In My Garage

Making a choice between similar products can seem like a game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe. In these cases, having some simple data can help us differentiate and make the best decision for our own needs. I recently compared four popular Griot’s Garage drying towels and created a chart so you can see the differences.

The Micro Fiber Drying Towel is large, soft, and very absorbent. It also has great, sewn-in hand pockets to help prevent dropping it when drying the sides of a vehicle. This towel performs best when it’s allowed to dry completely between uses.

The Stay Soft Chamois is a more “traditional” choice. You probably first used one of these when you were washing cars to make some extra cash in junior high.  I like this option for drying large vehicles or boats, because it holds a lot of water, wrings out, and continues to dry streak-free after wringing. 

The Dimpled Synthetic Chamois is another option I looked at. This product is absorbent, wrings out more easily than a natural chamois, and also comes with a nice storage container to keep it clean and pliable.

The Ultra-Thick Micro Fiber Towel is what I prefer to use with our Spray-On Wax because of its soft and smooth texture. It does a great job of working the Spray-On Wax into the paint as it dries the vehicle. I find this towel works best for a final dry after you have removed a bulk of the water (to avoid any streaking). A great tool to use for this (it’s a complement to any of the towels above) is the Flexible Water Blade.

I compared the towels by dunking them in a tub of water and noting the amount of liquid absorbed. You can see in the chart below that each of the three options has its merits. I tend to reach for the Micro Fiber Drying Towel because I like the design features and I usually only need to dry one car, once per week. If I often washed multiple (or very large) vehicles, a chamois might be a better choice. If I was looking to spend less, the Dimpled Synthetic Chamois is a good value. And if I am using Spray-On Wax, the Ultra Thick towel performs very well.

Hopefully the data will be useful in helping you decide which option is best for your needs.

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Have fun in your garage!