Trusting Meguiars microfiber towels?

I bought the Meguiars clay bar kit and the Megs wax kit for about $35 total. Anyhow, do you guys trust the microfiber towels and wax applicator they come with or should I get something better? I noticed some small scratches all over my car after washing (2 buckets, nice mitt), drying, claying, then waxing. My absorber towel was quite stiff since I had it new and hadn't used it in years and noticed some scratching sounds (which you're supposed to?) while claying no matter how many times I balled up the clay to get a clean surface. Anyways, do you trust the towels or am I doing something wrong.

 

You should NEVER have scratching sounds. If clay was new, and you hear scratching, you are pushing around big trash and dirt left after washing. Sometimes, if my vehicles have that much fallout after washing, I'll compound and buff the surface to remove it. Clays are awesome, but the surface needs to be pretty clean to start with, or you can make another problem. As for your towel, if it's like mine, (absorber-the synthetic chamois) I'll wash it in the sink with dish washing detergent after a couple uses to make sure it's clean. Hope this helps.