boar's hair wash brush

wizzzy · 10-02-09, 06:16

Why are these damn things soo much money? Can anyone point me too a nice but not soo harsh on your wallet?

Thanks Rob

Thats Fresh · 10-02-09, 06:49

try your local Harbor Freight or Northern Tools.

wizzzy · 10-03-09, 07:36

hmm never tought of that thanks ill give that a try

Accumulator · 10-04-09, 08:39

Don't expect a bargain when it comes to a *GOOD* BHB. And you need to be careful even with pricey ones.

Check the bristles for adhesive contamination; the adhesive should *NOT* extend out of the block up into the bristles or it'll cause issues in time.

CD-test after soaking the BHB in water/detergent mix for a while (don't test it dry).

The softest BHBs might be too soft for cleaning truly soiled surfaces; the not-so-soft ones might be soft enough to be safe, but they might *not* be. You simply have to test each one and keep testing because they do eventually wear out (the flagging wears off the tips of the bristles). I have "too-soft" ones that I use on the good cars and not-as-soft ones that I use on the drivers; neither causes marring in-and-of itself.

A *good* BHB will last for a long time though. But note that the smaller ones I'm always hyping seem to wear a lot faster than the bigger ones. Might be because the little ones get used differently

But IMO you're not paying for durability; you're paying for the unique features that a BHB brings to the table. Those features (free-rinsing, the ability to be used in a *VERY* gentle manner with the *right* technique) are gonna be lost on people who don't use the BHB properly.

If you just scrub the paint with it it'll be a scratch-machine no matter how good it is. If you use it without a foamgun, well....good luck with that. If you wash a whole panel without rinsing/redunking in shampoo mix, well...good luck with that too. Used to make the job go quicker, I predict a lot of wash-induced marring. Used to make the job go *smarter*, I predict a big *drop* in wash-induced marring, but it'll be more work too and you won't get the technique right the first few times.

Note that when a BHB is used properly, you'll have to follow up with some more aggressive wash media to get the more tenacious road grime/film off. It's just too gentle to be used all by itself. It's best used to "knock the big stuff off" safely, much as others use a pressure washer for the initial pre-wash (a viable alternative IMO).

Kean · 10-05-09, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Check the bristles for adhesive contamination; the adhesive should *NOT* extend out of the block up into the bristles or it'll cause issues in time.

....I have this issue with one of my 8" AG (Montana) BRB's. It took quite a while but you can just begin to see where one or two of the extruding "globs" are breaking apart. I've only been using it for tire, wheel well & engine compartment duty since the discovery but I have yet to find a replacement. Any ideas on a source/brand with consistent quality? I hate spending that kind of money on a new brush simply to find out it has the same problem. .....my 1" round I picked up from AG is holding up well though after several months of constant use.

Accumulator · 10-05-09, 07:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kean

....I have this issue with one of my 8" AG BRB's. It took quite a while but you can just begin to see where one or two of the extruding "globs" are breaking apart. I've only been using it for tire, wheel well & engine compartment duty since the discovery but I have yet to find a replacement. Any ideas on a source/brand with consistent quality? I hate spending that kind of money on a new brush simply to find out it has the same problem. .....my 1" round I picked up from AG is holding up well though after several months of constant use.

I'd contact AG.

You're right to be concerned; the excess adhesive will break off at some point and I can tell you from experience that the hard epoxy *will* mar paint.

I've had this problem with a few BHBs from different vendors and I've never had a problem getting refunds/replacements. But I contacted them soon after the purchase too. I'd explain how you didn't expect it to be a problem, but with use it has become clear that it is/will be.

IME there's no definite way to avoid such issues; [stuff] happens and you can always get a bad one. The Monatanas are generally good, including in this regard, and I'd consider trying to get a better specimen. The right conversation with AG should help in this regard as some people are gonna be more picky than others.

If you want to try a different BHB, I'd lean towards the Griot's ones. Look up my thread "BHB Comparison" (or something like that...) for a write-up comparing the most commonly available BHBs; there are only a few companies making them.

Kean · 10-05-09, 07:59

Thanks for the feedback. In all fairness, I have had this brush for quite some time and it really didn't become an issue until recently. I figure I got my monies worth up to this point. ....and still will although this thing will never see paint again.

I'll check into the thread you mentioned and perhaps I will try the Griot's this time around. In either case, I will make sure to pay closer attention to this the next time around (so I can address it with the vendor asap).

wizzzy · 10-05-09, 05:27

Wow just got school on bhb's lol thanks for all of the usefull info