I love the absorbency of these towels. They are absorbent and dry back out quickly. I wash my hands frequently throughout the day and nothing is worse than drying your hands on a towel that is still wet from a previous drying. That doesn't happen with these. The quick-drying also means they are smelling fresh wash after wash which is most important to me. They do shed despite washing them before use, however, the shedding was greatly reduced after the second washing. I own these towels in three different colors and noticed the lighter towels shed more than the darker ones. The only con is that these towels do fade with washing. I'm happy enough with them the fading isn't a deal-breaker for me, but others might not feel the same.