I felt the same way until I got a pressure spray bottle (i.e. Colad). It lays down a thorough coat of waterless. For me, waterless wash in a pressure spray and about six of the blue waffle towels get the job done.
This has not been my experience. The new green towels MUST be washed to eliminate the lint.
The blue towels were better out of the box, but the green towels are pretty awesome once they are washed.