Who uses microfiber towels?

Have a dozen of the Meguiars waffle weave Water Magnets. (y)
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@slomo , you have a misconstrued opinion about Microfiber towels. This video goes into the simple basics of how they are made.

Also, if you are using a chamois, you will need to check how that chamois was made. The traditional chamois was a animal product. Today, most chamois is synthetic and comes from similar sources as Microfiber.




I have a real animal chamois as you stated. Got it decades ago. Still can't find a better drying towel.
 
Microfiber is ALL I use. They do absorb better once they get slightly damp, but it's better than dragging a terry towel across the surface and buffing out the scratches later. Terry towels are one of the reasons I don't let dealerships or full-service car washes wash my car.

Some folks swear by a chamois. Used them on my parents cars when I was a kid, and later when I detailed cars at a dealership. Never again. What a pain in the butt if you don't have a power wringer.
Haven't found a need for a power wringer yet. Just a twist of the wrist is all I do. Tons of water pours out of my chamois.
 
I have a few packs of the yellow microfiber towels from Costco, I think they are Maguire's brand? They work great, maybe a little better after washing them the first time. Haven't noticed any water pushing effect, they absorb the water pretty well and get soaked, I usually have one in each hand, one to absorb most of the water and the other to completely dry the panel. I go through a dozen or so on a large SUV. Like @Tifosi stated, no fabric softener when washing, use free and clear detergent or you can use microfiber specific detergent to keep the towels clean. Lowest heat setting on dryer as well.
 
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Years ago I used to have an issue of microfibers streaking the windows. Then I started setting my washing machine for two rinse cycles, and the streaking stopped. My washing machine was not getting detergent completely out on the first rinse.
 
I have a few packs of the yellow microfiber towels from Costco, I think they are Maguire's brand? They work great, maybe a little better after washing them the first time. Haven't noticed any water pushing effect, they absorb the water pretty well and get soaked, I usually have one in each hand, one to absorb most of the water and the other to completely dry the panel. I go through a dozen or so on a large SUV. Like @Tifosi stated, no fabric softener when washing, use free and clear detergent or you can use microfiber specific detergent to keep the towels clean. Lowest heat setting on dryer as well.
Probably Kirkand. They're great.
 
I use a silicon blade to get most of the water & follow up with a microfiber to get the rest. If it's a warm day I'll use a detailer spray to get the water spots. Cars are washed with ONR & the detailer spray is the same
 
I use my leaf blower to blow the car dry and then I have 3 turtle wax microfiber towels that I use to dry.

I use them about twice a month for over 6 years. Machine washable, which is honestly the best thing about them.
 
I use them for everything, in fact i have even developed a class system for organizing them.

New ones or ones that are clean anough to clean bodywork or glass are 1.
The ones that are too bad to do that are relegated to oil checking duties , class 2.
Class 3 are only used for wiping oil or coolant spills from the floor or gunk from the engine / bay.
 
I use the Costco ones by the caseload. They are wonderful for cleaning aircraft, cars, windows, etc. I won't claim they are ideal for cleaning sensitive optics, as they do leave a few fibers behind. But for the most part, they leave a great finish, are robust, wash well and don't wear out quickly.

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IMO the only towels that are better from a cost/quality standpoint are Autofiber's "Costs What?" Edgeless.
 
Years ago, when Costco's buyers actually used to select some good automotive items to stock, I picked up a car wash bundle with microfiber drying towels, and a noodle wash mitt. (Still using an Costco Accutire digital tire pressure gauge from many years ago, like the one BMW sells as its own, except mine has a zero calibration button. But I digress…)

Since then, my venerable collection of chamois have remained in their stiff, crusty state, lonely and unloved, along with the crappy P21S synthetic drying towel that was a bust from the start.

The Costco drying towels are deep pile, about 3/8-1/4" thick, and can finish a mid-sized car needing only to be wrung out only once. They absorb and hold so much water, it's actually kind of difficult to wring them out by hand. Also great about them is that they'll do a good job on windows, so those are attacked first, and don't need followup attention. Just grab and go, no pre-wet and soften routine like the chamois required.

There are different types of microfiber towels, and they differ in quality as well.

To condemn all microfiber, especially based on a poor or limited experience, is short-sighted, and not self-serving.

We all have out likes and preferences, and there's nothing wrong with tried-and-true.

But, technology advances, and as time goes on, I'd rather devote less time and energy to detailing. Things like MF towels and modern spray coatings make that possible.
 
I like micro fibers towels for cleaning windows. They pick up that oil film a lot better than any newspaper/paper towel I’ve ever used.

Also Good to use when I’m working on the car and need to wipe something off. Good for waterless wash/detail spray. Applying wax. But they do suck for drying off the car though.

Chamois is my pick for drying off cars. Speaking of that I need to buy a new one since mine is pushing three decades old and starting to lose its water absorption
 
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