The Microfiber Towel Review

[ZaneO]

I’ve had the opportunity to use a variety of microfiber towels from several different online retailers and wanted to share some feedback on those. Testing was conducted on towels from Fiber Works, Autofiber, and Ultra Microfiber.

*All towels were washed in MicroRestore detergent before use, and all towels were tested together to get accurate comparisons.*



Fiber Works ( www.fiber-works.com )

I received these towels in a timely fashion. They were packaged very well. Customer service seems top notch.

Extra Plush Towel - $4.25


This towel seems well constructed and has held up wonderfully so far. It is very plush on both sides, and I have not noticed any marring. I tested this towel for wax/sealant removal and quick detailing qualities/attributes. With different nap on each side, this towel is nice to use for wax/sealant removal. It gives the ability to use the short nap side for easy removal, and then by flipping the towel, the longer nap allows for a good final buff. This towel is very similar to the Pak Shak Ultra Plush. I don’t have any complaints about this towel.

Plush Towel - $4.00


This towel seems well constructed and had held up very well so far. This is a very fine towel with a short nap. I tested it with wax removal and QD duties. It performed both well, but I prefer it more of QD duties. I love the feel of this towel. It is very similar to Pak Shak’s Ultra Fine towel. No complaints at this time.

Ultra Fine Silk Edge Towel - $4.25 & Ultra Fine Edgeless Towel - $4.00


This towel seems well constructed and has held up wonderfully so far. As the name states, it is a fine towel with a very soft silk border, and it has not produced any marring. I tested this towel for wax/sealant and polish removal. This towel works well, making removal quick easy. For any areas that wax or polish is too thick it just takes a few passes to effectively remove. I needed only one towel to make my way all the way around the vehicle, removing the wax. My only complaint about this towel is that the dark green color bled pretty badly in the first wash, but that’s mainly my fault for washing all the different colors together.

The edgeless towel was tested and performed identically to the silk edge towel. Only difference is the border.

Waffle Weave Glass Towel - $4.00


This towel seems constructed and has held up wonderfully so far. This towel was a bit rougher than I was expecting, but considering its glass designation, I felt comfortable using it. This towel works well by spraying glass cleaner directly on it and by spraying the cleaner directly on the glass. It left a clean and streak-free finish. My complaint about this towel is its size. I would like to see it a few inches larger in each direction. The small size lent to glass cleaner saturation at times.


Waffle Weave Drying Towel (Small) - $7.50


This towel seems constructed and has held up wonderfully so far. This towel is very plush and hasn’t produced any marring. The towel is very absorbent (very comparable to the Pak Shak WW). Being the smaller sized WW, I found it a bit inadequate for a full vehicle, but they do offer the larger size, so it would make a great secondary towel. No other complaints past the size.

Microfiber Applicator - $2.50


This is a well constructed applicator and has held up wonderfully so far. I was a little surprised by this applicator. I normally don’t care for MF applicators; they’re usually to “grabby” for my tastes. This one is quite different. It has a different weave and nap making it easier to work with, IMO. It is easy to prime and doesn’t seem to waste much product. It is pretty easy to get a thin, even coat with this applicator. No complaints right now.

Microfiber Dry Mitt - $5.25


I used this on a few different car interiors in conjunction with Meguiar’s Interior Quick Detailer. It is quite plush and works pretty well, but due to its size and nature, it’s a little difficult to get into certain areas. I think I’ll probably stay with a normal MF towel for this type of work. Nothing necessarily wrong with the product, it’s just a personal preference thing.



Ultra Microfiber ( www.ultramicrofiber.com )

These towels were well packaged, and I received them quickly. Great customer service.

Chamois Towel - $7.00


This seems like a well constructed towel and has held up very well. This towel is referred to as a chamois, but I did not test it as a drying towel. I felt it was much better suited for QD purposes and final buffing. The long, plush nap on one side of this towel is a bit different than most plush towels that I’ve used, but it has quickly become one of my favorite QD towels. It quickly and easily buffs off QD and leaves a great finish. The short nap side works equally well for wax removal. No complaints at all for this towel.

I also received some smaller white waffle weaves that he is testing, but they aren’t listed or for sale currently, so I won’t say much about them other than they work well and are very soft.



Autofiber ( www.autofiber.com )

More nice packaging, timely shipping, and great customer service.

Pro Detailing/Ultra Towel - ~ $1.79


This towel seems to be well constructed and has held up well so far. This seems like a good all purpose towel. It’s pretty plush and is pretty versatile, from wheels, to windows, to polish removal, to QD. This is another towel with different nap on each side. No real complaints for this one.

I also received a foam-core waffle weave to test. It is a very thick waffle weave and quite different from any I’m used to, but it hasn’t been released yet, so I will not comment at this time.

MicroRestore Detergent


I have used Pinnacle Rejuvenator and Pak Shak’s MF detergent, and so far MicroRestore is my favorite microfiber detergent. They are all very similar in performance, but the scent and final finish of the MicroRestore seems slightly better, IMO.



*Each retailer also sent me their respective versions of MF wash mitts, but I do not like to use these on my paint, so I am not going to review them.*



Overall, each retailer has nice towels, with no more than a few minimal complaints about any. I received very good customer service, and they all seem like pretty good values. Fiber-Works seems to have the best overall variety. Their variety and quality are very similar to Pak Shak’s (which has been my favorite and benchmark). I think the Ultra Microfiber Chamois has to be my favorite overall QD towel.

I hope this has been thorough, and if there are any questions, please let me know.

EDIT: The above are the towels that I have tested most recently. I don't want anyone to forget about the many other great MF retailers:

www.dftowel.com
www.pakshak.com
www.autopia-carcare.com
www.detailersparadise.com
www.exceldetail.com

etc.

[CKTA]

[quote=ZaneO]

Plush Towel - $4.00




I use these and love them for removing Zaino. I wash them w/ regular clothes detergent and let them air dry.....so far they still seem new.

Do you really think "their" detergent works?

[ZaneO]

I did notice a difference when switching from regular detergent to MF detergent.

[CKTA]

Originally Posted by ZaneO

I did notice a difference when switching from regular detergent to MF detergent.

What was the difference? Softer? Fluffier?

[ZaneO]

I noticed over time that my towels were becoming stiffer while using regular detergent. After switching to MF detergent, the were softer and more effective (absorbent, etc.).

[CKTA]

Good to know. How much is the detergent?

[ZaneO]

Originally Posted by CKTA

Good to know. How much is the detergent?

http://www.microfibertech.com/index....ATS&Category=5

http://pakshak.com/micropak-mfcr-16oz.html

[BackinBlack]

Zane, Have you ever tried Woolite? I've been using it exclusively on my MFs and it seems to do well. Same as you suggest...softer, more absorbent. Also cheaper than the dedicated washes.

[ZaneO]

I haven't tried Woolite, but I'm not too worried about cost. Buying the medium size of the MF detergent is only $.47 per ounce/load. That lasts me 3-4 months without any problems.

[navihawk]

I've been throwing mine in the washer.

[ZaneO]

Originally Posted by navihawk

I've been throwing mine in the washer.

That usually helps ;)

[navihawk]

Originally Posted by ZaneO

That usually helps ;)

I mean with regular detergent.

[ZaneO]

Originally Posted by navihawk

I mean with regular detergent.

Make sure you aren't using fabric softener.

[wkdspd]

excellent article! thank you for the writeup!

[navihawk]

Originally Posted by ZaneO

Make sure you aren't using fabric softener.

Leaves an oily residue?The towels I got this time around don't warrant any special care,I think.I actually saw lint on my windshield after using one.Cant say if it was before or after washing it.Maybe the machines to hard on them or I have inferior product.I suspect the latter.

[ZaneO]

Yes, fabric softener will leave a residue on the towels and prematurely degrade the microfiber fabric.

ALL microfiber should be cared for in the same manner.

[navihawk]

When I upgrade to a better towel,I'll take better care of them.Thanks for the reviews ZaneO.

[navihawk]

Nice website you got there ZaneO.Nice detail work.

[ZaneO]

Originally Posted by navihawk

When I upgrade to a better towel,I'll take better care of them.Thanks for the reviews ZaneO.

You need to be more worried about what those towels are doing to the paint, not what your washing technique is doing to the towel.

Thanks for the compliment.

[ibthumpin]

seems to be quite a price variance (1.79 vs. 4.25) did you really feel that the cheaper towel was as good?

Based on your choices of towels, I'm assuming that you've never tried "cheap" import towels (yeah, I know they are all imported, but I think you know what I mean). Seems many people here have used the MF towels that are sold by the bundle with good results, I'm wondering how they differ from say a $4.25 towel.

thanks for taking the time to write all the up !