Review of Fiber-Works Towels

SilverLexus

SilverLexus

Super Enthusiast
I was contacted a few weeks ago by a rep of Fiber-Works. He asked if I would review his towels and I said yes after being assured I could share my candid observations. I was then sent a bunch of towels from Fiber-Works collection.



In general Fiber-Works ("FW") towels are quite a good deal selling at a low, but not too low price. I found the quality of the textiles to be quite high, if not reaching the very best towels in my collection such as those from PakShak and Cobra.



The biggest weakness I saw in the line was the inclusion of tags on everything. If FW can eliminate these then I will give them my highest recommendation for a great value towel. I managed to cut the tags off without too much trouble but for serious detailing enthusiasts this should be addressed.



Here are some picture of the microfiber collection, minus the grey ww drying towel and green QD towel with silk edging which are in the wash...will try to add later:



fw1.jpg


Top - Plush Towel

Left - White Edgeless

Right - Extra Plush Towel



fw2.jpg


Left - Dusting MF Mitt

Right - Washing/Scrubbing Mitt



fw3.jpg


Top - Microfiber Applicator

Left - Fine Microfiber Towel

Right - Scrubbing Towel



Here are my ratings (A-B-C-D) and comments on each towel:



Green Ultrafine silk edge towel (A-, $4): Great for QD work but be careful as the green dye got on some of the other towels in the first wash. After that, everything was fine. Also worked well as a wax removal towel and is decent on glass. Well constructed.



Grey WW Drying Towel (A-, $10.50): Excellent budget drying towel, not as soft as my Cobra or Pak but superb towel with nice edging.



Orange Extra Plush Towel (A-, $4): Terrific plush towel with good construction and very soft. Really like this one a bunch. Great for QD, wax removal, glass, very versatile!



White UltraFine Edgeless Towel (A-, $3.75): Another great towel very similar to my orange ExcelDetail towels but in white which looks good - just don't wash with green towel like I did but now it has a cool green hue so it looks great anyway. :) Tested removing Z-2 Pro and it worked perfectly.



Microfiber Applicator (A-, $2.50): This was a new one on me. It has the "velvet" mf fiber on the applicator so there is a smooth surface. I like the UltraFine apps from Pak a little bit better but this works very well and I think I may buy a few for sealants.



Velvet type Fine Microfiber Towel (B+, $2): I'm a bit biased against the velvet weave since I find it a bit grippy but for $2 this makes for a very good interior towel. Still I might prefer the orange FW Extra Plush for that.



Microfiber drying mitt (A-, $4.75): Meant for dusting and drying I found it to work well for dusting but I prefer a good waffle weave for exterior drying. Still a very well constructed product with an attached loop. One of the best mf mitts I have actually seen.



Plush Microfiber Towel (A, $3.75): My favorite of all at a very good price. This is the versatile work towel and it gets very soft after a few washes.



Bug Scrubber Towel (B+, ??): Could not find this on the site but it's a glass sized ww towel that is a bit stiff and worked well on taking off bug on the front bumper.



Microfiber Wash/Scrub Mitt (B+, $5.50): Interesting mitt with one side of the scrubber variety and short mf on the other side. I don't really like mf mitts for washing but if you do I this is worthy of a look.



I hope this review helps those of you looking for a great mid-priced line of MF. :)
 
I bought a bunch last year after a good review by Sean. The quality of these towels are right up there with Pakshak and Cobra. And their per towel price is great. I think the towels are great and I want to buy more of them. But their shipping is very expensive. I have complained to them about this and they said they tried to change the options. I will not spend $12 to ship $50 worth of towels. They do have great specials every other month, but the shipping always keeps me from buying.
 
I have read many comments made by you about quality MF towels. I value your opinion. Yet as we have discussed before, my towel of choice is quite a bit cheaper than the towels that you mentioned in this review. Price is more of a consideration than quality. These towels are a little more expensive than I would choose to purchase at this time. I do not doubt that they are nice towels though.
 
I wasn't aware the shipping charges were that high. Still at these prices you can still do well. Maybe the firm will consider lowering the shipping.



I would not say the quality is as good as PakShak or Cobra based on my personal experience but I could see where they might be good enough for a lot of people.
 
I have found the bulk prices of the various Cobra towels and Magic towels, coupled with the 10% (sometimes 15%) discounts and FREE shipping from Wolgang.com and PinnacleWax.com have proven to be the best value (and towels) by far.



That shipping charge at Fiber-Works sounds outrageous.



For now, I'll stick with the vendors mentioned above.



Cobra & Magic Towels w/ FREE shipping: http://www.pinnaclewax.com/mictow.html



The Magic Towel gets no play here but is by far my absolute favorite towel. It is superior to the 10 other brands that I own and it's $4.50 a towel plus FREE shipping when bought in bulk.



Thanks for the review and pictures Lee. I guess microfiber has come a long way and now it is up to us to find the best value, as all the popular vendors we know of sell quality towels. With bulk pricing, discount prices and free shipping - for me - Cobra takes it.
 
SilverLexus said:
Here's a photo of the Grey WW Drying Towel and Green Ultrafine Silk Edge



fw4.jpg
Click to expand...





I love the grey WW, I use it for glass and can do the inside and outside of my van with one towel.
 
I have all of their towels I think the interior mit is my favorite for quick dusting. My only complaint was the tag as well and I told David about this as well. I was really happy with the quality and honestly their service was awesome. I set up an account on their site and David emailed right away and asked if there was anything they could do to help me. Even when there was a slight mix up in my order he fixed it right away and even gave me some extra towels for the trouble. I couldn't ask for better service. Now if I could only remember to wash the green and pink towels seperate from my ligher ones...lol When they are new they always bleed and change the color of my white washing mits lol
 
That is good service Twister. Maybe they will read the thread and consider a new approach to tags. Looks like Mothers has stickers which can be taken off...maybe that's a good way to...
 
cwcad said:
I have read many comments made by you about quality MF towels. I value your opinion. Yet as we have discussed before, my towel of choice is quite a bit cheaper than the towels that you mentioned in this review. Price is more of a consideration than quality. These towels are a little more expensive than I would choose to purchase at this time. I do not doubt that they are nice towels though.
Click to expand...





Looks liek they heeded you're request. Now they have free shippingon orders of $50 or more! Nice!



Free shipping, link is at the bottom of the page...
 
Looks liek they heeded you're request. Now they have free shippingon orders of $50 or more! Nice!
Click to expand...



I feel powerful all of a sudden. ;) :D



Seriously I love it when companies pay attention to customer feedback.
 
I heard from the company rep and here is what they are willing to do:



Here is what I was able to come up with... you can post this in the thread to let the members know.



Option 1

15% Autopia Member Discount

Use code "2006autopia15" at checkout.



Option 2

Free Shipping for orders of $50+

Use code "FREESHIP50" at checkout.



These coupons may not be used together... if you try it will take the higher of the two coupons.
Click to expand...
 
When I ordered I got enough of a break on pricing that it made up for the shipping. I'm glad to see that they are offering something for shipping too. That makes me like their company even more
 
I ordered a handful of various towels to try. With the 15% discount with Priority Mail shipping, they boiled down to $3.25 a towel to try 4 different styles. Not bad. Thanks again Lee.
 
I use Fiber-Works reguarly. They are the *SAME* as some others (no need to name names) at a discounted rate.
 
I received my order today, and to be honest, I'm very disapointed.



The green Ultra Fine Silk Edge Microfiber Towels are just ok. I think they're best suited for interior work as they aren't plush enough for me for QD'ing. Maybe they'll be ok for a heavy carnauba removal as the thin nap will grab better than more plush fibers. It leached it's green color all over my Monster Fluffy towel (awesome towel) from Detailers Paradise turning it light green. I've never had a MF leach dye into my white MF's from Meguiars.



The Fine MF towel is total garbage. Stay away. It gets an F in my book. Paper thin and see through. My old Costco MF's are much, much better and a better value. They'll be used for interior work and won't see the light of day near my paint.



The Plush MF is average, nothing to write home about. Decent for QD'ing, polish and wax / sealant removal. Nothing special. I find Patrick at Excel's Supreme towels to be much better.



The Extra Plush MF towels are excellent. Super plush on one side, nice soft, tight nap on the other side. I recommend this one without hesitation. Reminds me of the Magic Towel.



So, for me, I liked 1 out the 4 towels I bought. I think I wasted my money.



Their customer service was superb. Prompt shipping, reasonable rate for Priority Mail and excellent packaging. Timely e-mails updating me of each step of the order process.



In conclusion, I will not buy any more towels from them except the Extra Plush if I need some in the future. I think there are better MF quality vendors out there.
 
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