NON-Review of EZ Motorcycle Detail Brush

Accumulator said:
Aren't the BMW wheels sorta like the split-5-spokes on my WRX? Sorry, I'm not current on BMWs :o
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In 2001, the split 5-spokes were standard for the M3 and an option for the regular 330I. Unfotunately, my wife has the rims shown below... (nasty pic BTW.. those rims I pulled up from a Yahoo ad)



Here's a link to the brush I was asking about.



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1002&SKU=15220
 

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Intermezzo said:
In 2001, the split 5-spokes were standard for the M3 and an option for the regular 330I. Unfotunately, my wife has the rims shown below... (nasty pic BTW.. those rims I pulled up from a Yahoo ad)



Here's a link to the brush I was asking about.



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1002&SKU=15220
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I dunno... I've seen similar looking brushes by Detailer's Choice locally (they're yellow I think?).



Despite what they say I keep thinking the thing looks too much like a scouring pad for my tastes.



EDIT: Ah ha! Here it is: http://www.carcareonline.com/detail.asp?product_id=17629



If you can prove that the Griot's one is a different, softer material then that would be a different story...



I wonder if you can just make one of these with something like a furnace filter mat or something and some glue? :nixweiss
 
2wheelsx2- I've pretty well solved the split-spoke cleaning with my various boar's hair brushes and THESE SWABS , which are the ones I also use to clean the inside/backsides of my wheels.



Intermezzo- Ah, I see, thanks for the link. As 4dsc said, unless that thing is somehow VERY different from the yellow one that others sell, you don't want to touch YOUR wheels with it. The yellow one is like a mild Scotchbrite pad (the one for non-stick cookware).



BTW, a guy I spoke with at Griot's agreed that THEIRS would not be appopriate for MY wheels, after I told him how particular I am about marring. SO I'm guessing that theirs is just like the yellow one.



Those things are fine for people with a real mess to clean off, but if you treat your wheels like the hood of your car, I'd pass.



Oh, and I don't envy you the job of cleaning those BMW wheels! I'd go boar's hair brush, myself. The smaller ones Griot's sells (which I also use to clean around exposed lugnuts, valve stems, etc.).
 
Accumulator, are those swabs from Griots reusable? Also, where did you get your boars hair brushes for your wheels? I know Griots sells one for the car, but do you have little ones for wheels? If so, do you have a link or did you buy them locally?



Thanks.
 
Spilchy- The swabs are reusable up to a point. I get at least several cleanings out of them and I sure don't baby them! At $1.50 or so each, they last long enough for me. When I use them to AIO/etc. my grill they don't last too long, though. They're NOT really "durable" but they aren't exactly disposable either.



Yeah, the smaller BHBs are from Griot's. I don't have a link handy, but a set of three different ones is pn 15520 it's $29.95 well spent. I honestly don't know how I ever got by without them, I use them for all sorts of washing tasks.



I'm assuming you're already familiar with their "regular" boar's hair brushes and the ones for wheels/undercarriages, if not, shout out and I'll go on and on about them ;)
 
Thanks, bud! :xyxthumbs



I think I'll add those swabs and brushes and Griots to my list to add to the arsenal. :D
 
Hey Accumulator, if you're still monitoring this thread, I went to Griot's site and purchased the foam swabs and the interior boar's hair detail brushes you like including the one for leather.



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1001&SKU=10226



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1006&SKU=15515



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1006&SKU=15520



I also bought the little finger pockets for the wheels and the foam wheel brush too.



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1002&SKU=15220



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?SKUupsell=11838



I also went for the big kahuna... I bought the $70 boars hair brush :scared



http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1001&SKU=66073



I have heard awesome things about boars hair from the old schoolers. I am a sheepskin freak myself, so I'll be treading in uncharted waters with this one :eek: It'll take some getting used to, but I'm excited to add it to the 183 other brushes I have :D



Also, with their money back guarantee, if I don't like it, I won't be stuck with it.



All in all, Griot's is somewhat overpriced, but for my first order, I think I made out ok. I can't find these things elsewhere for less money. I don't think I'll be buying any products from there, just accessories this one time.
 
While a boars hair brush has its place in my detailing aresenal it never touches any of my already polished and detailed cars as it leaves faint scratches, especially on dark colors.



I use mine for large vehicles, like trucks, that my clients really just use to go hunting or don't really care much about the finish other than the occasional cleaning.



You will be better off with your sheepskin or deep sea sponge for AFTER detailing car care.



Anthony
 
Spilchy- Heh heh, Griot's oughta pay me a commision. I dunno about the foam wheel brush. Mine just sits, but I didn't send it back.



Anthony- We can agree to disagree on this one, if need be :D :cool: Maybe "disagree" is too stong, it can be a little tough to use one without marring (and some paints are just too soft for them). But I HAVE used them on certain vehicles with no marring whatsoever. I've marred paint with them too! All in all, I don't think I'm gonna recommend anyone switch from mitts, etc. at least not if they can wash mar-free with whatever they're using now.



I'm gonna post a new thread about these things rather than thread-jack my own EZ brush thread.
 
Heh heh, I'm just not letting this thread die :D



I decided to use the EZ brush today instead of sending it back. I did NOT use it on wheels, though (still think it's too rough for that). I used it on some of the undercarriage areas of the MPV. It worked OK for that, got into some fairly tight spots and worked well on the rear coil springs and exhaust hangers. SO, I'll say that it does have a place in the arsenal after all.



I sure do use a lot of different things on the wheels, wheelwells, and undercarriage! Four different BHBs, big Griot's swabs, the EZ brush, a tire brush, a "Quickee" glass cleaning foam mop, four different spray bottles of cleaners, an undercar spray wand, and a compact plastic hose nozzle that fits into the wheelwells, etc. and doesn't chip the paint if I get careless. It probably takes me longer to do these areas than some people spend on the whole car :o but even my beaters are nice and clean underneath :D
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, I'm just not letting this thread die :D



I decided to use the EZ brush today instead of sending it back. I did NOT use it on wheels, though (still think it's too rough for that). I used it on some of the undercarriage areas of the MPV. It worked OK for that, got into some fairly tight spots and worked well on the rear coil springs and exhaust hangers. SO, I'll say that it does have a place in the arsenal after all.



I sure do use a lot of different things on the wheels, wheelwells, and undercarriage! Four different BHBs, big Griot's swabs, the EZ brush, a tire brush, a "Quickee" glass cleaning foam mop, four different spray bottles of cleaners, an undercar spray wand, and a compact plastic hose nozzle that fits into the wheelwells, etc. and doesn't chip the paint if I get careless. It probably takes me longer to do these areas than some people spend on the whole car :o but even my beaters are nice and clean underneath :D
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:shocked



Oh boy! :bow
 
What's the flagged tip brush that everyone is talking about they use on the outter part of thier rims. I have seen some...but which is the safe one you guys are using?
 
A lot of us like the oxo brush. I know I like a plain old wet MF and car wash soap OR #36 or P21s and a wet MF. My wheels are super protected so I don't need a dedicated wheel cleaner
 
Has anyone used the TOL BHB. I'm thinking about this for a set of HRE wheels I just ordered. The centers are brushed alum/clearcoated but I still want to baby these $$ wheels. The picture in this reply is the style of the wheel but not the same finish. Still debating on the OXO Spoke Brush.









http://store.yahoo.com/tolae/boarhairwhee.html









dubs.jpg
 
What's the flagged tip brush that everyone is talking about they use on the outter part of thier rims. I have seen some...but which is the safe one you guys are using?
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This is the brush I use. I got it from CMA, but I've seen similar ones at Target and auto parts stores. Should run you anywhere from $5-$7. Whether or not it is safe is in the eye of the beholder, but this brush has worked for me and I've not noticed any scratches from it.

classic-motoring_1772_2149454
 
chefwong- I haven't tried the one from TOL, but it sure looks like it'd be OK. The bristles looks good, but we'll never know until someone tries it, hint hint ;)



FWIW, the ones from Griot's are cheaper and, again, just FWIW, *I* sorta prefer a shorter handle on the one I use on wheels. The longer handle is nice for undercarriage work, but I prefer the leverage of the short one for wheels. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to try that TOL one on the HRE wheels and no, you sure DON'T want to mess those up! Refinishing HREs is an expensive proposition. BTW, I loved the HREs on my C5. Real quality pieces.



But [Accumulator's broken record :o ] get the smaller BHBs (and the big swabs) from Griot's for around the lug nuts/bolts, valve stem, etc. The bigger brushes ALWAYS leave spots untouched, at least for me. Heh heh, if you're spending that much for wheels you can afford a few brushes and things to keep 'em nice.
 
Hmm, I wonder if anyone has ever used TOL's BHB (the large one for general washing)? It doesn't sound as played-up as the Griots one is, but it's less expensive... :p





chefwong, I don't think a large, broad brush like that would be a good tool for wheels with that kind of spoke design IMHO. I would think that you need something thinner and smaller so that you can fit it in between the spokes, instead of trying to mash the hairs of a BHB in between them (might scratch, might be very hard on the brush)...
 
4DSC said:
...I don't think a large, broad brush like that would be a good tool for wheels with that kind of spoke design IMHO. I would think that you need something thinner and smaller so that you can fit it in between the spokes, instead of trying to mash the hairs of a BHB in between them (might scratch, might be very hard on the brush)...
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Yeah, that's it exactly. Even with wheels (which often have thicker, harder clear) the way to do it is to just lightly whisk the surface. Scrubbing, or otherwise deforming the brush isn't the best (i.e., gentlest) way to do it. And *I* can never get the "mashed" bristles to go quite where I want them anyhow- just doesn't work for tight spots. Better to use a smaller brush and just barely make contact with the tips of its bristles.



Actually, when I was cleaning HRE wheels (mine were anodized) or BBS-style ones, I used a whole bunch of different things, brushes, sponges, mitts, etc.
 
Hey Accumulator, if you're still on this thread, I returned my entire order to Griot's excpet the Boars Hair trio set of brushes.



Those foam swabs are a complete rip off, the boar's hair brush was loaded with stiff non-flagged black hairs, the wheel brush made the EZ brush feel like goose feathers and the horse hair leather brush completely shed all over the place.



I can create my own foam swabs by cutting foam paint brushes for .30 cents a piece at Home Depot



Griot's is a total rip. I feel like a fool for ordering from there. Never again.
 
Spilchy- OMG! Sorry to hear about your disappointment, I almost feel guilty for pointing you in that direction. In fact i WOULD feel guilty, except that your experience seems SO different from mine that I couldn't have foreseen it turning out that way. You must be pretty steamed about the shipping costs to return that stuff!



Glad to hear you're keeping the little brushes, though. I just love 'em.



Lemme address some of your returned products, if I may...not trying to stick up for Griot's, just discussing...



*I* really like the foam swabs. For me, they worked out better than the foam painter's brushes, which pulled apart on me. To each their own on that one. Be careful with the painter's brushes, the plastic handles can scratch paint. We can agree to disagree on that product :D :cool: Want me to buy them off you? I'll pay your cost plus (reasonable ;) ) shipping so you don't get stuck with it. PM me if interested.





HM...your BHBs for wheels were coarser than the EZ Brush?!? That is just TOTALLY opposite my experience. We ARE talking about the 92546/92547 ones, right? I have four of them (long story) and they're all MUCH softer than the EZ, so much so that it would truly be silly to compare them. Now mine are several years old, so I wonder if Griot's changed something. That one just astounds me, I would've bet my life on THAT product recommendation :nixweiss I honestly don't know what to say! Now I'm worried about replacements when MINE start to wear out!



On the regular BHB, my latest ones have some of the unflagged (or "less flagged) black hairs too (my old ones didn't- maybe that's something to watch for). Haven't cause any problems for me, though. As we've been saying, they aren't right for ALL vehicles, but they sure don't mar my MPV. Well, that one was sorta an experiment, huh? As I keep saying, I sure wouldn't blame anyone for sticking with mitts.



The leather brush shed already?!? I got mine back in the early '90s when Griot was still small-time. It's still fine. Once again, I wonder if they've started selling sub-par stuff.



Again, I feel bad about having given you what turned out to be a bum steer. I'm gonna be :confused: about that BHB for wheels all day....I might even order one up just to see if you got a bad one! But those little BHBs are gonna be *SO* useful that I think you're still gonna come out ahead overall. Heh heh, easy for me to say, I don't have to pay your return shipping :o Lemme know about the swabs.
 
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