I used to think synthetic brushes were a waste of money for sweeping flues

For 15 years I only used natural bristle brushes, but after a bad experience with a stuck wire brush in a tight clay flue last spring, I tried a poly brush on a recommendation. That thing bent right around the offset without any trouble and I finished the job in half the time. Has anyone else switched from natural to synthetic and found it worth the cost?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameron_hernandez699d ago

...and then you wrestled that wire brush like it owed you money, right? I feel your pain, man. Switched to a synthetic for a tight offset last fall and it threaded through like butter. Thought I was going to break the natural one trying to force it around the bend. Now I keep a poly brush in the truck for those nasty jobs where you know the flue is going to fight back. Cheaper than a tow strap for pulling out stuck brushes too.

sarahpark9d ago

Funny how that same principle shows up everywhere once you start looking. Its like how some folks try to muscle through a rusty bolt with a wrench when a little penetrating oil and patience wouldve done the trick faster. We all have this habit of going brute force first when the smarter softer approach works way better. Same with those cheap plastic clips versus the metal ones on vent boots - the plastic ones break half the time but people keep buying em cause theyre familiar. Real life is full of things that just need a gentler touch but our brains are wired to think harder equals better.

wendy_henderson219d ago

Hold on, though - isn't there something to be said for just powering through with the right tool for the job? I've had poly brushes fray and leave crap behind in chimneys, and then you're dealing with a bigger headache. Natural bristles are old school for a reason, they just hold up better when you're really scrubbing.