This review compares two brushes for cleaning wheel barrels:
- Wilson Oku Made Araeru Wheel Mop – 807 JPY as of 21 Jan 2025 on Amazon JP
- Prostaff Monster Cerberus P202 2591 JPY as of 21 Jan on Amazon JP
Willson Oku Made Araeru Wheel Mop
The brush itself is incredibly soft so my first thought would be to use it on more “delicate” wheels. Quality seems to be decent, definitely way more than what you’re paying for. It is most suitable for more traditional wheels with fewer spokes and larger gaps between the spokes – a relatively common characteristic of most factory wheels. The brush is super gentle and deposits a lot of soap solution onto the surface which I feel contributes to a more thorough clean. The handle has a soft rubber filled section for grip and comfort.
Unfortunately lads, size does matter (length in this case) and unlike what its name would suggest, it was only just able to reach the inner edge of the wheel when brushing at an angle due to the handle guard getting in the way and often hitting the wheel. The mop fibres cover it and prevent direct contact with the wheel surface though, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned. If you hold the tip of the handle you can penetrate deeper, but this really only works when brushing straight. The guard is really annoying otherwise. The wheel in question was a 7j.
I think this brush is more suited to smaller cars – particularly excellent for kei cars. If you’re a beginner starting out on your detailing journey keeping your budget to an absolute minimum with only a single brush, look no further. If you’re a seasoned detailer looking to add to your collection, you’re not missing out on much, but it’s so damn cheap I’d get it anyway. Great gift idea too! Verdict: 7/10 – would buy
Stiffness: Soft
Pros
- Incredibly cheap
- Relatively slim core
- Comfortable handle
- High foaming
- Holds a lot of water
- Voluminous
- No splashback
Cons
- Plastic handle guard
- Some reports of the wire core damaging wheels due to the cap coming off
- More tedious to clean and dry
- Quite short compared to traditional barrel brushes
Prostaff Monster Cerberus P202
Like the Willson, it’s also quite soft and gentle but has 3 types of bristles:
- Soft: Green fibre, retains foam, removes surface grime
- Med: Black plastic raffia like wavy fibre, removes sand and dust
- Hard: Black plastic straight bristle, scrubbing power for stubborn dirt
High quality brush. Handle is comfortable. It’s quite a bit more expensive than the Willson but has the length to back it up. Wheels feel thoroughly cleaned although I wish the bristles were more dense. They sort of flatten out when water is absorbed. The extra length may make it a bit difficult to clean in a wash bucket but it’s not a make or break factor. Unlike the Willson, this doesn’t have issues penetrating tight gaps so if you’ve got big wheels and big brakes this would be the one to go for. There’s really not much to say about this brush as it’s not too different from the typical EZ Detail style brush aside from being less aggressive, but is it a worthy replacement? I don’t have the EZ and don’t plan to get it, but so far this has been my favourite brush to use and I don’t feel I’d be missing out on anything having this instead of the EZ.
Due to its length and flexibility, the amount of pressure you can apply to a surface is not much. In the event that more pressure is required to remove stubborn dirt, the Willson has the upper hand. However, in tight spaces where the Willson won’t fit, the Prostaff wins and is capable of applying more pressure thanks to the confined space. Ultimately, one must match the brush to the wheel. Is it worth having both? Sure, but if I could only have one, I think I prefer this. Verdict: 9/10 – love it
Stiffness: Soft
Pros
- Cheaper than most internationally established brands
- 3 types of bristles of varying stiffness
- Easy to clean
- Relatively long at 460 mm total length
- Minimal splashback
Cons
- Prone to missing tighter spots as brush flattens when soaked
- Prone to shedding, esp the finer fibres
Thank you to Aetheon on the HTAD Discord for providing this review!