DRC:  (Double Re-creped Cellulose) This product is wood pulp with a latex binder creped on one side, turned and creped on the other side.  The biggest selling point is softness & absorbency.  This product is stronger than normal because of the latex binder.  It stretches a lot again because of the latex and creping.  DRC is used where a stronger and softer product is required than normal paper wipers.  This product is popular in the food service and painting industry among others due to the cloth-like feel.

Hydroentangled:  There are many, many different products in this category so it's hard to get too specific.  This process involves combining textile and paper fibers together using water to form a web.  Hence the name, hydroentangled.  It was developed originally to meet medical needs for garments and to replace textiles.  This product is very strong and solvent resistant because there are no glues or binders for solvents to attack.  This product is used in solvent applications to replace rags.  They are cleaner, usually uniform in size.  This is popular in auto body shops, industrial use of cleaners and degreasers, like transmission shops, heavy industry.

Textile Wipers:  If processed properly (washed) and cut properly are by far the best wiping choice.  They will beat non-woven wipes hands down.  Unfortunately, they are never used properly.  Since we are a disposable society, people use them once and discard them.  While they are the best they are also the most expensive.  I would love to have a Ferrari to drive to work, but my Lincoln does just fine and about 1/10 the price.  This is what you have with rags.  Rags grew from the textile industry in the American south.  Now that textiles have moved off shore, new textile rags will become more expensive.  There are already several firms in the south with knitting operations make rags.  

Fluid pick-up & release:  Two Key Words - Absorbent and Adsorbent
    Absorbent - the process of wicking where fluid is picked up and retained in hollow fibers.  Only agricultural products are absorbent, i.e., cellulose, cotton, rayon (made from wood pulp), hemp, jute, etc.
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The only exception to this rule are hydrocarbons, since they have an affinity for other hydrocarbons.  So if you have a pool of motor oil, use nylon, polyester, polypropylene to absorb it.  Again, this is because they all come from hydrocarbons.

When it comes to recouping hydrocarbons, textiles, or textile pads, socks, or booms (sorbents) are the only choice.  Nonwovens won't hold up to the squeezing pressure most of the time.  There are some companies trying hydroentangled nonwovens as covering for some oil booms and socks.  I believe they offer cost savings over textiles but probably will not last as long.  Again, key here is how the product if used.  If it is going to be used over and over, textiles are the winner hands down.