Water Sprite Chamois
Going from good to great!

The Water Sprite chamois was long the reigning champion among professional detailers like myself when it came to a quality drying towel.

That was before the introduction of all things "microfiber" which has taken every industry by storm!

The world of car care and detailing is no exception as microfiber has proved itself the superior choice for anyone who ever lays their hands on this amazing textile!

Water Sprite Chamois

I was first introduced to this incredible synthetic chamois at the very start of my professional detailing career over 30 years ago.

Back then, your only real choices were bath towels hijacked from the linen closet or the traditional natural chamois of days gone by.

Anyone who has used a genuine leather chamois knows how slimy and awkward these are to work with. And anyone who has used a drying cloth or towel made from microfiber will know firsthand the superior abilities of these cloths.

But with the rise of ultra-absorbent microfiber, does a chamois still have a place in an era of advanced textiles?

I explain how I remain using the Water Sprite chamois towards the bottom of this page —for now, let's look at the alternatives I recommend for two specific reasons:

1. Drying cloths that simply perform better by producing better results.
2. Drying cloths that offer you the user, a better experience.

Car Owners or Car Enthusiasts — A Better Tool To Dry

Meguiar's Water Magnet on Amazon

• Say good bye to lint and scratching when drying your car.
• As safe as safe can get.
• Much more user friendly than the Water Sprite Chamois when used for drying (which is what it is officially designed for, but read below as to how I use it for off-label use)
• Top rated drying towel on Amazon.
• I prefer this one over the version from Chemical Guys below due to its smaller size. (when you have a chamois filled with water, it becomes very heavy. The bigger the chamois, the more difficult it is to actually work with so you want one that is not too small and not too big)
  

Chemical Guys MF Drying Towel on Amazon

• The concept of these drying towels is the ability to quickly soak up all the standing water from your car without having to wring the towel out —thus preventing any water spotting.
• Another top seller and performer among car drying towels.
• Once again; as safe as safe can get!
• Waffle weave texture is a wanted thing when it comes to working with water and drying your car.
• This one is bigger in size than the Meguiar's above and becomes a little problematic when trying to actually wring it out and work with it once you actually get it wet.
  

Water Sprite Chamois:
Still relevant!

I originally started my professional detailing career using a water sprite chamois as my drying cloth, but today I prefer one of the drying choices from above.

With that said, I do continue to use the water sprite chamois in an "off label" manner.

Water Sprite Drying Chamois on Amazon

The only time I use this chamois is when I am using detailing clay to decontaminate that paint.

• I don't use it for its intended purpose of drying your car.
• I don't use it as a chamois at all.
• I simply use it to eliminate the need for using a clay lube when using detailing clay.

(If you are a complete beginner and you don't even know what detailing clay or the clay bar is, then you can read about it at my auto clay bar page.

I have taken the Water Sprite Chamois and tweaked the way it is used so that I use it in a completely different fashion than its intended purpose.

Instead of using clay lube to keep the paint surface lubricated while rubbing the clay bar back and forth across the paint, I use a wet Water Sprite Chamois and place the clay bar underneath it.

The wet chamois resting atop the clay bar will naturally wet the surface areas you are working on and lubricate the areas as you work. This means a few key points:

• You free up one of your hands that no longer has to hold a separate sprayer of clay lube.
• You get to carry one less bottle of "stuff" in your detail set-up.
• You get to buy one less product called clay lube.

Are you beginning to see the benefits of this unique synthetic chamois?!

"Darren, could I not use any cloth to do this with instead of having to get a Water Sprite Chamois?"

No.....

The Water Sprite Chamois is unique in its material. Due to the materials used and the way it is constructed, it remains very smooth and slippery when wet.

This means your clay bar will not stick to it like other cloth material —like microfiber cloth.  If you attempted to use any other type of textile with the clay bar, you would find the clay bar would stick to this material in an unwanted way and you would instantly go back to juggling a dedicated clay lube.

Water Sprite Summary

Once again, like virtually every area of life, the answers you seek will depend on the specifics of you and your world. So to recap:

• If you are a car owner or a car enthusiast, I recommend one of the waffle weave, microfiber drying cloths at the beginning of this page.
• If you are a professional detailer (or attempting to become one) I still recommend the cloths at the beginning for drying, but I recommend the Water Sprite to become more efficient and economical when you are using the clay bar to decontaminate the paint with.
  

My goal has been to help you become you become a more informed car owner and consumer. I hope I have helped.

I wish you much success in your detailing efforts!

Sincerely,

Darren Priest