Any type of towel will take off some of the oil. Microfiber towels absorb more oil than any other type of towel. IMHO, they are worth a little extra for the fact they are very effective in absorbing the oil.

I buy them in the automotive (polish) department at Wal-Mart. They are available in most proshops but will cost more and are no more effective than the Wal-Mart brand.

TT
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"Following the course of least resistance makes for crooked rivers and crooked men."

Basically, due to the way 99% of us "swipe" at the ball between frames, the better a towel absorbs oil, the better off we will be and th e cleaner the ball will be. Few materials absorb as quickly or as well as the micro-fiber towels (70%/30% polyester/polyamide). So why not use the best when they are still pretty cheap, around $1.00 each. They wash easily; just don't use fabric softener on them.

Oh, a clean towel is best. Ever see some of the scum rags people wipe their balls with? It's like wiping your ball with the bottom of your shoe after you've stepped in _______!
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"...for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise...."
J. R. R. Tolkien

When I started bowling, I used a plain cotton cloth for wiping. Worked fine. Then I switched to micro fibre, and I found a dust cloth very handy because it has a very smooth and dense surface. Sucks oil like the cotton cloth, but takes off grime and oil remnats much better than the cotton. Just is not as durable - after half a year I have to replace it (I wipe the ball almost before each shot, plus some cleaning at home with ball cleaner), and washing it from time to time gets it back to work.

Fine, velvet-like microfibre is the best I have tried so far.
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DizzyFugu --- Reporting from Germany
Team "X": http://homepage.mac.com/timlinked/
"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream..." - Edgar Allen Poe