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Old timer told me to never trust a brush with less than 6 layers of bristles
Back in '08 I was cleaning a flue out in Toledo and this guy Larry, must have been 70, gave me that advice. I laughed it off because I figured modern brushes were better engineered. Fast forward to last winter, I used a cheap 4-layer brush on a heavy creosote job and the bristles started peeling off halfway through. Had to fish wire bristles out of a customer's fireplace grate for an hour. Larry was right, I should have listened. Anyone else get that kind of stubborn advice from the old dogs?
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terry_mitchell1d ago
Ngl it's funny how the old guys are always right about the basics. I see it with tools, cars, even cooking - the simple stuff that's been around forever just works better. My grandpa told me to never use a paper filter in a coffee maker that's designed for a mesh one because it'll clog up the machine over time. I laughed that off too, and six months later my Mr. Coffee was sputtering like crazy, had to replace the whole thing. There's something about the way they think that cuts through all the gimmicks and fancy packaging.
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wendysmith3d ago
Oh man, that's rough! I had a similar thing happen with a cheap brush that lost half its bristles in a tight flue and I spent forever picking them out of the cleanout door.
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