Favorite Micro Fiber towels?
- Thread starter Catch-22
- Start date
House of Wax
Active member
I really like all of the Pakshak towels that I have
Accumulator
Well-known member
I'm,mostly PakShak, but there are scads of great towels on the market these days. Besides the PakShak ones (Ultra-Plush is my fave from them), I'd lean towards Metropolitan Detail and CarPro if I were buying today.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Catch-22 said:
My take on this:
There are plush and, well...more/less plush (i.e., varying degrees)
Looped/not nap
Suede-style (minimal nap)
Flat-woven (no-nap)
Waffle-weave
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
Catch-22 said:
From a brief internet search on the differences, I found this article published by the President/CEO of Gliptone:
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Microfiber towels continue to make an impressive contribution to the professional and retail automotive detailing industry. As I reflect on my 20+ years in this industry, it is apparent to me that Microfiber products have earned their place as one of the 3 elite items to revolutionize the detailing process and the professional reconditioning industry. Today Microfiber towels are available in many different weights, colors, sizes, weaves and material structures. Using specific fabric textures for specific cleaning or polishing applications can significantly improve your final results.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">By now almost every professional car washer/detailer is aware of the benefits of Microfiber towels and uses them in his or her everyday detailing operation. In fact, almost every car enthusiast and casual ‘weekend driveway wash guy/gal’ knows the benefits of Microfiber towels and has made them part of their collection of cleaning tools. The interesting fact; however, is that many professionals are still unaware of the many different structures of Microfiber towels and how each different style can contribute to the cleaning process in a unique and effective way.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">It is certainly true that ‘Time Flies’. Anyone with children can appreciate that. It is also true that ‘Times Change’ and there is no doubt that the car washing and detailing industry has changed quite a bit in the past 20 years. In fact, I can recall writing a training manual back in the early 1990’s that specifically emphasized the use of 100% cotton towels and diapers. Although there is still a place for cotton products in the detailing process, their contribution is dwarfed in comparison to the various types of Microfiber products.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Like many of you reading this article, I share a strong desire to keep abreast of the latest innovations for my industry. My first introduction to Microfiber towels back in 1997 came from a large Korean manufacturer who was already selling Microfiber successfully throughout Europe. Shortly thereafter 3M began marketing a Microfiber towel into the Body Shop Industry here in the USA. The 3M towel was a small yellow, ‘pearl’ weave that had an average end-user price of about $10.00 each. After testing of the Korean material, it became obvious to me that Microfiber was destined to become huge in the professional car washing and detailing industry.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">What is Microfiber?
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">In real simple terms, Microfiber towels are created from a special synthetic yarn composed of a polyester and polyamide (6<sup>th</sup> generation of nylon) blend. This blend basically creates a plastic which under normal circumstances would scratch, but not in this case. Since the fibers are so tiny and have been split 16 times, they are extremely soft and will not scratch. In fact, the average diameter of a Microfiber is 100 times thinner than a human hair, and contains these “V� shaped splits that are less than 1 micron in diameter each.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">The polyester is the ‘scrubbing’ material, and the polyamide represents the ‘absorbing’ material. Most Microfibers are an 80/20 mix (80% polyester/20% polyamide) enabling them to absorb 7 times their weight in water. Softouch® Microfibers are formulated in a 70/30 ratio making them softer and able to absorb 8X their weight in water.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">These fibers combine to create an incredibly soft and absorbent towel that has incredible cleaning action. The cleaning action is the primary benefit that first gave Microfiber towels their purpose. Remember, we now have a surface that has been increased by over 15 times with millions of crevices that which are tiny enough to trap water, contaminants and even bacteria. To my knowledge there is no smaller, softer or more absorbent thread on the planet.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Origin of Microfiber
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Microfiber technology was developed over 20 years ago in Japan. As with any new technology Microfibers were very expensive to manufacture. Although developed in Japan, the fibers were first manufactured into fabrics in Sweden. The prices came down gradually throughout the 1990’s and their popularity spread throughout Europe. By the year 2000 you could find Microfiber towels in every household throughout Europe. It was also around this time when the knowledge of Microfiber products began to spread throughout the USA as more distributors and suppliers joined the cause to spread the word about Microfiber towels and there contribution to cleaning and polishing.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Do you remember the first time you were introduced to a Microfiber towel and you held it in your hands? Do you recall the “Grabbing� affect the fabric had on your skin? That is the effect of the millions of tiny fiber edges against your finger prints. The rougher the surface of your hands, the more pronounced the grabbing action.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Care Instructions
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">All Microfiber cloths can be washed and reused many times over. The life expectancy and ultimate number of washings your towels can endure will depend on the towel’s gram weight, weave type, material composition and overall production quality. Apart from the weave quality and composition, the gram weight is the next most significant variable in determining the towels value. Remember, these towels all start out as a vat of chemical. Chemicals these days are very expensive. The higher the gram weight, the higher the price.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">DO NOT wash with cotton towels or other fabrics that lint. The tiny crevices can absorb the lint and make the Microfiber useless.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">DO NOT cook your Microfiber towels in a hot dryer. Again, remember that these towels are made of a synthetic material that contains millions of extremely fine fiber edges. Too much heat can melt those edges to the point where your towels will not function correctly. You may not notice any immediate visual difference with your towels; however, you will notice a difference in performance. Simply hang to dry or tumble dry on a no-low heat, “fluff� cycle, if your drying machine offers that option.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Also, avoid using fabric softener in the wash cycle as most fabric softeners can “clogâ€� the tiny crevices. Just use basic laundry detergent. Remember to wash frequently and take care to keep your towels away from dusty areas. I suggest you exercise the same handling care you take with your Body Bar®, ‘Clay Bar’-type product. Do not reuse a towel on the paint finish if it has fallen onto a dirty floor and be sure to discard any towel that falls onto a sandy or excessively dirty surface.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Enhance Performance with Specific Use Textures
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">In the beginning there was only “Terry Textureâ€�… I’ll never forget back in 1997 when our company first introduced Softouch® Microfiber Towels into the professional car washing and detailing industry in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. The only type of Microfiber that we were importing at that time was the premium “terry typeâ€�, so named for its similar knit finish to the standard knit cotton, terry towel. I recall our distributors and sales people being skeptical as to how well these “specialtyâ€� Microfiber towels would sell.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Many of the end-user customers were making comments such as, “HOW MUCH$$... for a “Rag/Towelâ€�? or, “I don’t like the way it feels in my handâ€�. It wasn’t until my long time friend and sales associate (Doug), discovered the key to demonstrating the significant effectiveness of these Microfiber towels. Doug would enter a detail shop and find a black or dark colored car that had just recently been detailed. He would proceed to spray a light mist of solvent-based tire dressing onto the cars finish, essentially creating a streaky mess. Then he would run for his life… just kidding. Actually he would then hand the detailer a Softouch® Microfiber towel to inspect, then they would proceed to wipe off the dressing in less then 10 seconds, streak free! Needless to say, the volume grew from there and never stopped.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Today our company imports more than 20 different part numbers in Microfiber products for both the professional and retail markets. The Gliptone Softouch® brand of Microfiber towels come from both Korea and China and include four distinctly different textures of Microfiber towels such as:
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">1. “Terry�. As mentioned earlier, “Terry� was our first style of Microfiber towel and remains the most commonly sold style of Microfiber throughout the world. In fact, most companies involved in the importation and distribution of Microfiber towels today, only handle this style of Microfiber. It happens to be the most versatile and works well in almost every application especially polishing and drying.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">2. “Pearlâ€�. The “Pearlâ€� knit towel is very durable, with excellent scrubbing action. It features a “loop-styleâ€� texture similar to that of a Berber carpet. The machinery that makes this style of Microfiber towel is extremely rare. This machinery is produced in Germany, yet there are some in Korea and only a few in all of China. This texture is soft enough to remove wax from a paint finish, but tough enough for scrubbing dirty interiors. It is for this reason that we have branded this texture as our “Softouch® Interior Cleaning Towelâ€�.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">3. “Suedeâ€�. The “Suedeâ€� texture Microfiber, so named because of its similar appearance and feel of suede leather. There is no pile height to a “Suedeâ€� Microfiber towel. It is extremely strong and soft. This is the perfect texture to use when polishing any type of metal. This fabric will leave a perfectly smooth, streak-free, flawless finish to aluminum, stainless or any other type of metal. If you are using it to polish rims or an exhaust manifold, don’t worry about getting it caught on a rivet or rough edge, because it is virtually impossible to tear. This fabric has been branded as our “Softouch® Metal Polishing Towelâ€�.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">4. “Ribbed Texture, Window Towel�. Perhaps the strongest of all the styles mentioned so far, the ‘Ribbed Texture’, takes that same incredible strand of Microfiber and knits it into this unique finish that performs extremely well on glass and mirrors. The ribs act as thousands of tiny squeegees that remove the toughest residue from all glass surfaces including a tough-to clean windshield.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">If you have ever struggled with cleaning glass, this “Ribbed Microfiber Towelâ€� is a tool that can almost guarantee streak-free glass every time, regardless of variables such as temperature or contamination on the glass. That is why we have branded this texture as the “Softouch® Window Towelâ€�.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Earlier I mentioned that in the 20+ years that I have been in this industry, I believe to have witnessed only three items to come along and revolutionize the detailing process and overall industry. My representations of these 3 items are:
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">1. Foam buffing pads. It is likely that the first foam buffing pad was introduced to the market before I came along; however, I distinctly remember the evolutionary process, whereby the industry changed from using strictly wool pads, to the current day scenario where every shop inventories at least one of two different types of foam pads.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">2. Body Bar®/’clay-type’ material. Today there are several different colors and grades of surface preparation material. Many shops today incorporate this type of product into their washing and prep process, with almost every car getting this treatment regardless of whether or not the customer paid extra for the service. You would be hard pressed to find a detailer who has never heard of or used a “clay-typeâ€� product before.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">3. Microfiber Towels. In my opinion, just as significant as the previously mentioned items and well deserving of my third and final position. Remember you owe it to yourself and your business to try all the different styles of Microfiber that I spoke of earlier. It is highly possible that you will become equally as impressed with each style as you were the first time you tried the “Terry style�, Microfiber towels.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">I just recently returned from a 10 day trip to China. During my visit, I spent one day at a factory where I was fortunate enough to witness the entire production process from producing the chemicals, creating the yarn, dying, knitting, cutting and sewing. Today you can find wax applicators, wash mitts, orbital bonnets and many other items made from Microfiber that are helping our industry and I am sure there are many more to come.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Microfiber towels have become an everyday part of our industry and our culture. If you are not already using the various styles of Microfiber, I suggest you do so today.
<span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);"><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Written by:
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Rocco Caporaso, Jr.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">President and CEO
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">Gliptone, Inc./Chemco Distributors, Inc.
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">1740 Julia Goldbach Avenue
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">Ronkonkoma<span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);">, New York 11779
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman';">www.gliptone.com
</blockquote>
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
Here is another great source for MF towels: http://www.elitemicrofiber.com/ Looks like most are Korean made which is a plus!
Jesstzn
New member
One source I use is http://www.stocktowelsnow.com . Their ww drying towels are as good as any I have and somw were twice the price. The window cleaning towels are exceptional. Service and delivery exceptional too.