Toolwiz, Grill Brush with Extra Scrubber

I used the wooden one for years but the Raccoons stole my last one; its no longer available from San Jose CA. The wooden one (from another manufacturer that is pissed off at this manufacturer) requires two pads, but that may not be necessary. The only issue with this current model versus the wood is if you gets it too warm near the BBQ, the handle really softens, and may bend permanently if you push too hard while using. Prefer the wood version. But this works great in any case and easier to order than the wooden one.

I seen a review on this product or one similar on a cooking show. So, I decided to search and this is what I found. It works great, just how I thought it would. The best part about it is that you can replace the scrub.

Get THIS grill cleaner!After MUCH review reading here I chose this type of grill cleaner because of the possibility of getting a piece of straight wire from "those other types of grill brushes" broken-off in some grilled food and later caught in someone's intestines, possibly perforating the intestine and creating a serious problem, as has been reported in the media. I grill a lot, even in winter, and figured the odds were higher with us having that happen. Note: one time with another brand of this type of "brillow pad" grill cleaner I DID find a 2" strand of curly stainless steel on a grilled piece of chicken. BUT - it was easy to spot and remove, unlike a piece of straight wire from a "regular" grill brush. And if that curly wire HAD been placed in the mouth, most people would bite down on it, notice it and pull it out.All this tool needs is a metal scraper on the end to be great for cleaning stainless steel grates in a grill. Why it doesn't have such a common-sense addition is beyond me. I have to keep an older wire bristle brush with scraper around for preliminary cleaning before using this grill cleaning tool. Plus, the older wire bristles DO get deeper into the grate for initial cleaning better than this tool. So my cleaning regimen is this: 1. Preheat grill to very hot (500-600 degrees), burning off any left-over grease, etc. 2. Then scrape the top of the grates with an old steel edge bristle brush cleaner, and use its bristle brush to get between grates to knock down any build-up hanging there. 3. Now use the Tool Wizard Toolwiz grill cleaner to "put a shine" back on the stainless steel grate bars. Done.I have not yet replaced the "brillow pad" cleaner head on this, but it doesn't look hard. So far the original head on mine is lasting nicely. I did buy a spare. You should too.

I've read a lot of comments about the price of replacement scrubber pads...everyone realizes you can just pick up a 3-pack of stainless (or copper) scouring pads at your local big box store for less than two bucks, right? No need to spend four bucks a piece for the official Tool Wizard brand replacement. They're the same thing.I've also read many comments about the brush being loose, or not lasting very long. I double-up the scouring pads and squeeze two of them side-by-side on the prongs. It makes them denser and less likely to move around, fall off, tear, etc.Other commenters are correct that this is the knock-off version of the "Grill Wizard" which was endorsed by a certain PBS cooking show. The test kitchen endorsed the Grill Wizard brand, not this one. This substitutes a plastic handle for a wooden one, but otherwise they're comparable build and price. This one's plastic handle is straight, but a slight bend would improve its usability.For what it's worth, the Grill Wizard website is a mess and only accepts orders via email. The proprietor also seems to think it's absolutely necessary to know your grill make and model, otherwise he won't sell a brush to you. Fine then, I'll just place an order on Amazon for the knock-off and it will be on my doorstep two days later, no questions asked. This knock-off works just fine, and is a lot more effective than wire-bristle brushes that keep wearing out and getting gunked up.Update: I'm revisiting this review because I just bought another one. I sold my old grill and forgot to remove this brush from the storage cabinet underneath. I was mad at myself for forgetting because I like this brush so much. Glad to see it's back in stock and I can order a replacement. A lot of other reviews talk about it not cleaning off charred or baked-on residue. That's probably true of any brush if you try to attack hardened carbon at room temperature, but there's a simple solution: heat your grills before you clean them, people! I hope you're not throwing food on a cold grill, so you should be firing it up a few minutes before you're ready to cook. Let that heat do the hard work for you of burning away the baked-on gunk, then scrub the grates right before you're ready to cook. Then you're just brushing away some greasy chunks instead of trying to chip away at charcoal. That's how your self-cleaning oven works, by the way.

This is by far the best and fastest thing for cleaning the stainless steel grates on both my gas and charcoal grills. However, catch it on any little edge and you’ve got unraveled strands on your grill. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t worry about cleaning the edges of your cooking surface you’ll probably be fine, but for someone like me that wants to clean it all, be ready to pick metal strands off your grill.

Glad to not have all the tiny metal pieces to worry about. I had been looking for something like this for a while