Microfiber towels are absolutely wonderful. I'm probably one of the biggest fans of these wonderful products, arguably the biggest. Anyway, the best microfiber towel out there right now is the Miracle Towel. A bit pricey, but it still remains the only towel I'll use for quick detailing. HenryK is right on. Many people here like to begin with a Water Bandit, Abosorber, P21 drying towel and then finish up with a microfiber towel.
On a similar note, I received 5 of the large Charisma towels that are on sale for $5.50 each. Not a bad towel at all. Very thick and soft. However, even after washing 2 times, they still leave an awful amount of lint on car's when used for drying. And its the annoying type of lint. It's not the dry type that will easily fly away with the wind. It seems to be wet lint that is matted down and is difficult to remove. I have to go over the areas with a microfiber towel and a quick detailer to clean the mess. I'll try to wash them one or two times more and maybe those annoying lint problems will go away. If not, I'll just give them away. But no way would I replace microfiber with cotton. I was just curious as I had not used cotton for anything in a few years. Laters.