So strong, you can use (and rinse) them as a sponge to clean your whole kitchen while avoiding the negatives of an actual sponge*.
The select-a-size allows for a more reasonably (half)sized default selection, though I often tear even that in half for whatever it is that I need. I've actually seen some people saw the whole roll in half and that seems pretty appealing to me. You could still leave them stacked together on the dispenser, but I wouldn't have to leave half of a paper towel just floating nearby. Update: one of my friends says they actually have perforated ones now that are just little squares!
(Thankfully they've finally helped people price compare by having their different roll sizes actually make sense: single, double, and triples. It used to be ridiculous with "super" (1.83 regular rolls) and then "mega" sometimes being 12 = 20reg or 12 = 26reg)
For other sponge/paper towel alternatives, I would recommend looking into what the europeans use — my brother-in-law has a different favorite for every type of cleaning.
They carry them at The Container Store
And there are tons on Amazon, branded as "Swedish Dishcloths" (with some pretty cute prints available).
*(if you do stick with a sponge, always squeeze as much water out as you can between uses)