Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush Review

We purchased the Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush so our reviewer could put it to the test with her backyard grills. Keep reading for our full product review.

When you have a grill, you need a grill brush to clean it, so I was more than happy to give the Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush a chance to clean grills with multiple grate styles and materials, including thick stainless steel rods, cast iron, and thinly plated steel grates. Read on to see if its inexpensive efficiency should be a tool to add to your BBQ grilling collection.

Design: Triangle-shaped head for one-swipe cleaning

This brush has a triangular-shaped head with one point toward the handle and a wide side at the front so that it can clean a large swath of grate in one swipe. The stainless steel bristles are sturdily held in-between thick twisted wires that form the triangle and disappear into the hard plastic handle.

The handle has a small hole with a leather hanging loop threaded through it for easy hanging on a hook. One side of the handle has an indent along the length that makes a comfortable thumb rest anywhere along the handle. While the leather hanging loop looks nice, it’s likely it will eventually break, particularly if the brush is left hanging outdoors. Or it may become a tempting chew toy for squirrels or furry pets.

The brush doesn’t need to be held at a particular angle while it’s in use, so you can shift from a low angle to a high one during cleaning and shift your grip as needed. The handle is a bit short, though, so it can get hot if working directly over a hot grill. If you desire a longer handle, Weber has a similar grill brush with a 21-inch handle.

Because this has just one spiral wire with brush bristles, it’s not as dense or robust as some other brushes, so it’s not likely to last as long before bristles get bent to the point where brushing isn’t as efficient and the brush will need to be replaced. But at this price point, it’s worth buying a few of these and having them on hand when replacement is required.

Material: Stainless steel bristles won’t rust

The brush bristles are made from stainless steel, so they won’t rust, and they’re pretty durable. However, the individual bristles are thin, so it’s possible they can break from bending back and forth during aggressive cleaning. That’s not a flaw of this brush in particular, but it’s a common problem with many grill brushes. You should inspect the brush regularly to make sure there are no loose bristles, and you should replace the brush once bristles come loose.

Performance: Better than expected

With its single twisted brush, I didn’t expect too much of this grill cleaner but was pleasantly surprised. Because it can be easily pushed down onto the grill sending bristles between the grates, it was amazingly efficient at cleaning the sides of wires and rods on grill grates. Not needing to exert a lot of effort to push the brush down, it can take you less effort to clean the grill. The brush did a good job removing the drippy sauce after cooking ribs, and it was just as good when doing routine cleaning before starting the next grilling session. 

Like most grill brushes, this Weber brush is most efficient when you wet it and preheat the grill so that the created steam helps with the cleaning. However, this is where the single brush was a bit less efficient. It didn’t hold onto water very well, so we had to keep dipping the brush in water during the grill cleanup.

The corners of the brush were good at getting into spaces, however, because the bristles are widely spaced there, we had to turn the brush to different positions for the most efficient cleaning. Operating with the wide side of the brush made it pretty easy to use at various angles rather than working completely parallel with the grates so we could clean at an angle across the grates or side-to-side.

This brush was less efficient when we attacked cast iron grates that had acquired some rust. Not being able to scrub super hard, it took a while to clean a section of the grill. Though the job was completed, a more robust brush would have gotten it done sooner.

Cleaning/Maintenance: Avoid the dishwasher

Let’s face it. Grill brushes can get pretty greasy and dirty from cleaning grills to a point where the brush might be depositing more gunk than it removes. It would be nice if you could clean the brush in the dishwasher, but that’s generally not a good idea—not because it would harm the brush, but because the thick grease and food debris aren’t good for the dishwasher.

The best way to clean the brush is to soak it in hot water with a squirt of dish soap and swish it around to remove as much crud as possible. If there’s a second grill brush available, or even a kitchen brush, rubbing the two brushes together can dislodge even more dirt and help clean the bristles. Then you should rinse the brush well to remove any soap residue and hang it to dry.

Because this brush has just a single row of spiral bristles, it’s easy to get at all sides of the brush to clean it from every angle to remove bits of food debris or stuck-on sauce. And since the bristles are stainless steel, they won’t rust if the brush needs to soak for a while.

Price: Inexpensive

At a typical price of around $10.99, you’ll spend less on this brush than on charcoal, pellets, or smoking wood, so it’s definitely a bargain. It’s inexpensive enough to buy a new one at the beginning of the grilling season and skip trying to clean the old brush that you ignored all winter.

Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush vs. Kona 360 Clean Grill Brush

The Kona 360 Clean Grill Brush couldn’t look any more different from the Weber, with three brushes working in parallel, forming a pad of bristles. Working with these two is also very different. The Weber 12-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush can squish between grates easily, while the Kona needs more pressure to get between grates. On the other hand, the Kona is more durable and can be used to scrub really hard when needed. However, while the Kona has a slight edge in its durability, the Weber gives more ease in both use and cleaning along with having a lower price.