Because sometimes you NEED terry towels

J

JustinR32

New member
At KMart, Martha's 4 star hand towels; $4.99 each. They SAY 100% cotton, and pass the CD test.



At Bed Bath and Beyond, Fieldcrest Cannon hand towels, 6 for $9.99; they also SAY 100% cotton. They look like "seconds", not as plush as Martha's, but well above Viking/Baja del Sol/Detailers Choice stuff. They, too, pass the CD test (better than some MFs I've tried, btw).



As you know, terry towels work better than MFs for the removal of many Meguiar's products.



Also, at KMart, Viking MFs, 2 for $4.97. These are pretty darn good, IMO. Made in Korea. WAY above the 3M Detailing Cloth I got for twice as much. Not quite Cobra quality, but very good and a good value; they feel "thistly", "burry", to the touch rather than smooth. I keep meaning to order MFs on the 'net, but the Viking MFs I bought a year ago still work well and are perfectly fine.





Tom
 
Mosca said:
As you know, terry towels work better than MFs for the removal of many Meguiar's products.
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Tom,



I wasn't aware of this. Can you give me some examples. Thanks in advance. :confused:
 
People are still cofusing a weave type verse the material used to make the weave. I have several "terry" type MF's. One even has the same molecular structure as cotton (cellulose) - DF Towel. It's "structure" is quite similiar to a "cotton" towel's structure. another "terry" type MF is Poorboy's MF.

I hope Leo (DFTowel) will chime again which the specifics.

I still use cotton terry for "rough" jobs ( undercarriage, wheels, door jams, etc).:cool:
 
Mike Phillips has discussed this. Cotton terry has more bite, and can remover oily products like #7 in a first pass better than MF's. Scottwax has also touted the use of cotton towels to have more bite for hand swirl removal.



For the other 98% of the jobs though, you can't beat MF's.



As Blkz28conv stated above, I also use cotton terry for wheels and tires, and wheel wells. In general, places that will have a lot of dirt and grease, because I have an abundance of cotton towels and can thrown in all in the wash.



I hand wash all my MF's.



Thanks for the tip about the prices, Tom.
 
I don't think I'm confused, but that might only mean that I'm certain and wrong at the same time. I'm using "terry" and "MF" as language shortcuts, on the assumption that people know I mean regular towels when I say "terry", and when I say "MF" I mean the "detailing cloths" available from Cobra, Pakshak, and the like. I guess with the advent of terry MF towels, I can't do that anymore!



I'm specifically referring to regular fiber cotton terry weave towels. Mike Phillips stated, in one of his posts about removing Meguiar's waxes and polishes, that microfiber towels sometimes work too well at removing product and actually remove too much, specifically of the polishes, #3, #5, #7, and #81, and also that the fibers are too close together to break up the "film build". He (and the instruction on the back of many of the containers) recommends soft, 100% cotton terry towels for the first swipe at such products; the nap acts to cut the film into smaller areas making for easier removal. He also recommends using the "creep method"; "This is where you start at the edge of the wax layer and make circular motions, creeping into it, only taking off a small bite of wax with each circular motion/swipe. " I think that for removing residue of the cleaners, like #82, #83, #2, #9, MPPC, and the like, MFs are fine.



I like regular fiber cotton terry weave towels for my first swipe at #6, #20, #26, GC, MPPP, the Deep Crystal products, and such, and then finishing with microfiber for final polishing. I use the Koalasoft towels from CMA, and they are great, but they are also expensive. I'm looking for a locally available alternative that will work. What I'm looking for is a towel that won't scratch.



While at KMart, I checked the automotive aisle, and saw the Viking MFs. Since I believe that they are an undervalued product, I mentioned them in the same post!



I hope that clears up what I'm trying to say/ask; saying, I got a couple of each, asking, are these towels any good, has anyone else tried them?



Tom
 
Take a CD, like an AOL disc, and rub the towel on it as hard as you can. If it scratches the CD, use it for door jambs and changing oil, and for dishes.



Tom
 
rusty bumper said:
Thanks for the tip Tom...I'll check out the local K-Mart to find these MF towels & Martha's line too. :)
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You also might want to consider the Viking towels. The 'brighter' dark blue towels are pretty plush and even after a couple years of use (with a mobile business, my towels see a lot of work and washing), they hold up very well. They are great for removing oily polishes and to use when working out paint problems by hand.
 
Both the Marthas (4 star) and the Fieldcrest also passed the match test. After washing, The Marthas are definitely plusher, but the Fieldcrests are nice and soft too. Thinner, but very soft, and that's what counts. Also, 6 for $10 vs $5 each.





Tom
 
Hi guys, Meguiars in Australia are running Microfibre Towels they claim they "halve the buff off time" for removing their products. They are terrific and seem very soft in construction. The tag suggests they are Ultra Microfibre. They do not seem to be terry as they retain their shape very easily.



They seem to be pushing them as their No 1 towel Down Under.
 
Mosca,

Did you try a burn test?



Are the towels totally 100% cotton? Or just the cotton used in the towels is 100% cotton?





The deal at BB&B sounds like a good whether or not the towels are 100% cotton or seconds, as I like cotton for dirty work.





Eric
 
Yes, they both passed the burn test, no soot, very clean flame. The towels from BB&B are actually pretty dang impressive for the cost; like I said, not especially plush, but nice and soft, with no extra adornment or designs. They were wrapped in plastic and down on a lower shelf in the center of all the fancy stuff; all those stores are laid out the same, I think.





Tom
 
Mosca said:
Yes, they both passed the burn test, no soot, very clean flame.
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No soot? Clean flame? What test are you doing? I'm suspicious about the "no soot" part, if they are cotton they should have a charred ashy end. Go here for a proper burn chart: http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20801&highlight=burn+test



Also please remember, don't confuse fabric weave (terry, velour, twill, etc.) with fiber content (cotton, cellulose, silk, rayon, polyester, nylon, etc.) with yarn type (micro denier (MF), high denier, twisted, extruded, drawn, etc., etc.)



Remember this: do a CD test to get an idea, do the burn nest, use the product carefully until you are sure. Don't worry about the technical aspects, just use what you feel is best for you and don't worry about all the other hoopla.
 
Scottwax said:
You also might want to consider the Viking towels. The 'brighter' dark blue towels are pretty plush and even after a couple years of use (with a mobile business, my towels see a lot of work and washing), they hold up very well. They are great for removing oily polishes and to use when working out paint problems by hand.
Click to expand...



Scott, where do you find these towels? I don't find any Viking towels at Pep Boys or at Target. I do find Viking towels at Autozone, but none of them are blue, just white with a blue stripe. Pep Boys has some brand called Buffalo or something and Target only had the "del sol" (I think) brand.



Are the Arlington stores carrying different products than the Dallas stores?



Thanks

Cory
 
Here's what I know...



Waxes (Mother's, Meguiar's, S100, P21S, Pinnacle Souvern) all are removed by a Plush, terry-type MF towel from JT International. We get a fine shine.



Sealants (Klasse AIO, Klasse Sg, AutoMagic's Awesome Gloss, Meg's #20) all are removed by a Plush, terry-type MF towel from JT International. We get a fine shine.



We use cotton towels to clean seats, doorjams, and maybe dashes...



Don't let the snake oil vendors in this thread steer you away from what you probably already know!



A 'good' (you be the judge) MF towel won't scratch your finish. That's what I know.



Jim
 
Well, I found the Viking MF towels at K-Mart and bought a pack of 2...Tom was right about the nap, it is plusher than the 3M towels...I used one to remove MPPP from the hood of our MV and I was impressed with it, it removed all traces of wax without scratching as far as I could tell.



I was going to buy some Martha Stewart towels but I went to Rose's discount store to see what they had instead. I'm glad I did, because I ran into some 100% Egyptian cotton towels for $1.00 apiece!...They have about the thickest, softest nap I have seen so far in a terry towel...I bought 6 of them, maybe I should go back & get the rest. They're irregulars but I can live with that.



I did try the CD test and found some very light scratches, but the Meguiar's towels I have did so as well...But I did press pretty hard on the CD. :nixweiss



Edit: Thanks for the info Tom...And others.
 
jimamary said:
Don't let the snake oil vendors in this thread steer you away from what you probably already know!
Click to expand...



Snake oil vendors? I don't understand. Who could you be referring to?



I can get testy over nothing sometimes, so I'm going to assume that this is one of those times that I just misunderstood what someone wrote.





Tom
 
I think the cd test is bs. Every thing I have ever tried on the cd has marred it if you look in the right lite. I have brought cd's with me to the store and tested towels or applicators and they passed in the store. Get home and look under different lites and the scratches are there.



I purchase very good quality MF on line and test them on the cd under a normal lite and they look like they pass, use a flashlite and shine it on the cd from the side and the scratches are there. The Mf is properly washed so I know it is clean. The scratches are very fine and can't be seen in normal lite conditions but they are there.
 
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