Swissvax style brushes and leather brush

A

anson89

New member
Are there any cheaper/better alternatives to the Swissvax detailing brushes? Also looking for a good leather brush for scrubbing instead of using toothbrushes.



Thanks
 
The Swissvax brushes are not very expensive, and they last a long time. You just have to be a little dilligent with the leather brush.





John
 
Hmmmmm, using atoothbrush on leather is a great idea! :bow



Look into the DUO sponge by HD Car Care and/or a vegetable scrub brush. I also have a few various Boars Hair brushes that are very gentle and work great too.
 
Warning: Cheesy solution to follow:





Here's what I did (yep a little too much time on my hands).



CIMG1992.jpg




Materials:

Vent Brush from Pep Boys $1.09

Old wooden spoon from kitchen drawer (had on hand)

Wood glue (had on hand)

Electrical tape (had on hand)



Time:

20 minutes



Used the Dremel to cut the spoon down

Drilled (3/8ths bit) through the center of the vent brush about 1.75" deep

Used the Dremel to fine tune the spoon handle diameter to match vent brush bore

Applied some wood glue

Insert spoon handle into vent brush and let set

Apply electrical tape for "looks"



The only down side is the bristles are housed in metal versus plastic, but I mainly use this for engine detailing and you just have to be a little careful. It's totally cheesey (and I know it :dance), but its really sturdy, works great and was a fun little project.
 
I went to Michael's and bought some brushes to use for wheels. So far no problems with them and they only cost a little less than $5 a brush.
 
I don't like the SV leather brush for the $$



HOWEVER, the wheel brush is worth every penny.



What makes it's so great is the density of the hairs in the brush in relation to length of it. It has enough give(firm but not too firm) yet is still gentle for those $$$ wheels.
 
I love my Swissvax Wheel brush as well. It provides tough agitation on surfaces without scratches or marring. And at $12, its priced for its performance and durability. Definitely worth every penny. Thats why I bought two. =D
 
chefwong said:
I don't like the SV leather brush for the $$



HOWEVER, the wheel brush is worth every penny.



What makes it's so great is the density of the boars hair brush in relation to length of it. It has enough give(firm but not too firm) yet is still gentle for those $$$ wheels.
Click to expand...



I thought the swissvax wheel brush was Horse Hair? Correct me if im wrong.



O BTW, during use dont smell it. Its disgusting.
 
We tend to find that boars head brushes are too soft for leather cleaning as the idea is to get your foam cleaner into the grain pattern to do its work - the bristles on this type tend to bend at the ends and so do not work in the way required.

Try using a simple dish washing brush with plastic bristles - remember you are not trying to scrub the dirt out (this is too aggressive and may damage the finish on the leather) you are merely using the brush to get the product into all the nooks and crannies so that it can soften the dirt and lift it. This is a good reason for using a foam rather than a liquid cleaner as it stays put and gives the product time to do its job. In leather cleaning it should always be the product that does the work not agression or elbow grease.
 
I also bought a couple at Michael's artist paint brushes for the aforementioned ~$5 ea. And, they nominally have a coupon once a week to buy one item for %50 off (therefore, a~$2.50 price). Can't seem to find the URL on the Michael's site. However, the brush looks a lot like a Swissvax brush and is with all the paint/brush supplies in the store.



See ya. :wavey



RustyBumper said:
I went to Michael's and bought some brushes to use for wheels. So far no problems with them and they only cost a little less than $5 a brush.
Click to expand...
 
Are the swissvax wheel brush bristles kind of firm or are they really soft like a regular paintbrush? Those pictured in GoCubsGo's post look super soft...
 
dheath said:
Are the swissvax wheel brush bristles kind of firm or are they really soft like a regular paintbrush? Those pictured in GoCubsGo's post look super soft...
Click to expand...



They are really soft in my opinion. Delicate enough to use it as a make-up brush. I dont know about GoCubsGo's brushes...never had any experience with time but you cant go wrong with Swissvax.
 
The ones pictured in GoCubs look too soft....but YMMV.



The Swissvax ones are SOFT in material but DENSE so it's soft enough but has because it's so ~dense~ it has enough give to work wheels.
 
judyb -



I find plastic bristles a bit too hard for my taste --- or so the ones I have seen ...

However, I have a boars hair brush that is shaped in a rectangle and personally I find it's great in my experiance.



When I 1st started detailing, I though a wipe with a cloth was fine.



However, after using product and scrubbing with a boar hair brush, you can definitely see how much cleaner it gets since the hairs agitate the dirt in between the grains.



Would love to hear some more leather blurbs from you...
 
Scotch brite are fine but do not get down into the grain like a brush does. We have never had a problem with the stiff brushes if they are used correctly.
 
chefwong said:
The ones pictured in GoCubs look too soft....but YMMV.



The Swissvax ones are SOFT in material but DENSE so it's soft enough but has because it's so ~dense~ it has enough give to work wheels.
Click to expand...



The make-shift vent brush is pretty soft, but I use it on the DD and friend's cars so the build up I need to remove is usually very minimal. It serves it's purpose and it did cost all of $1 so I wasn't expecting a miracle :lol.



I'm going to out on a limb here and venture a guess that there are MUCH better options out there if your budget exceeds $1 or the wife isn't happy with you hacking up wooden spoons from the kitchen :lol :lol :lol.
 
I used to use those little vent brushes on my wheels as well before I got a swissvax wheel brush. The swissvax is slightly stiffer and covers more area, but the vent brush is easier to maneuver. As for a leather brush, I use a horsehair brush used for shoes, only if the leather needs agitation. Otherwise I just use microfibers to clean.
 
Microfiber cloths are not recommended for leather (we have also spoken to a few manufacturers of these). This is because they are desigend to pick up small particles from the surface (which they do very well - you can usually feel the 'grab' on your hand) the problem is that if there is any weak area of finish on the leather the microfiber will find it and either weaken it further or pull it off as it cannot distinguish between dirt and loose particles of finish or pigment.
 
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