Why I got it
I have bought a series of grill scrubbers/scrapers over the years and I have not been very happy with them overall. They generally fall apart far too quickly. If I am active in grilling in the summer then I will be very lucky if one lasts me the whole summer. When I saw this I thought it might last a little bit longer than the others that I have used, maybe even a whole summer, so I picked it up
This scrubber has actually lasted me a year now, which is much longer than any other scrubber I have owned over the years. But this tool is still showing effects of wear and tear. And even though it does not work as well as it did when I first bought it, it does work well enough with regular maintenance (I’ll talk about that in the cleaning section).

How it works
This a very simple device that cleans grills. One side you have metal bristles that you rub against the grill grates. This removes any particulate matter on the top and sides of the grates.
On the tip you have a piece of metal that is also used to scrape off matter. This piece of metal has a round groove in it that is ideal for tubular grates. So it works on my two gas grills but does not work on my charcoal grill because its grates are too large.
In addition, you have a leather type loop at the end if you wanted to hang it.

The comfort level of the unit
The handle is just a piece of wood so there is no true ergonomic design to it. It is not uncomfortable or hard to use but there is nothing special about it either. It requires elbow grease and sometimes a lot of it, but it does work.

Grill surfaces I have tried
I have 3 grate surfaces for my three units and the brush works great on all three. One is just under ½ inch wide and the other are the typical cylindrical wire grills, so the brush works great on all surfaces and the metal scraper only works well on the cylindrical grills.

Cleaning the bristles
Before I started writing this review, I decided that I needed to clean the tool as best I could before pronouncing judgment. In it’s prior state it was becoming useless because of the massive grease buildup. It would slide across instead of scrub. So I needed to try and rectify the situation before I wrote a negative review and trash the unit. I first soaked it in water with dawn and a strong hand degreaser soap. It worked a little bit and there was obviously a lot of grease that came off, but the object was not clean enough to use. I did this over a process of three nights and repeated it every night. It worked but didn’t really clean it because the tool was so greasy. I threw it in the dishwasher but that had little effect. To clean this properly I needed some high heat (and washing machines do not get that high). So I went ahead and boiled it in water thinking that might work. Well boiling did because the grease started to heat up to such a temperature (212 degrees) that it started to clump, come to the top, and was easily sprayed off in the sink. It still was not clean but it was a remarkable difference. It changed it from a state of almost useless to a usable product. My other two ideas were to boil it in oil (because of difference in density would separate the grease, or leave the tool over a bed of hot coals. Neither one should damage the unit so if I feel the need to do that I will update this review (The third idea, which I am unable to try, is use a high power water spray washer.)
So far the unit is clean enough to be effective but it certainly is not like new.

DurabilityThe previous two sections discuss durability and they should be read but here are the bullet points of my concerns.
-Grease builds up in the copper wires fast.
-The copperwires bend slightly, but not as significantly as any other unit I have used. The edges go first.
-The handle is wood and if not taken care of (like me) it will get black and burn.
-The wooden handle has not warped or disfigured in anyway from being exposed to the elements for a year or being run through the dishwasher 5 times.

As you can see durability is not a major issue, it is a strong and very well made product that I highly recommend. As mentioned before, the grease buildup is the problem. With that said, I am only going to give it a maximum of a 3 year life span with how much I use my grill (remember we So. Californians can use it all year long.) More than likely I will replace this in a year.
additional noteI just tested the strength of the leather strap and it just broke. Thankfully I did not use the strap but apparently it did not like being left out in the elements over the last year.

Why I recommend it…why I don’t.
I recommend it because it is durable and it works well if properly cleaned.
I do not recommend this because the heads are not replaceable and the metal scraper does not work well on my charcoal grill grates. If your grates are wide then you may want a metal scraper in addition to this unit.

What do I recommend instead?
Actually I would buy this again. There is nothing I can recommend over this product that I know of at present. When I do find something better you can be sure I’ll buy it. If you use something better then this device then please leave a comment and I’ll be sure to check out the product next time I’m at the store.

What works better?
Two things actually. I assume a high pressure washer would but I cannot speak from personal experience. And my Eureka steam with metal bristle head did a great job cleaning my grill.

Dimensions and weight.
Weight: 11 7/8 ounces
Length: 18.25 inches
Width (at the tip): 2 10/16 inch
Length of the bristles: 5/8 inch
Area of the bristles: 3 inches X 2.25 inches

Summary
This is a strong and well-made grill grate cleaner. It is made out of wood and fine metal bristles. The durability is good and has held up to the abuse I have given it over the last year. Even with being left out in the elements it has held up well. My other scrapers cannot say the same thing. I recommend this product for your grate cleaning needs as long as you keep it clean and out of the elements.

Other reviews of products I use on my grills.
Eureka Steam Cleaner
OXO Tongs
Taylor digital thermometer.
Coughlans toast and grill.


Recommended: Yes