Whether you are a DIY Hobbyist Mechanic or a Professional Mechanic, you need a shop towel that works for you. You have three main choices on the market today, and you guessed it, they all three have their pluses and minuses and vary in price significantly.
Most Mechanic Shop Towels come in either a blue or white. Here are your three main choices on the market today.
- Woven Shop Towels are also commonly referred to as “Huck Towels”. These are woven cloth towels with stitched edges. In a nutshell, their advantages are strength and heat resistance. Their disadvantages are they do not have low lint and must be washed and dried to make them economical. The cost range is $.80 to $1.50 per towel.
Huck Towels (Woven Shop Towels)
- Spunlace Shop Towels are made from a nonwoven process developed by Dupont in the 1970’s. This is the lowest lint shop towel you will find. They are disposable but can be rinsed and reused. Washing is not recommended. The advantages of a spunlace shop towel are that they are reasonably priced (10-20 cents per 12” x 13” towel), they are extremely low lint, and they do maintain a high level of strength, wet and dry. If you need a strong, low lint, heavy duty wiper this is your most economical choice.
Blue Shop Towel Creped Quarterfold (Spunlace)
- DRC Shop Towels were developed by Scott Paper Company. These towels are made mostly of wood-pulp. They resemble a stronger than normal paper towel. They are very absorbent and low cost (3- 8 cents per 12” x 13” towel). However, they will fall apart when wet and do not have a high dry strength either. If you need a medium duty, absorbent wiper to have around for light shop clean up jobs, this may be your best choice.
Where to Buy?
All three choices above are available on-line. Search the key words to find a variety of suppliers. Take a minute to look at towel size, towel count, and if shipping is included to determine your best option.
This article is sponsored by Telesto Products, LLC (telestoproducts.com). We carry a wide variety of shop towels in our on-line store including all the above. Visit us at telestoproducts.com to see the large collection of high-performance shop towels and wipers we have available today.
