A Case For The 16 x 24 Microfiber Towel

RaysWay

RaysWay

Autopia Specialist
For years now, 16x16 sized microfiber towels have dominated the microfiber market. I'm here to make a case for those odd sized, asymmetrical microfiber towels you've been neglecting for too long.


Since I've started detailing regularly, I've had to go deeper and deeper into my microfiber stash. Like the most of you, I would always reach for my 16x16 towels first, They're not too big, not too small and their perfect symmetrical construction allows you to fold them into perfect squares.


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When used properly, this gives you 8 different clean sides to work with and is easy to hold in your hand.


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My problem with the 16x16 towel, is the small surface area. When folded, you only have a 8 x 8 square to work with. I've found myself using A LOT of microfiber towels and it's caused me to look for larger MF towels. Like the 16 x 24....


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When a 16 x 24 towel is folded into fours, you still get 8 different sides to use, but you get 50% more surface area at 8x12. Those 4 extra inches matter! That's 50% more surface area.


1616.jpg

Surface Area
16x24 = 384 inches2 (768 inches2 for two sides)
16x16 = 256 inches2 (512 inches2 for two sides)


That's 50% more surface area when you use a 16x24 towel instead of a 16x16.


Cost Difference:
Since I'm looking to order a large quantity of towels, I've been researching the costs of different microfiber towels and the difference in price is negligible across the board. Technically the 16x24 towels are generally more cost effective, but only by a very small margin. Usually a handful of cents for every batch of towels ordered. So as far as cost is concerned, they're about equal.


Conclusion:
So since they're priced just about the same, we can conclude the only real benefit of using a 16 x 24 towel is having 50% more surface area in your hand at one time; and that's good enough for me. Theoretically if I have to stop to grab a new towel 50% less during detailing, then using a 16 x 24 towel is a no-brainer.


Thoughts?
 
I have about a dozen of the 16X24 towels and I find them superior to the smaller more "standard" size in every respect.
 
No argument on the overall surface area but a 16 X 16 in. towel folded as you've described gives you an 8 X 8 in. working area. I've got as many of the larger towels as I do the smaller ones. I use the smaller ones simply because I like working with them.
 
I can see them being useful for drying clean surfaces but I mainly do rinseless/waterless with 16x16 towels because the towel is easier to control. With that extra surface area flopping around in the wind it's easier to touch an unwanted area like the tires or worse, the floor.
 
vega- I see your point, and I guess it might boil down to a personal preference thing. I like to work small areas and to refold/change out my MFs very frequently, so usually find myself reaching for the smaller towels for pretty much everything except light-LSP buffing.
 
For me it just depends on how thick the towel is. My MM yellow fellow towels are 16x24 and the way I fold them keeps them small. My chinchilla towels are 16x24 and they are too thick to fold the same way. One problem I have noticed with folding the 16x24 is it will roll on me where a 16x16 in fours doesn't. If that makes any sense?
 
Great thoughts Ray. I find myself reaching for the 16 x 16 towel more than larger ones. It just seems to fit in my hand better and I have better control with it. I do find myself reaching for larger towels for drying, wheels, etc.
 
I hate it when the towel rolls on me as i'm wiping a surface, so i find the 16x24 better because those extra inches allow me to make a small grip/handle area for the towel, significantly reducing any rolling as i'm wiping. I use the 16x16 for wiping wheels and doorjambs.
 
I've decided I'm going to try using only 16 x 24's and see how it goes. I'm hoping the larger towels will last longer before I have to swap them out. This would be hard to test. Maybe I can compound/polish half a car with 16x16's, then do the other half of the same car with 16x24's to count how many towels I've used of each.

Hmmmm....
 
IMHO it really depend on the application. For example, I have use both 16x16 and 16x24 Chinchilla towels for Waterless washes and I prefer the 16x16's since I have better control over them vs the 16X24 which always seem a too big/ clumsy. So perhaps the real question is, even though the 16x24 has 50% more surface area - is it actually 50 % more usable area for the task at hand (pun intended) ?
 
Outstanding write up Ray. B)

I'm a big fan of the 16 x 24 as well, mainly for quick detail sprays and waterless washes. The larger towel makes it possible to cover more area, reducing the amount of wipes needed per panel. :cool:
 
Nice write up. I have both size towels but seem to gravitate towards the 16x16 size. Maybe I'll revisit my larger towels after this. Thanks.
 
My friend who's 6'6'' made the same point when using my oddly shaped towels (during the SC400 detail of his car) but his hand is larger compared to mine...

Conclusion: To some degree the towel size is really dictated by your height/hand size
 
Never really liked the 16x24. The 16x16 are a little easier to fold. That said, my perfect size towel would be a 18x18, until then, 16x16 are almost perfect.
 
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