Any opinions on the Griots Boar's Hair Wash Brush

My opinion on ANYTHING from Griot's is this:

Anything they sell can be found much cheaper somewhere else. Even the stuff with their name on it, is really some other product packaged for Griot's
 
Hello, all. FWIW, this is my first post since registering. I've been a detailing fanatic since the mid-'70's.



JB in Irvine- As I've been using boar's hair brushes for about 20 years and am currently using my second generation of ones from Griot's, I feel qualified to comment.



I have tried pretty much every cleaning method and device out there, and I usually choose to use the brushes, primarily for ease of use and the free-rinsing qualities that you mentioned. I generally have NO marring problems with them most of the time (even when inspected with an illuminated magnifier), but they DO occasionally mar cars that have VERY soft paint (e.g., softer than on a C5, they didn't mar that) and/or cars that get too dirty between washes (so dirty that most ANY method could cause marring) and/or if I get careless. So, all in all, they work well for me. BUT, a non-autopian friend of mine who uses the same brushes DOES get marring/minor swirls, frequently, on a car that has good, hard paint (I've washed it w/o problems using the brushes).



A lot of it depends on technique. (You probably already know all the following but anyhow..) As with mits, Use LOTS of high-lubricity wash solution- keep the brush saturated. Use front-to-back strokes. Don't press hard- barely bend tips of the bristles. Think of it as "lightly whisking" the dirt off the finish as opposed to "scrubbing" it off. Rinse the brush THOROUGHLY and FREQUENTLY, as often as after every swipe if need be (the dirt travels up the bristles some, but it doesn't get enmeshed in them as with a mit- good for rinsing, bad for marring). Clean out and refill your rinse bucket as needed. And if the car's VERY dirty, don't try to get it all off with the first, or even second, pass.



The brushes last a long time (years of weekly washes) with little/no care, but inspect the flagged ends of the bristles for wear- they WILL mar if/when the tips wear past a certain point. BUT, inspect them very carefully before use! I've had to return ones with bristles contaminated with the adhesive used to set them into the handle. BTW, the smaller, paintbrush-style ones are great for nooks and crannies but their wood handles aren't as forgiving as plastic. The ones for wheels also work well IF the wheels aren't too dirty or too delicately finished (the marring issue again). The longer handled one is good for not-too-dirty undercarriages (to my surprise, I prefer the short handled one for wheels- better leverage/control). Yes, they're sorta expensive, but with Griot's you really do get 100% boar's hair (this has been debated here and I got Griot's unconditional assurance about it).



Hope this was helpful. Gee, looong first post :eek:
 
Accumulator said:
Gee, looong first post :eek:
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Yes, but extremely informative. Never ever considered a brush before. Might be something to look at.

Thanks for all your information.



Charles
 
I have always wondered about the brush vs. wash mitt and which was less damaging to the finish. The Miata has pretty soft paint, and while the brush may do a bit of micro-marring, the mitt does too, as it probably does a bit worse at moving the dirt off the surface. Perhaps I will have to give the boars hair brush a go.



Thanks for the review!



Jeff
 
I have Griots boars hair brush and handle, the one used for trucks/suvs so I can reach the roof. I don't know if its the same as the regular boars hair brush, because it has a darker color, more brownish. Anyway I'm unhappy with it as it leaves hairline scratches on the 3 black cars I have used it on.
 
Hi Accumulator :wavey



What a great first post. You managed to write that in such a way that we all believe you know what you are talking about :up
 
What do you guys think about the OXO brushes. CMA says that they are safe and so does the packaging but I've only used mine on the lower parts of the car.
 
Thanks for the compliments Re my post.



zx1200r-Sorry to hear the "Flow Through" brush left scratches. I tried it myself and although I did not notice any marring I found it awkward to use (many issues), plus I didn't like the coarseness of the bristles (MUCH coarser than the "regular" brushes) and worried that it would scratch. I sent it back for a refund (had to eat the shipping). I'd suggest that you call Griot's and tell them about your experience. They WILL let you return it and I believe they oughta (and would want to) know that their product is damaging their customers' cars.



BIGkev1001-Haven't tried the OXO brush (at least under that brand name) but here's my .02 anyway: scary product-be VERY careful with it. Synthetic bristles CAN be very soft when new, but can also lose their flagging rather easily/quickly/abruptly and then it's :sosad time.
 
JB in Irvine said:
I find that a wash mit traps dirt too easy. This on the other hand this rinses perfectly. Thoughts?
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Ever thought about trying a genuine sheepskin mitt? I've found that dirt falls right off of them a lot quicker and easier than cotton and MF mitts. Dirt getting trapped in them will not be a problem at all.



I can't comment on the Boar's brush, however, I can pull up a few old posts that were written about it. Here's a quote from an old post about the Boar's Hair brush written by a hard-core Griot's Garage user:



"I stand corrected, now I need your help

The boars hair brush DID leave scratches on the new finish of my Jet Black 3 day old car. I used good soap, used linear movements and a soft touch, rinsed the brush each time...after drying with Chamois and waxing, I can see very fine linear scratches in the clearcoat but only under optimal lighting (sunlight). I never got this result in my other dark finishes, guess it took Jet black to see it .



I'm using Carnauba wax for this finish, since its a garage queen. Any recommendations for the light scratches? Imperial Hand Glaze? I plan to buy a top end orbital buffer from Griots, and spent about 1 hour talking to a professional detailer about the scratches, but his line is to orbital buff it out with Machine Polish 1, 2 and 3, then wax it again. I don't have the cash flow for the orbital buffer now, I just want to get these damn linear swirls out for the time being.



Incidently, I use all Griots Garage products."



Last I heard, since this gentleman lives close to the GG showroom, he personally brought his brush back to them and told them about the problem he was having. They tried it out themselves and even 'admited' that the brush was causing swirls and refunded his money.



Incidentaly, he had been using GG brushes for two years, but first started noticing the marring when he first used it on his new jet black BMW (ouch!).
 
Intermezzo- I remember that post about the marred BMW and I second your recommendation to try the (genuine) sheepskin mitts on unforgiving paints. FWIW, that's what I use for my "especially pampered" cars. Lots of posts about them and their care, too- well worth a look/search. I feel safest with a light-colored one so that any contamination will be visible.
 
Accumulator,



I'm planning to replace my MF mitts with sheepskin pretty soon. While I love the 'cleaning ability' of MF mitts, you definitely have to watch out for embedded stuff getting caught in the strands.



Can I ask where you get your sheepskin mitts? I've been eyeing the ones at Costco, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that a $12 three-pack of genuine sheepskin mitts is safe to use.
 
Intermezzo- I got my sheepskin mitts from Griot's (sheesh, I must be putting his kids through college!), but I plan to get one from Terry at CMA so I can compare softness. Yeah, I'd be VERY leery of the Costco ones. You're on the right track with your "too good to be true" concerns. My "fleecey" microfiber mitts got used a few times and were then relegated to household dusting. I just couldn't get them clean enough for my peace of mind. The Viper-like microfiber mitt didn't seem soft enough; never used it.



Intermezzo and Black99miata- I've been thinking how I sure wouldn't want to think that someone damaged their ride based on my .02! So, since my last post, I've been out in the garage looking at our 2002 Mazda MPV. Family beater, washed using the brushes and none too gently (well, compared to how I treat the "good" cars). It IS silver, but I looked at it under florescent, incandescent, and halogen lighting. Looked with a (low power) magnifier, too. I sure didn't look at every inch of it, but I didn't detect ANY marring. Now a black '99 and a silver '02 ARE totally different, but as I had a Mazda handy, I thought I'd check it out.



Black99miata- If you go with a sheepskin mitt, could you report back on how it works for you? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but it's been a while since I've had a black car (those were single-stage paints; I'm guessing yours is clear-coated) and your soft paint would make it a good test-case.



This could've been a Product Review thread, huh?
 
Intermezzo said:
Accumulator,



I'm planning to replace my MF mitts with sheepskin pretty soon. While I love the 'cleaning ability' of MF mitts, you definitely have to watch out for embedded stuff getting caught in the strands.



Can I ask where you get your sheepskin mitts? I've been eyeing the ones at Costco, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that a $12 three-pack of genuine sheepskin mitts is safe to use.
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I like the ones from Costco. They feel as soft as the other ones I've seen in stores. I would love to hear someone's opinion who has tried both the ones from Griots or CMA and the ones from Costco. The reason I don't worry about my Costco sheepskin mitts is that they are very soft and it's easy to tell that they are genuine - look inside and you should see leather.
 
on all my vehicles.. I let Scottwax use it so that he could see for himself as well.. (he did only take one swipe though) but he can attest that it didnt scratch the paint on my '02 Ford pickup.. which I dont think has very hard paint..

One of the best features of the brush is that it covers a large area very quickly saving time and effort.. on a full sized pickup or my wifes SUV, that is a big help... lastly, if you buy anything from Griots that you dont like or doesnt work, they take it back no questions asked.. thats my kind of customer service and I think its generally worth the extra money...



Dana
 
Accumulator,



I currently use a cotton mitt, fashioned to look like sheepskin. Now that I think about it, I have not changed that mitt in quite some time. I do, however, wash it requently, and it is kept clean. I use a two part cleaning method, using a sponge on the lower section (where the chip protection is) and after that on the wheels and pther dirty areas. I use the mitt on only the high and cleaner surfaces. I will have to get a real sheepskin mitt and see how much of a difference it makes. I do see some slight marring with the current mitt.



I just hate to make work for myself, and it seems that I am doing so with the current mitt that I use, careful as I am.



Jeff
 
Taxlady- Glad to hear the Costco mitts are working well for you. Nothing like hands-on experience. I might be getting sorta cynical about affordable variations. Can you tell who manufactured it (I'm assuming it was made for store-labeling/general resale)? Your tip about looking for the leather lining shows you're getting the real thing.



I ask because we don't have a Costco around here (that I'm aware of) and I plan to order a CMA mitt and do a little comparing (if I can ever find the time). I WOULD like to find something softer than the Griot's mitt. It doesn't feel NEARLY as soft as the cotton ones, at least until it's wet, but it DOES seem to rinse a little cleaner.



Black99miata- I used to use a (sea) sponge on the "gravel guard" and never noticed any problems. It seems that on some cars (real world "drivers"), minor marring is just about inevitable. Maybe more frequent replacement of your mits would help. The softest part of the nap seems the first to go.



So much seems dependent on the lubricity of the car wash solution. For instance, GC is affordable and VERY popular here, but (flame suit on!) to me it doesn't feel nearly as slippery as Griot's (I gave my GC to the guy who swirls things up with the brushes).



When I get a chance (it'll take a little while) I'll post a new thread with my most-gentle-yet wash technique. It's sorta involved and rather off the deep end, but with a car the size of the Miata it might be feasible. And if IT causes marring, I believe anything will.



dboat- Glad to hear about your/Scottwax's results. I was starting to feel like a lone voice in the wilderness :D re the brushes being safe (on MOST cars).
 
Accumulator, there aren't any labels on those mitts. I threw out the cardboard that was wrapped around them. I'll try to notice next time I'm at Costco. It's winter here and most stores have reduced the area of their detailing sections, if they have kept them at all. So, I'm not sure if they will have any in the store now (well, with Costco you always get surprises).
 
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