Need RW towel advice.

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0inDetail0

New member
Just need some advice on your go to risneless wash towels.
I was never a big RW person but do a medical illness I will need to start doing them.
I have done few of them in the past using GDWM. I never did the ONR big sponges or the 2BM with a wash pad or mitt.
I`m pretty partial to the GDWM(In theory it seems the safest for the paint.) even though I like the 2BM with grit guards and wash mitt idea.
I always presoak a panel and usually got one panel per towel. Now my question is what are quality reasonably priced towels to trash up on a RW. Some say medium pile split weave or long pile split weave, or dual pile. Heavy GSM even though I prefer 500 or under fro RW. Now for the few I did have I just used dual pile silk banded and those towels have been demoted.
 
I have been doing RW for a few short months now and I am a big supporter of The Rag Company Eagle edgeless towels. Been using those for the wash and then Platinum Pluffles for drying and have had great results in my opinion! Though I am no professional. As far as soap goes I reach for ONR and Gary Deans Infinite Use Detail Juice, whichever is closer. Both last an INCREDIBLY long time.
 
I have Eagle Edgeless towels but my hand refuses to put a $5+ to paint to trash it for RW. I try but my hand will not do it. Right now those are designated for finishing polish wipe off, final wipe downs and lsp buffing. I`m just looking for more economical towels. I have some TRC Mynx towels that I love. The coral fleece weave of them excels at quite a few tasks but is best for RW. I`m almost on the fence that they are just as good if not better then the Eagles. I`m just looking for more options. I guess it`s because I have MF towel OCD and if they still show stains they are still dirty.
 
I really like the Minx from The Rag Company. They lint pretty bad but
works great just for rinse-less.

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Tom
 
I’ve done rinseless washing almost exclusively over the past several years. TRC Eagle Edgeless have simply worked the best for me using the GDWM.

Pick up a dozen or so and dedicate them for rinseless washing only. As long as you clean them with a quality microfiber detergent (Poorboy’s Typhoon and 3D Towel Kleen are good choices) they will last practically forever. Occasionally use a 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the bleach compartment of your wash machine and it will help extend the life of the towels. Dry with low heat and you’re good to go.

Griots PFM’s make great drying towels for rinseless washing too.

If you’re concerned about rinseless washing because of the potential for scratching your paint, why would you want to use cheap towels?
 
I picked up 15 Rag Company creature 70/30 420 GSM for RW washing but have not used them. I learned about them on the Forensic Detail channel on you tube. Close to Eagles and Minx but a bit cheaper.
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Wow ! Almost everyone has their own favorite that is different. I guess i shouldn`t be surprised.

^ But I am in agreement with IXLRS that I use the RagCo Creature Edgeless. But I have something like 40-50 of these and use them mostly for Rinse-less but they work well for other uses as well.
 
I`d like to hear some comparisons/contrasts between the Eagles and the Creatures. One of these days I`ll be buying a bunch of [something] for this and I`d like to get it right the first time.

0inDetail0 said:
I have Eagle Edgeless towels but my hand refuses to put a $5+ to paint to trash it for RW..
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Not to put you on the spot, but I`m curious about why using a MF for RW would "trash it". The ones I use for such stuff seem perfectly OK.
 
Have a question, I’ve been wondering is it best to use MF detergent vs regular laundry detergent. Is laundry detergent too harsh? Can anybody tell that the MF detergent makes the towels last longer or stay softer. If so then I probably would use it on my better quality towels. Currently I have GG PFM terry weave and some purple ones with a black border. Both of those are really nice. I use Costco and Sams MF when using a QD, but probably shouldn’t because they aren’t much.
 
Accumulator said:
I`d like to hear some comparisons/contrasts between the Eagles and the Creatures. One of these days I`ll be buying a bunch of [something] for this and I`d like to get it right the first time.


Not to put you on the spot, but I`m curious about why using a MF for RW would "trash it". The ones I use for such stuff seem perfectly OK.
Click to expand...


The eagles are a much nicer towel and worth the money. I also have not had any problems with towels used for rinsless wash (for a car that is capable of getting a rinsless wash either not to dirty or properly rinsed ahead of time / yeah I know rinsing ahead of a rinseless wash). The creatures are a good towel for interior with the high pile side and a tight nap side. I dont care to much for the laser cut edges though as the do seem to always be loosing string or loops a lot, not lint but full loops from the edge of the towel nap. I am going to order a few 5 packs this spring from them to try, The Wizards, Split Purpulnality, Minx Royale, Eagle Edgeless 600 (gray).
 
Fishroes- The "which detergent for MFs?" is one of those YMMV things. I do *infinitely* better with MF-specific detergents, but others do fine with regular stuff.

MY experience is that regular detergents don`t get the MFs clean enough. Never had a problem with any detergent being too harsh, so I wouldn`t worry about that.

Keeping them soft seems (again, just IME) to be a matter of rinsing thoroughly enough to really get all the [everything] out. Many (myself included) like to do a rinse with distilled white vinegar, but I do another regular rinse after that to get all of the vinegar out too (seem to need this, others don`t).
 
Maybe you misunderstood me. I know the paint won`t be heavily marred by a good towel and good tehnique, I don`t like the idea of a good towel being trashed by the dirt from a RW. I have OCD when it comes to MF cleanliness and care.

To your question Fishroes. I have been a CG MF detergent user for years and it`s by far my favorite and most economical after you figure out you need 1/2 of what they tell you to use. I just bought some 3D Towel Kleen to see how it stacked up. It did a really good job on par with the CG. I don`t know about regular washing machine but in my HE it foams like crazy. Using the 2 ounces as per directions I had to wash the load 3 more times to remove all the detergent. After a judgement call I figured I really only need a 1/2 ounce of detergent along with white vinegar in the rinse cycle, plus a second rinse. That pretty much equaled what I would use with the CG. CG runs $25 a gallon and I got 3D for $17 shipped.

Creatures are a dual pile towel, Longer pile on one side, shorter tighter nap on the other. I think they call it a closed loop and open loop knit. (I might be wrong) Eagles are the same pile both sides. Not that it matters but in a RW it`s nice to have the same pile on both sides.
 
If you guys want to try and avoid the high price of the GG PFM look into twisted loop MF. That is the same knit used in the PFM. I have seen twisted loop towels for $10 cheaper then the PFM but only in the larger sizes. I never seen another twisted loop other then the PFM in a 16x24 or 16x16 so I`ll just stick to my waffle weaves.
 
After trying 5 or 6 different ones I also settled on the Rag Co Eagle Edgeless.

When I first got them I figured they were so incredibly nice that I would only use them for wax removal or a final wipe w a QD. But after a short time they started liniting a bit and after hearing that so many guys use them for rinseless washing - I finally delegated them for rinseless washing.

In my opinion, they`re perfect for that process.

I use Griots PFM`s for drying.
 
I have been using Micro Fiber Tech 360 GSM towels when I use the `bucket of towels` method. I get a new set every few years and demote the `old` ones to other duties. As others have said, they clean up well with a MF detergent. I got mine filthy cleaning my B-I-L`s GTO, but they looked fine after the wash.
 
I`ve also been using Microfiber Techs, but the green 600 gsm ones. I tried TRC Eagles, but i thought the long nap was too "clingy". The eagles are good, but i dont think their the right towel for rinseless. They are nice for wax/sealant removal, and QD application. The Microfiber techs hold a good amount of solution, don`t cling, and have a nice soft silk border.
For drying I`m loving my Gyeon silk dryers
 
For the people that use laundry detergent you have to try persil. Another member quite a while ago raved about it removing stains from his towels. I finally broke down and bought some to try, It worked as he said, if the gunk is severe I had to pour some on that part, rub it in and let it sit for a while then wash. I personally think it works better than microfiber detergent at removing the stuff you do not think will ever come out.

Dave
 
davidc- IIRC it was Tom P. who liked the Persil. Yeah, that one slipped my mind; oughta try it some time as it`s cheaper than MF-detergents even if it is a bit pricey for regular stuff.

mc2hill and Britsdaddy brought up some good points:
(with a nod to personal preference...)

- Different types/lengths of nap can matter to some folks
- Some of us believe that for this application a towel can easily be "too much" in the sense of GSM

I`m kinda intrigued by the ones in the ~360gsm range...almost bought some of the 303-branded ones last time I saw them on sale. Eh, I`m gonna think this to death :o
 
The personal preference part......maybe that`s why I have totes full of all kinds of towels. You find things you like and dont like.
 
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