minimum of 2 dozen of each, although the price point break is at 30. You can get by with a dozen, but you'll use them all when doing a compound and polish. When doing a rinseless wash you'll use a dozen, if not 18 towels and honestly.... I don't EVER use the rinseless towels for paint correction. I actually don't like rinseless so much, but when doing them I'll use more than a dozen towels for that. Thank goodness that we don't have extreme water restrictions in place here, which allows me to just do an old fashion shampoo wasting, foam blasting, super foam cannon wash. :)

Being as you are in Hawaii, I'd suggest paying shipping once, and ordering as many as you'll think you'll ever need down the road. No harm in getting 30 of both the 360 and 530. Actually the 530 is a 16x24 which comes in handy. (Funny though that both are more than twice what I paid back in 2013, albeit for a case load order.) I can tell you that Ian generally uses FedEx, and it's FAR from cheap! That (multiple) case order added 22¢ per towel to the cost, but it was a couple of fairly large (FedEx calls them oversized) boxes.

The 360 is a great overall towel, and will work for compound as well as polish removal, even down to sealant removal. In fact, I'd much prefer a terry construction towel for all of those jobs as compared to the split weave Korean towel construction that the Korean 500 edgeless has.

The Korean edgeless though makes for a GREAT final wipe towel!:xyxthumbs:

While you're ordering, I'd suggest getting at least one of the Korean drying towels. They are very good, very good indeed. (Especially for a waffle weave, as they are much softer than anything else I've tried.) There is one other drying towel that really soaks up the water, and has a construction method different than all the rest, and that is the Cobra Guzzler (foam core). That is pretty much the only Cobra towel that I like (especially for the cost that they ask for them).

Just checked the prices online and the 400gsm Elite Ultrafine towels are actually cheaper than the regular 530 towels, but don't think that they will be ANYWHERE NEAR as durable. The 400gsm units (starting at only 4, are $2.87 and drop to $2.54 once you hit 30). I just never ordered a bunch of them as I have dozens of the Korean edgeless to fill that extra fine niche. (The 500 Ultrafine however are out of stock.)

Do make sure though when you order to ask them for a few samples. Ian and Dan have always been happy to make that happen. Tell them I sent ya'. ;)

[chillip]

Thanks for the reply. I am thinking of getting 30 of Elite Zero Edge 360 gsm since I will be using them more for polish, wax, sealant removal. I think I could get by with less 530 since I also do not do waterless washes too often. What else would the 530 be used for? Is this the korean edgeless towel you are referring to and would it be a better option over the 530?

16''x16'' Extra Fluffy Korean Microfiber Detailing Towel - Zero Edge - 470 GSM

[pheerix]

I have a dozen of the Korean Edgless for rinseless and waterless wash. They are great for that but they tend to shed lint if used for heavy buffing or dry buffing glass. The 530's are great towels if I had to live with only one towel it'd be those. It's thick and absorbent so it can dry. Its plush side can be used for waterless/quick detail or spray wax. It's tight weave side can buff product and even be used on glass (though it will lint a bit on glass). It's soft cloth band prevents edge marring. It's also quite durable, mine feel like new after months of use.

[pheerix]

Also have you looked into Rag Co. towels? Their prices on the Korean Edgless are better and there's a Labor Day sale right now.

[chillip]

Would you suggest I get equal amounts of 360 and 530 then? I think the biggest thing is how many of each and for what purpose. Is the lower gsm better for removing polish,wax etc. And the higher one for qd spray wax, waterless wash? To add more confusion, I am looking into rag company now too... What are the comparable towels or recommendations from them (type and quantity)?

[pheerix]

Yea the options do get overwhelming. I'm deciding on my next batch too. Are you just doing one car at a time and what kind of washing? For example I use 12 Korean edgeless for rinseless/waterless then 10 of the 530s to dry and wax at the same time. I don't use any dedicated glass towels because I'm too lazy to launder them separately. I then wash all 22 towels in one laundry load and then I'm ready for the next wash. Also think about whether you want to launder different MF types separately or all together and how many you want in each load. I don't like having dirty MF towels sit around and letting the dirt and product dry into the towel.
The Rag Co Eagle towels are probably the same as the MFT Korean Edgless and cheaper. They don't have a comparable 530GSM and they don't have any 75/25 blends but they do have a few 70/30 Korean towels but are a bit more expensive than MFT. Also consider you pay no tax and free 2-day shipping after $30 at Rag Co.

[pheerix]

You should head over to Pakshak and physically check out their towels and see which ones you like. Most of them look identical to MFT ones. I went there on my vacation. My wife thought I was crazy to go all the way to Hawaii to go to a detailing store lol. This was before I realized I lived like 45 min away from MFT.

[chillip]

Would it be fair to say the Rag Co. edgeless 365 premium microfiber and eagle edgeless (480) would be comparable to MFT 360 and 530 towels? Rag company seems to be a little cheaper. I really would like to take advantage of the labor day sale and free shipping, but they are out of stock on the 365 towels.... I was thinking of doing 30 of the 365 to take care of compound, polish, wax removal and maybe 20 eagle edgeless for waterless wash and spray wax. How does that sound? I contacted them so I'm waiting to see if I can still order even if they are out of stock. I also don't see the advantage of the dual pile. Wouldn't I want all lower pile when removing polish and wax and only high pile with waterless wash and spray wax?

[VISITOR]

you can buy a dozen of these that are good for all around use...
Gold Plush Jr. Microfiber Towels 12 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/gold-plush-jr-towel-12.html)
http://ep.yimg.com/ay/autogeek/gold-plush-jr-microfiber-towels-12-pack-1.gif

[pheerix]

Would it be fair to say the Rag Co. edgeless 365 premium microfiber and eagle edgeless (480) would be comparable to MFT 360 and 530 towels? Rag company seems to be a little cheaper. I really would like to take advantage of the labor day sale and free shipping, but they are out of stock on the 365 towels.... I was thinking of doing 30 of the 365 to take care of compound, polish, wax removal and maybe 20 eagle edgeless for waterless wash and spray wax. How does that sound? I contacted them so I'm waiting to see if I can still order even if they are out of stock. I also don't see the advantage of the dual pile. Wouldn't I want all lower pile when removing polish and wax and only high pile with waterless wash and spray wax?

I'd say the Spectrums are comparable to MFT 365s. The Spectrums are actually 420 GSM. The Eagles aren't really comparable to MFT 530s. The 530s have a loop weave while the Eagles have straight fibers. Most towels are Duo-plush. You can use the plush side to apply and spread product and the low pile side to buff.

[pheerix]

I'm gonna have to criticize AG here and I hope that's ok but their MF prices are really high. Even with 20% off coupon, $38 for 12 towels is not great value.

[cardaddy]

I'd say the Spectrums are comparable to MFT 365s. The Spectrums are actually 420 GSM. The Eagles aren't really comparable to MFT 530s. The 530s have a loop weave while the Eagles have straight fibers. Most towels are Duo-plush. You can use the plush side to apply and spread product and the low pile side to buff.

Yeah the Spectrums are closer than any of the rest for sure.


I'm gonna have to criticize AG here and I hope that's ok but their MF prices are really high. Even with 20% off coupon, $38 for 12 towels is not great value.

I agree... $38 for 12 towels is a bit stiff. There are those that'd tell you the Cobra Jr's are something different, and are a different construction, or a different blend, etc. than the 360's from MFT. I've not found that to hold up in the samples I have of both.

OTOH, a while back I was looking around to see if anyone had the Duragloss towels in stock. They are very expensive to begin with, but for several months nobody had them in stock. (Don't know about now, haven't checked.) But there were several sites that were offering the DG towels, both the small one, and the larger one. The small one was priced from $50 to $75. Then the large one was priced from $99 to $129! I kid you not! Heck, I was thinking about selling mine for those prices. :laughing:

Let me add this about towel construction.

>>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. <<

This is why (in my testing) that the Costco Kirkland Gold towels ended up being at least a 350 gsm unit. Yet WE ALL KNOW that those towels are NOWHERE NEAR the quality of a 360 gsm unit from MFT, or even the Jr's. The extra weight is in the polyester backing!

Jason, MFT had a Labor Day Sale going on this week as well. Strangely enough however it wasn't on the home page. Ian (for some untold reason) puts his specials on the blog page. :dunno: He was running free shipping over $39 and 10% plus free shipping on orders over $99. The site said it ended on 9-1, (and for website orders only) but I suspect if you call he'd extend the sale prices to you. OR.... he might be doing another separate Labor Day Sale. It'd be worth a call though. :dunno:

As far as why you'd want more of he 530's (that was mentioned elsewhere in the thread) is that they are SO darned good, and that they can be used for not only compound, polish, and LSP removal.... but.... they also make decent, (nice and soft) drying towels.:dblthumb2: :D Can't say that any of the Korean split weave designs make that happen in the same manner, (plus they all tend to shed a bit).

[pheerix]

The MFT Labor Day sale blog post was from last year. Also I haven't seen any Daily Deals in a while either.