Performance Auto Detailing

My supplies, equipment, insurance, marketing costs, etc are all factored into my prices. Like said above for those reasons, professionals need to charge more. I am also factoring in the fact that I am driving to the car owner's house for the details. This is a side business for me (while I'm in college) but I take it very seriously - as you can tell from my website. I've got a ton of money tied up in towels, chemicals and equipment but they are all necessary expenses. Some months I have to spend a few hundred dollars for new products or towels and some months I have to spend none. And of course random things break or need to be replaced like vacuum cleaners, blowers, pressure washers etc. For all those reasons $50-100 per hour is what I shoot for. 

just googled the site, damn nice I must say. This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you.

Having used all of the towels Adam's offers at some point including on my personal vehicles and on a ton of customer's vehicles, here is my opinion and what I use them for:
 
Great White Drying Towel: Works as it is supposed to and is high quality. I like the large size, which can dry multiple vehicles if needed. I use a smaller version of the GWDT currently as I don't need the large size. 
 
Waterless Wash Towels: I use these towels for door jambs, cleaning windows or even to dry after a rinseless when a GWDT is not needed. I do not however use them for waterless washing as I prefer a safer, plush option instead. I also like to keep 16x16 waffle weaves in my collection as well. 
 
Utility Towel: I love this towel, my favorite interior cleaning towel. If they weren't so expensive compared to other options I'd have a lot more of them. Also found that these work well for glass since they have extremely low nap. 
 
Glass Cleaning Towel: I am not a fan AT ALL of glass cleaning towels (not just the ones that Adam's sells). They are thin, making holding on to them difficult and they drag across the glass. I much prefer waffle weave towels for glass cleaning (I use a 16x16 waffle weave towel for glass). 
 
Single Soft: Rarely use them anymore now that I discovered the Borderless towels but it is a good, high quality towel but expensive. Works well for wax/sealant removal or rinseless washing. Might be a little too nice for a rinseless towel. Stain very easily also due to the white color. 
 
Double Soft: Never been a fan of the Double Soft and don't quite understand all the love this towel gets. Sure, it is probably the plushest towel you will find but it is too plush in my opinion. It is too large and heavy to do a GDWM Rinseless with as it requires you to practically fill an entire bucket. They also take up a lot of storage room in comparison to the Edgeless towels which is inconvenient for those who are mobile detailers or have tight garage space. Detail Spray wipe downs are the only use I've found for Double Softs, as Single Softs and the Borderless towels work better for every other use and are plenty safe and don't cost $15 a towel. 
 
Borderless Towels: My favorite towel currently. Only towel I'll use for a rinseless wash and love them for wax/sealant removal as well. I've used the Grey, Blue and Orange Borderless Towels (I buy in bulk from the supplier). The longer nap makes it a really good option as a rinseless towel or for waterless wash wipe downs. Reasonably priced when purchased in bulk and have many uses. It is not just a "luxury" towel like I consider the Double Soft to be, it actually has many uses. 
 
Adam's no longer offers the metal polishing towel it appears (which I never owned). I see people talking about using the double soft, single soft or borderless towels for this task and personally I think that is ill-advised considering the price and quality of those towels. 

They're far too thick and heavy in my experience for a rinseless. When they're full of solution they weigh a ton. If you're not using the GDWM for rinseless and instead using the 2 bucket method maybe then I'd use the double softs. 
 
I've had the Borderless towels for over a year and have used on probably 100+ cars in my business and they work fine still, maybe you got a bad set. 
 
I prefer to fold my towels in 1/4s for LSP removal and for rinseless. The double soft is too thick to properly do this IMO. So you have less clean sides per towel. The only way I like the Double Soft is completely unfolded because otherwise it is too thick and can't feel the surface properly. 
 
If you look around at the industry - ultra high GSM towels such as the Double Soft are not typically the towel of choice for something like a rinseless but it boils down to what you personally like to use. I use what I like and what gets me the best results for my personal vehicle and for my customer's vehicles. It's not a matter of who's right, just what you like.

Having used all of the towels Adam's offers at some point including on my personal vehicles and on a ton of customer's vehicles, here is my opinion and what I use them for:
 
Great White Drying Towel: Works as it is supposed to and is high quality. I like the large size, which can dry multiple vehicles if needed. I use a smaller version of the GWDT currently as I don't need the large size. 
 
Waterless Wash Towels: I use these towels for door jambs, cleaning windows or even to dry after a rinseless when a GWDT is not needed. I do not however use them for waterless washing as I prefer a safer, plush option instead. I also like to keep 16x16 waffle weaves in my collection as well. 
 
Utility Towel: I love this towel, my favorite interior cleaning towel. If they weren't so expensive compared to other options I'd have a lot more of them. Also found that these work well for glass since they have extremely low nap. 
 
Glass Cleaning Towel: I am not a fan AT ALL of glass cleaning towels (not just the ones that Adam's sells). They are thin, making holding on to them difficult and they drag across the glass. I much prefer waffle weave towels for glass cleaning (I use a 16x16 waffle weave towel for glass). 
 
Single Soft: Rarely use them anymore now that I discovered the Borderless towels but it is a good, high quality towel but expensive. Works well for wax/sealant removal or rinseless washing. Might be a little too nice for a rinseless towel. Stain very easily also due to the white color. 
 
Double Soft: Never been a fan of the Double Soft and don't quite understand all the love this towel gets. Sure, it is probably the plushest towel you will find but it is too plush in my opinion. It is too large and heavy to do a GDWM Rinseless with as it requires you to practically fill an entire bucket. They also take up a lot of storage room in comparison to the Edgeless towels which is inconvenient for those who are mobile detailers or have tight garage space. Detail Spray wipe downs are the only use I've found for Double Softs, as Single Softs and the Borderless towels work better for every other use and are plenty safe and don't cost $15 a towel. 
 
Borderless Towels: My favorite towel currently. Only towel I'll use for a rinseless wash and love them for wax/sealant removal as well. I've used the Grey, Blue and Orange Borderless Towels (I buy in bulk from the supplier). The longer nap makes it a really good option as a rinseless towel or for waterless wash wipe downs. Reasonably priced when purchased in bulk and have many uses. It is not just a "luxury" towel like I consider the Double Soft to be, it actually has many uses. 
 
Adam's no longer offers the metal polishing towel it appears (which I never owned). I see people talking about using the double soft, single soft or borderless towels for this task and personally I think that is ill-advised considering the price and quality of those towels. 

Having used all of the towels Adam's offers at some point including on my personal vehicles and on a ton of customer's vehicles, here is my opinion and what I use them for:
 
Great White Drying Towel: Works as it is supposed to and is high quality. I like the large size, which can dry multiple vehicles if needed. I use a smaller version of the GWDT currently as I don't need the large size. 
 
Waterless Wash Towels: I use these towels for door jambs, cleaning windows or even to dry after a rinseless when a GWDT is not needed. I do not however use them for waterless washing as I prefer a safer, plush option instead. I also like to keep 16x16 waffle weaves in my collection as well. 
 
Utility Towel: I love this towel, my favorite interior cleaning towel. If they weren't so expensive compared to other options I'd have a lot more of them. Also found that these work well for glass since they have extremely low nap. 
 
Glass Cleaning Towel: I am not a fan AT ALL of glass cleaning towels (not just the ones that Adam's sells). They are thin, making holding on to them difficult and they drag across the glass. I much prefer waffle weave towels for glass cleaning (I use a 16x16 waffle weave towel for glass). 
 
Single Soft: Rarely use them anymore now that I discovered the Borderless towels but it is a good, high quality towel but expensive. Works well for wax/sealant removal or rinseless washing. Might be a little too nice for a rinseless towel. Stain very easily also due to the white color. 
 
Double Soft: Never been a fan of the Double Soft and don't quite understand all the love this towel gets. Sure, it is probably the plushest towel you will find but it is too plush in my opinion. It is too large and heavy to do a GDWM Rinseless with as it requires you to practically fill an entire bucket. They also take up a lot of storage room in comparison to the Edgeless towels which is inconvenient for those who are mobile detailers or have tight garage space. Detail Spray wipe downs are the only use I've found for Double Softs, as Single Softs and the Borderless towels work better for every other use and are plenty safe and don't cost $15 a towel. 
 
Borderless Towels: My favorite towel currently. Only towel I'll use for a rinseless wash and love them for wax/sealant removal as well. I've used the Grey, Blue and Orange Borderless Towels (I buy in bulk from the supplier). The longer nap makes it a really good option as a rinseless towel or for waterless wash wipe downs. Reasonably priced when purchased in bulk and have many uses. It is not just a "luxury" towel like I consider the Double Soft to be, it actually has many uses. 
 
Adam's no longer offers the metal polishing towel it appears (which I never owned). I see people talking about using the double soft, single soft or borderless towels for this task and personally I think that is ill-advised considering the price and quality of those towels. 

LOL oops sorry Michael

Lol took the words right out of my mouth Jason.
 
@Michael I believe we all know your feelings towards clay alternatives 

LITERALLY
 
Clay alternative threads come up once a week - Just search before making a new thread - People get very heated about clay vs. clay alternative.
 
The cliff notes is:  The clay alternatives on a PC or Cyclo work, but you really only need them on paints that are HAMMERED and you will be polishing afterward, as they can leave a bit of micro-marring if they are the medium grade, but most of the time any marring left will be removed with a pass of Correcting polish, and mostly is due to user error because the clay alternatives use a ton more lubricant in order to use them properly than a traditional clay bar.
 
If you are looking for a clay alternative and want to use it, stick with the fine grade.  The sponge is least aggressive, followed by the mitt, towel, and finally the pad that you use on a PC or Cyclo.

OIF Vet - I may have an LHR15ES Bigfoot I can donate to your rebuild of supplies, my personal one that's about to be retired.
 
Shoot me an email: dylanv@rupesusa.com

Go with the Rupes 15 for sure

Go with the Rupes 15 for sure

Go with the Rupes 15 for sure

Still lurking Jason - I see you have everything well under control

Oh the irony...

This may be your opinion, which is fine, but not the opinion of myself and many other professionals. I use clay alternatives (a clay block) 95% of the time and only use traditional clay when needed. The fine grade clay block I use removes just as many contaminates as my Adam's clay used to and does not mar the paint at all. As I've said in the past the only times I've seen marring are on super soft dark paints which traditional clay also marred. If you experienced a "ton of marring" from a *fine* grade clay alternative it was either due to a lack of lubrication, failure to "break-in" the clay block on glass prior to use or the fact that you have extremely soft paint. 
 
Using a clay alternative is not voodoo and is not rocket science, despite what many on this forum like to make it sound like. 

This may be your opinion, which is fine, but not the opinion of myself and many other professionals. I use clay alternatives (a clay block) 95% of the time and only use traditional clay when needed. The fine grade clay block I use removes just as many contaminates as my Adam's clay used to and does not mar the paint at all. As I've said in the past the only times I've seen marring are on super soft dark paints which traditional clay also marred. If you experienced a "ton of marring" from a *fine* grade clay alternative it was either due to a lack of lubrication, failure to "break-in" the clay block on glass prior to use or the fact that you have extremely soft paint. 
 
Using a clay alternative is not voodoo and is not rocket science, despite what many on this forum like to make it sound like. 

I have also switched to a clay alternative towel.  Going from hearing the contaminants making noise against the towel to no more noise and being completely smooth tells me it is working.  I still have some clay bars for very tight spots or what not, but definitely not for the majority of a car.

^I agree with most of what Tim said, clay alternatives are great for what they are and a huge time saver for neglected finishes. For most of the enthusiasts on the forum who are claying 2-3x a year on well maintained cars it's probably not as much of a need, because a quick pass or two with clay will remove most of the contaminants that will accumulate over the course of a few months.
 
I have both on my shelf and use them both when decontaminating, along with a 1:1 DWC dilution as iron remover. The "decon triple threat" as I call it.
 
Used properly though, a fine grade clay sponge (I prefer it) or mitt would be fine to add to your regimen, in addition to the clay on your shelf.

Adam's Car Shampoo is one of the best I've ever used, it's a great product for sure. Nice Ram!

Its an eco bost escape.....not a GT500....

Clay always has a place on my shelf, however, its more of a maintenance use product for me, i.e. if I just polished and sealed, and got some overspray, I may pull out the clay, but I do reach for it less and less.  The fine grade sponge clay alternative, when used not in cold temps (below 45 or so but not many of us are claying then) and with plenty of lubricant, and broken in on glass first, will not mar paint.
 
Only marring I've seen with the clay alternatives comes from either using in too much heat (lubricant dries up too fast) or too cold (polymer surface does not soften up enough), or not enough lubricant (you should be using more than with clay bar and saturating the surface with a pressure/garden sprayer and lubricant of choice, Adams Waterless or diluted Rinseless works great) - My fine grade sponge has been used about 10 times already and still is working awesome.
 
I do love claying, and its very therapeutic, however, as a detailer we should always be making the most of the time saving and efficient processes at our disposal. 
 
Carry on with your decontamination product of choice, sometimes on really hammered cars I will do a 3 step decontamination process - iron out (DWC diluted 1:1), followed by fine grade sponge, followed by a quick run of clay to get anything left, now let me tell you how friggin nice and smooth the paint is after that

HGG is not even slightly comparable to Quick Sealant in my opinion. Quick Sealant was basically just as fast to apply to the vehicle but lasted up to 6 months compared to HGG's 2-3 month range. Quick Sealant could stand up on its own and be the only protection on the paint. HGG is more of a topper, that can be used alone but in my opinion the durability isn't good enough to be used by itself. 
 
I wish I had stocked up on Quick Sealant when it was still offered - it was truly a great product. Wish Adams would consider reformulating to comply to the new VOC laws. 

Nothing wrong with sticking with what you've always done! They're worth trying for $12 though. 
 
Clay alternatives seem to get shamed on on this forum by many (and it seems the ones doing it have never even tried them). I decided to conduct my own testing a while back for this reason and came to the conclusion I wrote above. Just because something is newer doesn't make it bad. 

Clay alternatives really are not more expensive than traditional clay (if we're talking about a simple clay block). Adam's clay is $25. I won't mention the clay alternative I use even though Adam's doesn't sell one so it is technically allowed - but I will say that it is currently $11.69 on Amazon and the most I've paid for this particular clay block is $14. So seeing as it lasts much longer than traditional clay it is actually much cheaper both cost of entry and in the long run. 
 
In the past year there has been exactly 1 instance where the clay block did not fit in an area I needed it to and I had to use regular clay. For the DA clay disk of course that can't fit anywhere, but that's what the smaller clay block is for. 
 
A very respected detail brand also sells a 6" clay pad for a DA for $29.99. 
 
So the clay alternatives being more expensive argument is basically gone - they definitely used to be more expensive than clay, but not anymore.