Got ripped off by a cheap brush cleaner last month

Had a guy in my local shop in Cincinnati try to sell me some no-name solvent for my nylon brushes. Said it worked just as good as the name brand stuff. Three brushes later the bristles were all gummy and useless, cost me about $60 to replace them. Anyone else had bad luck with off-brand cleaning stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.stella8d ago

Three years ago I picked up a bottle of "ArtSan" cleaner at a craft fair and watched my favorite filbert brush turn into a sticky mess overnight. I switched to the little tub of The Masters brush cleaner and preserver, the stuff that smells like oranges, and it's been night and day difference ever since. That tub costs like $8 and lasts me a whole year, so it really ain't worth gambling on something that might trash your good brushes.

wendy_clark8d ago

Bought some off-brand cleaner from a hardware store last spring and it totally wrecked my good brushes too. The bristles got all stiff and crusty after like two uses, I was so mad. I think some of those cheap solvents have stuff in them that just eats away at the nylon or whatever the bristles are made of. Learned my lesson the hard way, now I just stick with the stuff from Blick or even the basic Masters brush cleaner, it costs a bit more but at least my brushes don't turn into garbage after a week. It's not worth saving a few bucks if you're gonna lose $60 worth of tools.