Choosing the right drying towel - GT Shine

Choosing the right drying towel

We're asked by people quite a lot which towel is best. We would love to give a short answer however it's just not that easy!

There's more to a drying towel than most people believe.

We're going to go into detail of our two towels, their benchmark statistics and real world use.

So, let's begin...

The GT Twist:
Consists of a unique microfiber weave that forms small twists or 'fingers' that extend out from the towel to increase the fabric's ability to absorb water and dirt away from the surface.

This reduces scratching and marring of your paint as you glide the towel along the surface to remove water.

The Royal Plush:
Features fibres that are long, soft and super plush. If you look at the split microfiber from a molecular level, the strands look like they have smaller strands coming off of them.

These strands are what make split
microfiber unique and allow them to absorb water and dirty extremely well.

We will explain and compare the attributes of each towel below:
  • GSM (stands for grams per square meter or gm/2. Usually, the higher the number, the thicker, plushier, and generally softer the towel will be).
  • Weave (the way in which the fibres have been woven together)
  • Dry weight (the weight of the towel when it is dry)
  • Wet weight (the weight of the towel when it completely wet)

GT Twist Royal Plush
GSM 600 GSM 1200 GSM
Weave Twisted Fibres Split Fibres
Dry Weight Approx. 150g Approx. 300g
Wet Weight
Approx. 1kg
Approx. 2.75kg


As you can see from the above benchmarks, the GT Twist is a lighter towel when dry and features an absorption capacity and wet weight of approx. 1kg.

The Royal Plush on the other hand is a heavier towel all round with an absorption capacity and wet weight of approx. 2.75kg.

"The more water that the towel can absorb, the better it is, right?"

That is only half true. While the ability to absorb and hold a high amount of water is a great quality, other factors do need to be considered.

Important factors come into play, such as:

    • Manoeuvrability when full
      (a towel that is full of water is heavy and hard to 
      manoeuvre)
    • Least amount of surface area contact
      (a towel that has high contact with the surface increases the risk of scratches and swirl marks)
    • Least amount of downward pressure required to dry
      (paintwork and vinyl wraps are delicate. The more downward pressure that you apply, the more the surface will be damaged)
    • Material softness
      (softer
  • microfiber blends are more forgiving than harder blends, lowering the risk of scratches)
  • Works best with drying aids & detailing sprays
    (the use of drying aids and detailing sprays help lubricate the surface)
  • Absorption ability
    (the ability to absorb and retain the most amount of water)


We've put together a table below that compares the two towels based on these important factors.

  GT Twist Royal Plush
Easiest to manoeuvre
✔️
Least surface contact required ✔️
Least downward pressure required ✔️
Material softness
✔️
Works best with detailing sprays ✔️
Absorption ability ✔️


As you can see by the above table, each towel has its own unique characteristics.

Both towels are designed to be super absorbent whilst also being scratch resistant.

Choosing the right towel for you simply comes down to personal preference.

If you prefer to dry your car quickly and easily, the GT Twist is for you. It's more light weight and easy to handle, resulting in a faster drying time.

If you like to take your time drying your car, like to use detailing sprays and prefer a softer towel, the Royal Plush is the towel for you.

Remember, there is no right or wrong towel. It all comes down to the drying technique that you are most comfortable with.

Happy drying.

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