Here’s the deal. They are both shammy towels. If you believed all the superlatives and hype describing each brand on the TV commercials, you would think they were some kind of magic towels. Take the Shamwow. Or the Zorbeez. Either one will change into whatever type of cleaning cloth you need at any time, whether a chamois, sponge, or just plain cloth. And they expand. Well, not really but they do hold 10-12 times their weight in liquids. And like any magic towel, they claim to live forever and have lifetime guarantees.

Both pitch themselves as amazing heroes that easily handle any spill. Cleaning is easier, better, and you save the trees when they replace paper towels. Messes, spills, dirty cars and boats cannot withstand them. So you may wonder which of the two super shammies is really best.

And so they were subjected to independent tests. The Shamwow holds 20 times its weight or about 20 ounces of liquid. Such power for $19.95--eight Shamwow cloths in different sizes, plus a free Shamwow mop for floors and high windows. Independent reviews concluded that the Shamwow does work as advertised on the well known commercial with Vince Offer. They can be used, are super absorbent, do not scratch stove surfaces, but do not pick up 100% of liquids and are useless against thicker liquids. And they do not last forever. Over time, they wear down. The small Shamwows, some felt, were too small, and the free mop was totally useless. Still it could be handy, but keep a couple of paper towel rolls and content yourself with saving just some of the trees.

Zorbeez is famous for having the late, great pitchman Billy Mays on its TV commercial and it claims to be the original super shammy cloth. It had been proven to work exactly as well as the Shamwow. It absorbs 90% of liquid but when cleaning glass, there were still streaks. For the outdoors, they worked as claimed in drying pets. Also, it is cheaper at $10 than the Shamwow, although you do not get the useless mop with it. And unfortunately, like the Shamwow, your Zorbeez cloth will not live forever.

Considering the very similar performance of both the Shamwow and the Zorbeez, you will probably be better off trying the one on which you can find the best offer.