The ULTIMATE MicroFiber test!!
04-20-2005, 12:10 AM
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The ULTIMATE MicroFiber test!!
Ok, I'm going to be so bold as to request that this be stickied. Or maybe I'm just
the only one nutty enough to grade the quality of Microfiber cloth, but here is goes.
So I'm kicking back, looking at the 3 or 4 brands of MF cloth I have around here,
and I'm wondering how to tell what's the nicest one for the exterior of my box. BOP
shows swirls well, and I've already scuffed the paint a bit with a MF cloth that uses
nylon hemming around the edges...so how do I test this stuff without using my xB as
a test subject?!?!?
Then it dawns on me, what shows scuffs and scratches really easy, and is cheap
and easily replaced....AOL CDs!!
No joke! Here is my testing methods:
First, take a clean, fresh, unused, unadulterated AOL CD.
Check for any scratches or scuffs or other oddities.
The four tests I do are simple and broken down into two categories:
1) Quality of Cleanup
2) Does it Scuff Scratch
I test both the middle of the cloth, which is obviously the area you should be using
on your car, PLUS, I test the hem specifically.
So, put a nice fat fingerprint on the disk, and wipe it up.
How well did it do? Good MF cloth should be able to clean that WITHOUT any cleaners!
Did it scuff scratch?
Next, no finger print. Just a clean spot.
Rub really hard with the middle portion of the cloth and check for scuffs or scratches.
Repeat that with the Hem of the MF cloth, Did it Scuff or Scratch??
I'm going to put together a list in this thread, as I'm able to test different brands,
but so far here is what I have.
Zymol Microfiber: Almost impossible to scratch with material, but light scuffs with
the Hem. I'd rate this really Good.
Viper Microfiber: Slight scuffs with material, nasty scuffs with hem. This is the cloth
that made me start searching for a better Hem. I'd rate this Poor
Turtle Wax Microfiber (six pack from Meijer): Scuffs easily with both material and Hem. I'm returning this tomorrow, I'm getting my $10 back!! Very Poor
Sam's Club Bulk pack (18 count): Almost impossible to scuff with material, difficult, but possible to scuff with Hem. For the $10 I've spent, this is the best bang for the buck for sure! Very Good
From fsr20det
detailer's best from walmart 8 pack; hem scuffs alot. material is very good though, applied a lot of pressure and no scratch. easy on the wallet also. i would say fairly good.
MICROPAK 16" x 16" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Glass Towel(silkedge)-material, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges with super heavy pressure , very light scratches, but i think it comes from the stiching material and not the silk. excellent
MICROPAK 25" x 36" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel- material, no scratches, edges heavy pressure very light scratches. this is a purely drying towel and i would never apply this much pressure to dry my car. i applied enough pressure to really flex and bend the cd. very good overall and i would say excellent for a drying towel, just wonder why they didn't use a silk edge like the 16x16
MICROPAK 4" x 6" Ultra Micro Fiber Foam Applicator Pad- material no scratches, seam, heavy pressure very,very light scratches. wow, surprised me! excellent
MICROPAK 16" x 24" Ultra-Fine Micro Fiber Towel(very soft and plush by the way!)- material, no scratches, edges, very heavy pressure, very light scratches. excellent
I'm still looking into PakShak and Adams and a bunch of other MF cloth. I think the
next batch I'm going to try out are going to be the "Detailers Special" type cloth,
where it's got Silk hems to protect your paint from scuffs (and proof that I'm not the
only one that thinks nylon hemming is stupid!!)
I hope this helps out some. If you are ambitious, you might try this test on some
of your favorite sponges, towels, mitts, chamois, and whatever else you might drag
across your paint...I think you'll be *really* surprised at the results! I know I was.....
Updated 04/20/05
the only one nutty enough to grade the quality of Microfiber cloth, but here is goes.
So I'm kicking back, looking at the 3 or 4 brands of MF cloth I have around here,
and I'm wondering how to tell what's the nicest one for the exterior of my box. BOP
shows swirls well, and I've already scuffed the paint a bit with a MF cloth that uses
nylon hemming around the edges...so how do I test this stuff without using my xB as
a test subject?!?!?
Then it dawns on me, what shows scuffs and scratches really easy, and is cheap
and easily replaced....AOL CDs!!
No joke! Here is my testing methods:
First, take a clean, fresh, unused, unadulterated AOL CD.
Check for any scratches or scuffs or other oddities.
The four tests I do are simple and broken down into two categories:
1) Quality of Cleanup
2) Does it Scuff Scratch
I test both the middle of the cloth, which is obviously the area you should be using
on your car, PLUS, I test the hem specifically.
So, put a nice fat fingerprint on the disk, and wipe it up.
How well did it do? Good MF cloth should be able to clean that WITHOUT any cleaners!
Did it scuff scratch?
Next, no finger print. Just a clean spot.
Rub really hard with the middle portion of the cloth and check for scuffs or scratches.
Repeat that with the Hem of the MF cloth, Did it Scuff or Scratch??
I'm going to put together a list in this thread, as I'm able to test different brands,
but so far here is what I have.
Zymol Microfiber: Almost impossible to scratch with material, but light scuffs with
the Hem. I'd rate this really Good.
Viper Microfiber: Slight scuffs with material, nasty scuffs with hem. This is the cloth
that made me start searching for a better Hem. I'd rate this Poor
Turtle Wax Microfiber (six pack from Meijer): Scuffs easily with both material and Hem. I'm returning this tomorrow, I'm getting my $10 back!! Very Poor
Sam's Club Bulk pack (18 count): Almost impossible to scuff with material, difficult, but possible to scuff with Hem. For the $10 I've spent, this is the best bang for the buck for sure! Very Good
From fsr20det
detailer's best from walmart 8 pack; hem scuffs alot. material is very good though, applied a lot of pressure and no scratch. easy on the wallet also. i would say fairly good.
MICROPAK 16" x 16" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Glass Towel(silkedge)-material, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges with super heavy pressure , very light scratches, but i think it comes from the stiching material and not the silk. excellent
MICROPAK 25" x 36" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel- material, no scratches, edges heavy pressure very light scratches. this is a purely drying towel and i would never apply this much pressure to dry my car. i applied enough pressure to really flex and bend the cd. very good overall and i would say excellent for a drying towel, just wonder why they didn't use a silk edge like the 16x16
MICROPAK 4" x 6" Ultra Micro Fiber Foam Applicator Pad- material no scratches, seam, heavy pressure very,very light scratches. wow, surprised me! excellent
MICROPAK 16" x 24" Ultra-Fine Micro Fiber Towel(very soft and plush by the way!)- material, no scratches, edges, very heavy pressure, very light scratches. excellent
I'm still looking into PakShak and Adams and a bunch of other MF cloth. I think the
next batch I'm going to try out are going to be the "Detailers Special" type cloth,
where it's got Silk hems to protect your paint from scuffs (and proof that I'm not the
only one that thinks nylon hemming is stupid!!)
I hope this helps out some. If you are ambitious, you might try this test on some
of your favorite sponges, towels, mitts, chamois, and whatever else you might drag
across your paint...I think you'll be *really* surprised at the results! I know I was.....
Updated 04/20/05
04-20-2005, 12:18 PM
#2
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i actually tried that on cd's, will let you know about the pakshak ones. detailer's best from walmart 8 pack; hem scuffs alot. material is very good though, applied a lot of pressure and no scratch. easy on the wallet also. i would say fairly good.
04-20-2005, 12:45 PM
#3
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Wow great idea on the testing, i Also have an 18 pack or so from sams club and they work great, thats what i used to clean up my car, i washed it down and used the microfiber to dry and get any remaining dirt or fingerprints off, but then again, you can't keep up with the pollen. AOL cds 
04-20-2005, 02:19 PM
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best use for an AOHELL CD yet...good work...but as far as drying goes I still use the good old tried and true genuine chamois...yeah they are a bit pricey but they work and I have never scratched a car with one yet *knocks on wood*
04-20-2005, 05:41 PM
#5
I'm happy to see someone finally found a use for all those AOL CDs... :D
When they used to ship floppies, they supplied half the world with re-usable media, with the CDs, though, they didn't even make good coasters.
Seriously, though, excellent idea, and I look forward to more tests!
When they used to ship floppies, they supplied half the world with re-usable media, with the CDs, though, they didn't even make good coasters.
Seriously, though, excellent idea, and I look forward to more tests!
04-20-2005, 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Tomas
When they used to ship floppies, they supplied half the world with re-usable media, with the CDs, though, they didn't even make good coasters.
04-20-2005, 06:02 PM
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Good write up! I also knew those Sams Club MF cloths were good. Some people think the price says it all, and would never even try the cheaper ones.
But I will definitely avoid Turtle Wax cloths like the plague!
-THE DON
04-20-2005, 06:36 PM
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Thanks guys, I'll be adding more info as I can afford more
Microfiber. I'm pretty broke now with my current projects and
upgrades going on.
In general though, I think any MF cloth that has visible
stitching along the sides is going to be a possible scuffing issue.
I'm going to be looking into the true Detailers Microfiber cloth
that have silk or some other material around the Hem, to
protect your paint from any accidental scuffing. They are
more expensive, but as easily scuffed as the Scion paint has
proved to be, I think it's worth it.
Keep in mind though, even the cheapest MF cloth is fine for
interior plastics, glass, and metal like rims and billet. I keep
the Viper stuff around for dusting duties and defogging the
windows without streaking.
So far, hands down the Sam's Club (same as the Wal-Mart
I figure) Microfiber cloth are the best all around use that I've
found. I'm comfortable using them anywhere. My only concern
is that the weave doesn't look as quality as the higher priced
ones. So I'm not sure of the longevity of them...but at $10
for 18 count...I'm not going to worry about it.
I’ll update as people send me info, or maybe I can get Fuji or
PakShak or some others to donate some other brands for
Testing.
Or as budget permits of course.
Thanks for reading!
~Eric~
Microfiber. I'm pretty broke now with my current projects and
upgrades going on.
In general though, I think any MF cloth that has visible
stitching along the sides is going to be a possible scuffing issue.
I'm going to be looking into the true Detailers Microfiber cloth
that have silk or some other material around the Hem, to
protect your paint from any accidental scuffing. They are
more expensive, but as easily scuffed as the Scion paint has
proved to be, I think it's worth it.
Keep in mind though, even the cheapest MF cloth is fine for
interior plastics, glass, and metal like rims and billet. I keep
the Viper stuff around for dusting duties and defogging the
windows without streaking.
So far, hands down the Sam's Club (same as the Wal-Mart
I figure) Microfiber cloth are the best all around use that I've
found. I'm comfortable using them anywhere. My only concern
is that the weave doesn't look as quality as the higher priced
ones. So I'm not sure of the longevity of them...but at $10
for 18 count...I'm not going to worry about it.
I’ll update as people send me info, or maybe I can get Fuji or
PakShak or some others to donate some other brands for
Testing.
Or as budget permits of course.Thanks for reading!
~Eric~
04-21-2005, 11:16 AM
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ok here we go:
pakshak.
damn the waffle weave does absorb a LOT of water. i asked my bro to get me water to absorb and he poured a whole glass on the table. i was like wtf, oh ____, but it absorbed it all!(16x16)
MICROPAK 16" x 16" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Glass Towel(silkedge)-material, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges with super heavy pressure , very light scratches, but i think it comes from the stiching material and not the silk. excellent
MICROPAK 25" x 36" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel- material, no scratches, edges heavy pressure very light scratches. this is a purely drying towel and i would never apply this much pressure to dry my car. i applied enough pressure to really flex and bend the cd. very good overall and i would say excellent for a drying towel, just wonder why they didn't use a silk edge like the 16x16
MICROPAK 4" x 6" Ultra Micro Fiber Foam Applicator Pad- material no scratches, seam, heavy pressure very,very light scratches. wow, surprised me! excellent
MICROPAK 16" x 24" Ultra-Fine Micro Fiber Towel(very soft and plush by the way!)- material, no scratches, edges, very heavy pressure, very light scratches. excellent
wow, after trying the walmart brand i was really surprised at how well they didn't scratch and now I am more impressed with the pakshak ones. they have a similar edge but less scratches.
pakshak.
damn the waffle weave does absorb a LOT of water. i asked my bro to get me water to absorb and he poured a whole glass on the table. i was like wtf, oh ____, but it absorbed it all!(16x16)
MICROPAK 16" x 16" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Glass Towel(silkedge)-material, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges, heavy pressure, no scratches. edges with super heavy pressure , very light scratches, but i think it comes from the stiching material and not the silk. excellent
MICROPAK 25" x 36" Waffle Weave Micro Fiber Towel- material, no scratches, edges heavy pressure very light scratches. this is a purely drying towel and i would never apply this much pressure to dry my car. i applied enough pressure to really flex and bend the cd. very good overall and i would say excellent for a drying towel, just wonder why they didn't use a silk edge like the 16x16
MICROPAK 4" x 6" Ultra Micro Fiber Foam Applicator Pad- material no scratches, seam, heavy pressure very,very light scratches. wow, surprised me! excellent
MICROPAK 16" x 24" Ultra-Fine Micro Fiber Towel(very soft and plush by the way!)- material, no scratches, edges, very heavy pressure, very light scratches. excellent
wow, after trying the walmart brand i was really surprised at how well they didn't scratch and now I am more impressed with the pakshak ones. they have a similar edge but less scratches.
05-14-2005, 03:18 AM
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great thread, great head you have, Lonely Raven.
It is interesting to learn that microfiber is actually a form of nylon!
http://www.fibersource.com/f-tutor/nylon.htm
or do a google search for polyamide and/or polyamide nylon, etc.
like Bon Ami slogan, the best microfiber "hasn't scratched yet"
It is interesting to learn that microfiber is actually a form of nylon!
http://www.fibersource.com/f-tutor/nylon.htm
or do a google search for polyamide and/or polyamide nylon, etc.
like Bon Ami slogan, the best microfiber "hasn't scratched yet"
05-17-2005, 01:28 PM
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i never once gave a thought to this...you're awesome btw...ive been using wally world microfiber and they're great and my heart skipped a beat when i read u can scratch with microfiber still...i just pulled out an AOL cd and it works great. no scratches.
05-17-2005, 01:53 PM
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Thank you very much for the updates and for the props!
I've learned to question everything, and something as simple
as Microfiber should be an easy thing to test!
Me being the picky bastard I am, I just figured I'd share!
I'm working on tire dressings as my next project!
I've learned to question everything, and something as simple
as Microfiber should be an easy thing to test!
Me being the picky bastard I am, I just figured I'd share!
I'm working on tire dressings as my next project!
05-18-2005, 04:12 AM
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I dont know anymore...today i was doing my car----my paint got super scratched when accidently used the edge on the front of my car---wally world. i guess the aol cd may not cut it Lonely Raven...unless i got the scratch from somewhere else and didnt realize it til today...but i think its from the hem.....i dont want to test it out again on my car though....but im almost sure.
05-18-2005, 11:56 AM
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i think its the hem hotbox05...the scratch follows my motion with the towel & where the hem was....starts in a pseudo-perfect line vertically and continues horizontally....
my baby......i dont know what's considered "deep" as far as scratches....but heres'a pc--i wasnt focusing on the scratch so you cant see it that well, but i can....plus that big O wisk scratch after the set of what im suspecting is the hem scratch--u can def see that one....
my baby......i dont know what's considered "deep" as far as scratches....but heres'a pc--i wasnt focusing on the scratch so you cant see it that well, but i can....plus that big O wisk scratch after the set of what im suspecting is the hem scratch--u can def see that one....
05-18-2005, 12:24 PM
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Wow, that's so not right! Are you sure you're using the
"Detailers Best" MF cloth from Wally World?
I've wiped my whole box down with nothing but the Detailers
Best MF cloth dampened with detail spray and I have zero
scuffs. Unlike the Viper cloth which just has a terrible hem.
What exactly were you doing where you scuffed that bad by
the way? From what little I can tell from your photo, that
looks like a pretty wicked horizontal scuff, and I can't imagine
doing that without something harder then just cloth (of any kind)!
"Detailers Best" MF cloth from Wally World?
I've wiped my whole box down with nothing but the Detailers
Best MF cloth dampened with detail spray and I have zero
scuffs. Unlike the Viper cloth which just has a terrible hem.
What exactly were you doing where you scuffed that bad by
the way? From what little I can tell from your photo, that
looks like a pretty wicked horizontal scuff, and I can't imagine
doing that without something harder then just cloth (of any kind)!
05-18-2005, 12:26 PM
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Also, to fix your problem, a really light buffing/polishing
compound done by hand will remove it. If you can't polish
it out by hand, then there is more here then just MF Cloth
that's an issue!!
compound done by hand will remove it. If you can't polish
it out by hand, then there is more here then just MF Cloth
that's an issue!!
05-18-2005, 06:34 PM
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i dunno Lonely Raven all i know is that the other week when i washed my car it wasnt there...i was trying to remove the wax i'd accidently sprayed on my car. when i was wiping it, i did use a quite some pressure. ive never accidently used the hem before though. i think ive always just naturally used the actual cloth...i think im gonna order a kit from http://www.paintscratch.com b/c i dont want to wear the paint around it thin either from polishing.
all i know is that the other week when i washed my car it wasnt there...i was trying to remove the wax i'd accidently sprayed on my car. when i was wiping it, i did use a quite some pressure. ive never accidently used the hem before though. i think ive always just naturally used the actual cloth...i think im gonna order a kit from http://www.paintscratch.com b/c i dont want to wear the paint around it thin either from polishing.
05-18-2005, 06:38 PM
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oh and im NOT use the "detailers best MF" from wally world. im still an amateur at all of this...the label reads: 2 PACK TROPICAL BLOSSOM MICROFIBER CLEANING TOWELS.
ive been using the wrong one havent i?? *freaks out* hahaha OMG@myself. my poor baby!!
i'd be the perfect author for "what NOT to do in car maintenance."
ive been using the wrong one havent i?? *freaks out* hahaha OMG@myself. my poor baby!!
i'd be the perfect author for "what NOT to do in car maintenance."
