The Absorber

The Absorber

A real tear-jerker

THE CREW AT CLEANTOOLS, MAKERS of The Absorber, a synthetic chamois for drying off cars and bikes after washing, really get into their work, tossing off phrases like "sponge-like pore structure" and "capillary action."

The claim is that the man-made leather-like PVA material is better than the real thing, absorbing water three times faster and holding 50 percent more before reaching its saturation point. In addition, CleanTools claims, PVA is resistant to many of the chemicals used in modern cleaning materials and is unharmed by grease and oil. Unlike leather, The Absorber will not rot, and should it ever mildew, you can toss it in the washer with liquid detergent and a little ammonia, says the maker.

We didn't conduct an organic vs. syn thetic wipe test, but the product works as advertised, absorbing water drops from paint and chrome without unduly streaking or doing any damage to the surface. At first it seemed slightly less absorbent than some other synthetic

chamois we've tried, but after a "break-in" pen od, it performed as well or better.

The Absorber comes in a plastic tube that is supposed to be its home be tween wipe-downs, keeping the wrungout PVA moist and supple. Often we left it spread out and let it air-dry to brit tleness between uses, but the material bounces right back after being hosed down, none the worse for it.

Highly recommended, either in the 17 x 27-inch regular size (shown) or the more bike-appropriate 13 x 17-inch travel size,pricedat$11.

DETAILS Cleanlools, Inc. 10 Plaza Dr. Westmont, IL 60559 800/654-3933 www.theabsorber.com Price.. .$16 A Better drying through chemistry A Comes in six colors A Fun to say "synthetic chamois" "owns Y Buy several; your wife/girl friend/mother will want one for around the house V Works well on wet English cocker spaniels, too