Are microfibers from Target, AutoZone, Pepboys, etc any worse/different than microfibers from Sonus or any other high end detailing supply?

 

yup- several differences, including quality of material, length of knap, quality of edges, etc.

that said, would i buy mfs at target?
i have!!
and would i use them on my paint?
absolutely not!

i use cheap mfs for the engine bay and undercarriage- also for some of the interior (rails- under seats, under doors, etc)... usually use old mfs for those areas, but i do have some cheap ones that i use on those areas sometimes.

be sure to take the tags off of any mf, but especially a cheap one (if you decide to buy cheap ones). and again, i would not use cheap mfs on my paint.

------

here is an excellent summary of the diff between cheap and good mfs (about a fourth of the way down the page):

http://properautocare.com/micwhatbigde.html


mf

 

I agree as well. You link covers the info necessary to prevent you from getting something that's gonna scratch your finish.

I use proper auto care MF's all the time. It's great quality stuff. If you really want super plush microfiber then give these a try as well...


http://www.detailersparadise.com/View.asp?...62-691513519674

 

Only my newest and best touch the paint. Older towels and my costco towels do the dirty work on wheels and the interior. Some of my towels just don't absorb like they used to. After repeated washings you can wear them out.

I have so many I have a use and toss bin. I use the old ones for oil changes/painting etc then throw them away.

 

I have bought and used the Viking polishing towels (from Autozone I believe) on my paint. Don't leave any swirls at all. I do make sure to wash them before use (using a dedicated microfiber wash detergent and the vinegar trick too). That being said, you can definitely tell a difference between a store bought and an online vendor's quality of MFs. For final buffing (or QDing) I only use high quality towels purchased from online vendors.

I do have a few Meguiar's WW towels to dry wheels and door jambs after washing to try and keep as much crud off my nice WW towels as possible. Also interior detailing towels don't have to be uber-soft (except on the gauge cluster... that thing needs very special soft towels to avoid swirls).

Just be sure to have a good number of 'good' MFs in your detailing closet (but you'll never have to worry about finding uses for the store bought MFs, because there's a ton).

 

how many MF towels (and what kind) do I need to get started? Right now I have a lot of store bought ones, but they are starting to wear out and I want to get a nice package of towels.

 

I like the ones mentioned by wanabe above...

http://properautocare.com/micprod1.html

 

So which do I need and how many of each?

 

I use dragon fiber and perfect shine for the paint and two big blues for drying. I've got a dozen or so each of the dragon fiber and perfect shine.

 

so the dragon fiber works for removing wax, polish, etc?