After trying lots of things, my favorite applicator so far has been Viva Vantage "paper towels" which unfortunately were discontinued sometime in 2019. It was a soft and stretchy 1-ply material with a unique texture that was advertised to give it "Cloth-like durability and sponge-like absorbency". For all practical purposes it was the most lint-free paper towel I have ever used.
Around 2021, Kimberly-Clark (the Kleenex Brand people) released a replacement called Viva Signature Cloth which is what I switched to and have been using ever since. It is also 1-Ply and so far appears to be relatively as lint-free and is somewhat soft, absorbent, and cloth-like as was the Viva Vantage. I haven't had any problems with it, but I liked the older stuff better.
Other than the perforations between sheets, I also cut them with scissors rather than tearing them. Cutting also reduces the potential for lint. And, I fold the smaller pieces into thirds and then in half so that the exposed edges all have folds and no bare edges - again to reduce the risk of having any loose fibers contaminate my finish.
Since their cousin, Viva Multi-surface are 2-Ply I never even tried them as applicators.
For general wiping and clean-up I use Bounty which is also 2-Ply, but for these purposes I'm not so concerned about lint.
I have also gone through trial periods where I used the closed cell "craft foam" as an applicator as well as plastic bags, and even nitrile (although I used finger cots rather than pieces of gloves). Like John (Woodchipper), I couldn't get as smooth and uniform of a finish as I could with the Viva, so that's how I wound up with the regimen I have today.
The key is to try things and then settle on whatever gives you an acceptable and repeatable result.
Regards - Dave
PS I still keep a supply of finger cots and use them to protect my finger from getting accidentally glued to my CA applicator.
