Here’s yet another one of my favorite detailing products.  Here’s the product description from the Detailed Image website:

Drying off your vehicle can be a tedious task but doing it right makes all the other steps go smoother. It is important to remove all the water off your vehicle so there is no streaking or water marks. The DI Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towel is designed to quickly remove large amounts of water from open surfaces and joints. The waffle weave design allows this towel to absorb so much water that the towel can be up to ten times heavier when wet. Even when this towel is damp or wet you can continue to use it as it will keep soaking up more and more water. Just touch the towel to a joint or crevice and watch as it pulls away the water with ease. Use it across the entire exterior to ensure it is completely dry. Fine scratches can be added during the drying process with improper drying materials (old shirts, dirty towels, etc.). This towel won’t scratch the surface because it uses extra soft microfiber threads, no tags and silk edges for maximum safety. Select a premium drying towel with DI Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towel.

The DI Microfiber Waffle Weave Drying Towel is the best drying media I have come across since I started detailing more than 6 years ago.  I have been through the chamois, thick terry cloths and other microfiber drying towels, but this one definitely, as they say, takes the cake.

What’s so great about it?

First off, the towel is extremely good at what it’s designed to do, collect water.  One towel can easily dry a small vehicle and even larger ones when most of sitting water is rinsed off using the sheeting method.  This translates to quicker drying times, less towels used per detail job and less laundry to do daily, weekly or monthly, whatever your requirements.  Also, this towel is soft and safe for any paint finish.  While I prefer to use the safer blotting method, as described in my Winter Washing with Optimum No-Rinse article, this towel is great for safely wiping the paint dry.  In fact, after blotting I use the towel to wipe off any light water spots left over and it leaves a dry, streak-free finish.

Another thing I appreciate about this towel is the size.  It’s perfectly sized for all areas around the car, whether you fold it once to blot dry a hood or fold many times to get into some tighter spaces when drying, there’s enough surface area to properly get the job done.  I typically fold it once when I’m doing the upper or side panels, then fold it 3-4 times when drying areas such as underside of mirrors, inside bumper openings and license plate areas.

How it compares to the competition?

As mentioned above, it definitely stands out of the crowd compared to similar products, based on my experience.  It collects water better and more than any towels I have tried, it’s extremely soft and safe on all paint finishes and most importantly it’s extremely durable.  I think that is by far the best and my favorite characteristic of the towel.  As I mentioned in my Top 10 article, I still have towels that are 3-4 years old and while the older ones have a few torn fibers from non-stop use, all are still just as soft as they were when they were new and collect water very well.  The best part isn’t that the towel is simply durable, but that it retains the ability to collect the same amount of water whether it’s new or old, which is something I can’t say for any other product I’ve tried.  The best terry cloths out there aren’t nearly as absorbent.  The chamois towels I’ve tried would dry up a bit over time, but mostly I don’t like them as there’s no room for error if something is stuck between the towel and the paint.  The other microfiber products I tried, from about 3-4 different manufacturers, all ended up dryer than this towel over time and lost quite a bit of the ability to absorb water well.

Final Thoughts

Quite simply it’s a must have towel for any detailer.  It stands out in every way and makes drying a much less tedious task.  Once I got to see what this towel can do I demoted all other drying towels to jamb or wheel duty and never looked back.  I’ll easily recommend this to anyone, whether a professional detailer or a weekend warrior.  Lastly, here’s an obligatory photo of me using the towel :)…

In fact, you can typically dry an entire car with just one towel, especially if you do the water sheeting method prior to using the towel.  Lastly, this towel is extremely durable and isn’t in the same category of most others, that tend to dry fairly quickly and loose their ability to absorb much water.  This drying towel lasts long and absorbs just as well as new after many uses.  Come to think of it, I’ve been purchasing these towels from Detailed Image for at least 3-4 years now and have yet to even demote one to wheel or door jamb duty, let alone toss it away!