Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper Review

We purchased the Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper so our reviewer could put it to the test on her grills. Keep reading for our full product review.

I grill—a lot. So I was curious if the Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper had any benefits that would make it worth adding to the cleaning arsenal for top-shelf grill maintenance. I used it on grills with a thin-plated metal grate, thick stainless steel grates, and cast iron grates. When I was done, I tested how easy it was to clean the brush to keep it neat for its next jobs. Read on to see if the multipurpose brush should be a tool to add to your BBQ grilling collection. 

Design: Tightly-held bristles and secure scraper

At first glance, the Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper looks pretty darned sturdy, with three rows of brushes made from twisted metal that holds the bristles tightly. This hard-cleaning durability helps you avoid cleaning a grill surface incorrectly with improper methods. The twisted metal joins up with the long handle, forming a long, sturdy brush. Like other brushes with cut bristles, the bristles can break or come loose. After tugging on a few bristles and being unable to pull one out, I'd say this brush won’t let go of bristles in normal use. However, they can still break from being bent back and forth over and over during aggressive scrubbing. It’s a good idea to inspect the brush regularly to make sure the bristles are holding tight, and check the grill as well for errant pieces of wire before putting the food on the grill.

Other features on the brush provide added convenience. The 18-inch long handle keeps hands far from the heat and allows cleaning at necessary angles. An integrated scraper on the back of the bristles is welded on and secure, and a metal hanging loop at the end of the handle makes it simple to keep the brush near the grill, hanging on a hook or knob.

Material: Stainless Steel

The bristles are made from stainless steel so that they won’t rust or corrode. This metal lends to the durability and long life of this grill brush. The handle is made from hard plastic that stays safely cool while using it but also adds to the rigid sturdiness of the grilling tool.

Performance: Cleans well

A grill brush with a scraper sounds like a great idea. And sometimes it is. But it also has its downsides. The scraper is great for scraping, peeling, and dislodging burned on chunks of food. The cutouts on the corners of the scraper fit on most grates, and the flat side of the scraper can scrape the top of the grill. On the other hand, scrapers can be a bit harsh on porcelain-coated grates and scrape or chip the coating.

The scraper came in handy for getting into some tight spaces on the sides of a Weber grill, and helped to scrape the rust off of cast iron grates that needed extra care. The scraper would also be great for a griddle or other flat surface to scrape the surface.

The brush itself is almost like a flat surface with its tightly packed wires, so it efficiently worked when cleaning all of the different grills I tested it on, as long as the brush was held down in such a way so that the bristles were flat on the grill. However, holding the brush at too steep of an angle meant the whole surface of the brush wasn’t touching the grill. When that happened, cleaning wasn’t quite as efficient as it could be.

Because there are actually three spiral brushes next to each other, it also worked well in other hand maneuvers. Holding the brush parallel to the grill grates let the bristles slip in-between to deep clean the sides of the wires or rods. Brushing side-to-side on the grates created a different angle of cleaning.

The brush worked reasonably well to clean the inside of the lid on a kamado grill where layers of smoke had accumulated. But note that you have to pay attention to how you hold the brush so that you are using the wire bristles and not banging around with the scraper.

When I was cleaning cast iron grates that had gotten rusty, this brush was robust enough to scrape at the hot grates, and the dense brush was able to hold onto the vinegar water to steam clean the grates for even better rust removal.

Thanks to those dense bristles, I discovered that you could use the brush to apply oil on hot grates for seasoning and before cooking. The long handle helped to keep my hands away from the flame when there were flare-ups from dripping oil.

While the long handle is great for keeping away from the heat when brushing is gentle, when you need to apply more pressure you may find yourself choking up on your grip and holding the handle much closer to the brush head. Still, you can manage to do all of the grill cleaning without needing a glove—although it’s a good idea to have one handy if the heat gets intense.

Cleaning/Maintenance: A little effort

Sometimes you need to clean the thing that does the cleaning, and this grill brush is no exception. When scraping off thoroughly burned bits, it was easy enough to use the garden hose or to rinse the brush in the kitchen sink, but goopy sauces and sticky grease clung to the bristles and needed more cleaning. Soaking the brush in hot water with dish soap or a degreasing cleaner got the majority of the gunk off, and using another brush and rubbing them together helped as well.

While the brush components may be dishwasher safe, the greasy food bits could actually clog the dishwasher, so it’s not recommended.

If the brush is cleaned regularly, it will be easier to perform the task, in part because the crud will be on the outside of the bristles rather than pushed deeper into the brush from repeated use.

Price: Mid-priced over peers, longevity over peers

This brush is more expensive than the cheap brushes you’ll find in the grilling section of the grocery store, at a range from $20 to $30, but built to last a lot longer. Well-maintained, it should last for several years compared to brushes that can be considered disposable at the end of the season.

Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper vs. Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush

The Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush is an inexpensive, easy-to-use grill brush from a brand we all know. While the 3-Sided Grill Brush might be half the price and does a good job, it might not be as durable and likely won't last multiple seasons. The completely different shape of the Weber, including the 12-inch handle, doesn't provide as much extension away from the heat of the grill nor perfect angles to clean.