OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have been in the need to replenish my larger shop towels in the shop, and I have been waffling and researching total cost and going over in my head what I like about the current ones I'm using and what I don't like and trying to come up with a one-size fits all approach. I currently use 3 variations of paper towels in my shop and reuse them based on various "stages" of dirtiness, or degree of soiled if you will. 
I would like to reduce that to only 2 variations of shop towels.
On the column of the 2-post lift located in the center of the shop I have a pull dispenser where I have the Tork center pull "blue" paper towels. These are not heavy duty at all but a big step up from a normal paper towel. These get used as a quick absorber or something I know will be a quick use and then go right into the trash. A friend of mine uses these exclusively in his shop so when he orders them he will usually order quite a lot at a time (sometimes a pallet at a time) and he will let me know and I will go in partially with him for several cases. These come two rolls to a case and are a relatively inexpensive paper towel, but very convenient for quick cleanups.
The next step up in my current arsenal of shop towels is the Wypall X80 red hand towel (5930). These measure roughly 8" x 16" and are a nice red paper towel that is much more fibrous than the Tork but work well for general shop use. And then I have the Wypall X80 Heavy Duty blue shop towels (4104). These measure approx. 12" x 16" and are a nice heavy duty and very much reusable shop towel that also come in a pull box.
I generally have varying degrees of dirtiness in shop towels. I have the clean to very minimally soiled which are used for cleaner work and wiping down tools before they go back into the toolbox. This is also the one I generally have in my pocket in the shop. The next step is moderately soiled which is used for wiping down greasy parts or medium cleanup duties on the workbench. Lastly, the very soiled step. This is one step from the trash, but I can't quite throw them away, yet. This level gets used for wiping up spills and/or larger grease spots on either the workbenches or the floor and then they go straight into the trash. As you can see, I try to get the most out of the shop towels from the time they leave the box until they hit the trash can as I hate to be wasteful of anything.
Well, upon some research and calculating total costs, I made a decision to go to the large rolls or bulk Wypall shop towels as these seem to offer the best value and by hanging them near the two most used work area, they will also be convenient.
I was going to build some kind of hanger, but with the use of a coupon plus a $25 rebate that I had, I opted to splurge the first go-round and buy a couple of wall hangers. From here on, just the refill rolls is all that will be needed. They also make a floor stand for these large rolls, but I really didn't want to tie up any additional floor space, although I have heard some reviews that state the floor dispenser is nice to move it right to where you are working. My shop isn't that large, so having them located on the wall in two convenient locations will be more than adequate and one less thing to trip over or have to move around in the shop.
The Wypall bulk towels come in individually wrapped rolls.
Wypall 41055 is still the X80 shop towel in a Heavy Duty variety which is a very nice and heavily woven shop towel. These are nearly identical to the blue ones that I have been using in the boxes and will be a bit more convenient and lesser overall cost.
Now for the price rundown in case anyone is interested. If not, you can skip this portion of today's presentation.
The Wypall X80 (5930) usually come in a package of 5-boxes, each box contains 80 count of roughly 8" x 16" hand towels. These can be purchased at varying prices between $130-$150 for a case of 5 boxes for a total of 400 count. If we use an average of say $140 for a case that equates to $0.35/each.
The Wypall X80 HD Blue (41041) come in a box of approx. 152 count and measure 12" x 16", so approximately 50% wider than the regular X80 hand towel. These can be purchased anywhere around $45-$50 per box. If we use $48 as an average, these run approx. $0.32/sheet.
Then lets look at the Wypall X80 HD Red bulk shop towel that I just purchased. These measure approx. 12" x 14" and come on a roll of 475 count. Thes vary between about $70-$75 per roll, which if we use an average of $73 dollars per roll, equates to approx. $.015/per sheet.
Here are the three for size comparisons. I am nearly out of the Blue X80's and still have almost a full case of the smaller X80 hand towels, but these smaller boxes work well for carrying in the Jeep and coach, so I may just use the last of them solely for that purpose and retire them from normal shop use. I will just stick with the Tork center pull blue towels for quick wipe-up duties and the remainder of the shop rag duties will be carried out by the Wypall X80 HD bulk (41055) shop towels, in varying degrees of dirtiness still.
One roll is mounted in a void just inboard of my main workbench within easy reach where I do most of my work between the lift and the toolbox right behind the vise.
It is still 9" off the workbench surface.
And 18" from the face of a full roll to the center of the bench mounted vise. This should still give me more than enough room to utilize the vise and not interfere with the roll of towels.
If you've followed along this far and I haven't bored you, stay tuned for the location of the second roll.
I would like to reduce that to only 2 variations of shop towels.On the column of the 2-post lift located in the center of the shop I have a pull dispenser where I have the Tork center pull "blue" paper towels. These are not heavy duty at all but a big step up from a normal paper towel. These get used as a quick absorber or something I know will be a quick use and then go right into the trash. A friend of mine uses these exclusively in his shop so when he orders them he will usually order quite a lot at a time (sometimes a pallet at a time) and he will let me know and I will go in partially with him for several cases. These come two rolls to a case and are a relatively inexpensive paper towel, but very convenient for quick cleanups.
The next step up in my current arsenal of shop towels is the Wypall X80 red hand towel (5930). These measure roughly 8" x 16" and are a nice red paper towel that is much more fibrous than the Tork but work well for general shop use. And then I have the Wypall X80 Heavy Duty blue shop towels (4104). These measure approx. 12" x 16" and are a nice heavy duty and very much reusable shop towel that also come in a pull box.
I generally have varying degrees of dirtiness in shop towels. I have the clean to very minimally soiled which are used for cleaner work and wiping down tools before they go back into the toolbox. This is also the one I generally have in my pocket in the shop. The next step is moderately soiled which is used for wiping down greasy parts or medium cleanup duties on the workbench. Lastly, the very soiled step. This is one step from the trash, but I can't quite throw them away, yet. This level gets used for wiping up spills and/or larger grease spots on either the workbenches or the floor and then they go straight into the trash. As you can see, I try to get the most out of the shop towels from the time they leave the box until they hit the trash can as I hate to be wasteful of anything.
Well, upon some research and calculating total costs, I made a decision to go to the large rolls or bulk Wypall shop towels as these seem to offer the best value and by hanging them near the two most used work area, they will also be convenient.
I was going to build some kind of hanger, but with the use of a coupon plus a $25 rebate that I had, I opted to splurge the first go-round and buy a couple of wall hangers. From here on, just the refill rolls is all that will be needed. They also make a floor stand for these large rolls, but I really didn't want to tie up any additional floor space, although I have heard some reviews that state the floor dispenser is nice to move it right to where you are working. My shop isn't that large, so having them located on the wall in two convenient locations will be more than adequate and one less thing to trip over or have to move around in the shop.
The Wypall bulk towels come in individually wrapped rolls.
Wypall 41055 is still the X80 shop towel in a Heavy Duty variety which is a very nice and heavily woven shop towel. These are nearly identical to the blue ones that I have been using in the boxes and will be a bit more convenient and lesser overall cost.
Now for the price rundown in case anyone is interested. If not, you can skip this portion of today's presentation.
The Wypall X80 (5930) usually come in a package of 5-boxes, each box contains 80 count of roughly 8" x 16" hand towels. These can be purchased at varying prices between $130-$150 for a case of 5 boxes for a total of 400 count. If we use an average of say $140 for a case that equates to $0.35/each.
The Wypall X80 HD Blue (41041) come in a box of approx. 152 count and measure 12" x 16", so approximately 50% wider than the regular X80 hand towel. These can be purchased anywhere around $45-$50 per box. If we use $48 as an average, these run approx. $0.32/sheet.
Then lets look at the Wypall X80 HD Red bulk shop towel that I just purchased. These measure approx. 12" x 14" and come on a roll of 475 count. Thes vary between about $70-$75 per roll, which if we use an average of $73 dollars per roll, equates to approx. $.015/per sheet.
Here are the three for size comparisons. I am nearly out of the Blue X80's and still have almost a full case of the smaller X80 hand towels, but these smaller boxes work well for carrying in the Jeep and coach, so I may just use the last of them solely for that purpose and retire them from normal shop use. I will just stick with the Tork center pull blue towels for quick wipe-up duties and the remainder of the shop rag duties will be carried out by the Wypall X80 HD bulk (41055) shop towels, in varying degrees of dirtiness still.
One roll is mounted in a void just inboard of my main workbench within easy reach where I do most of my work between the lift and the toolbox right behind the vise.
It is still 9" off the workbench surface.
And 18" from the face of a full roll to the center of the bench mounted vise. This should still give me more than enough room to utilize the vise and not interfere with the roll of towels.
If you've followed along this far and I haven't bored you, stay tuned for the location of the second roll.
