xzilon

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JRay

New member
I have recently purchasd a synthetic chamois called "THE ABSORBER". If you are not familiar with it, it can be purchased at any Wal-Mart or K-Mart. It is around $10-$12 and it feels almost like a wet-suit type of material and it soaks up water like CRAZY! I am curious of your opinions on this towel. I am waiting on some microfiber towels to arrive that I ordered and I am considering using both of them. "THE ABSORBER" to do the initial dry and the microfiber for any leftover water and fine detailing.



I just want to make sure that this synthetic material won't harm my finish.
 
I have been using the absorber for years and love it!I use it to completely dry the painted surface and have never had any trouble with scratching.I do always rinse extra well before I dry and make sure the absorber is clean and does not touch the ground.Some peolpe use it just laying it on the paint and drying that spot picking it up and moving around the car in this way.They then do thier final wipe with cooton or MF towels.I give it:up have fun.
 
the 'absorber' is my favorite way to dry the car now. like most on this forum, i've tried many products, but for the price, it can't be beat.

i've got a black finish so i've been extra careful with my choices. this one, if clean and rinsed carefully, is safe and IMO, a no-brainer.

grab a few.

--thomas
 
I use the Absorber to take off the bulk of the water and then follow up with a Miracle/Magic towel. Works great!
 
I alternate between the California Water Blade and a similar type of synthetic chamois made by Wizards. I always follow with an MF to get whatever my first pass missed. I've tried the absorber as well and they both work extremely well.
 
Thanks for all of the replies so quickly. I just found this forum a few days ago. I live in a small town and I was pretty sure that I was the only car cleaning freak around. It is finally so nice to mingle with some of my own kind!



Well, it is only 37 degrees here, but it is time to wash the car! Let the neighbors stare...at least my car isn't ridden with bird crap and brake dust an inch thick!
 
Love this thing! It works soooo well and does not smell like cod oil. YUK! :eek:



Anyway, it is great, and is very safe to use, in my opinion. I use my MF towels for removing wax, with QD, and for the inside windshield film.



:bounce
 
I've hear the horror stories on the water blade as well, but I have been using mine with no problems. I rinse and wipe it before and after to make sure it is clean. Great for windows and flat surfaces. I follow with the Water Bandit and a Charisma. I think it saves some time, and just makes it easier and fewer towels are needed.



H
 
The waterblade is sort of like the nose masks. They are a great idea but they are sort of high maintainance. If you don't keep the underside of the nose masks clean they will ruin your car and the same for the waterblade. If you just use it without ever checking to see if it is clean then you can scratch the hell out of your car. I clean the blade on every pass with my fingers. You have to keep that bad boy clean. But the combination of the waterblade and absorber is the ultimate in drying. The absorber just basicly cleans up anything that the waterblade splashed around or something. I've had my absorber for 4 years and the only damage on it are the very few snags from the wiper arms on the edges. The absorber is an awesome product. :up :up
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Intermezzo330I [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I alternate between the California Water Blade and a similar type of synthetic chamois made by Wizards. I always follow with an MF to get whatever my first pass missed. I've tried the absorber as well and they both work extremely well. [/b]</blockquote>
I agree the "Blade" is a great tool to knock off the bulk of water. I keep mine very clean and wash it in the dishwasher after every use and keep it in a tupperware tray between uses.

I follow up with an Absorber or MF towel depending on the weather.

Like any tool, you need to maintain it or it will bite you in the butt :)
 
Good point about the weather. Does anyone notice that the absorber doesn't work too well on cool (and especially cold) days? It just seems to shuffle all the water around into smaller beads.
 
I can't say that my mind is totally at ease either when I use the CWB because of some of the stuff I've read in the archives. But so far so good....but I guess it only takes a single swipe to do some major damage to your coat. I try to take every precaution like wiping it with my finger after 1-2 swipes, keeping it in its case when not in use and avoiding using it for places that normally get a bit dirty. Nevertheless, it is still riskier than using a synthetic chamois but I keep using it because it makes drying so easy and it's really fun to use.
 
For my vortex post: The absorber serves a very specific function it soaks up water (it absorbs ;) ) A microfiber, on the other hand, can do many things exceptionally (shine crome, QD, remove wax or Klasse, windows, dashes, plastic, and more) as well as absorb up to 9 times its weight in water. Some of the plusher microfiber towels have more "give" and pick up particulate better than the absorber which is a definate plus to the car enthusiast.



A typical combo involves using the absorber (or a waterblade) to do the first pass (on a very clean car) and then a microfiber with quickdetailer to finish up the job to a perfect shine.



Following this concept both can coexist in the market place



One thing that is a big scenario to watch out for is QD or drying a car after a rain. For example: say my car has been out in the rain and all I want to do is maybe rinse it down and wipe it down. If you use a water blade or an absorber there is a great chance you'll get swirls from this; there's just not enough give with the products.

At least with the use of QD and a miracle towel it won't scratch it as much cause the lubricity of the QD and the plush of the towel will help you out completely. Only use the absorber and the CA Blade after you wash your car. Any other instance, you'll need to use the miracle towel. Now if you're willing to use both then do so, I myself use a microfiber to make the first pass and a second one for the last pass. It's simple, it's not that expensive, and the QD and towle is like insurance in most cases.



Hope that helps, Steve
 
The Absorber is a really good drying tool. I use it along with a cotton towel to dry the car. Just wash the Absorber and store it in the container and it should last a long time.
 
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