STi JDM Tawashi Wheel Brush Set

Okay, this item requires a little bit of explanation. First off, tawashi is the Japanese name for a type of palm fiber scrub brush that is famous in Japan. The natural palm fibers are excellent as scrub brush bristles because they are both flexible and very strong.

“Kamenoko” means baby turtle. The particular shape of the tawashi brush reminds people of a baby turtle; hence the name Kamenoko Tawashi, which is the both name of the brush and also the name of a company that has been crafting tawashi brushes in Japan for more than 100 years.

This is a set of five tawashi wheel brushes, made by the Kamenoko Tawashi company and co-branded with Subaru Tecnica International.  You get two wooden handle brushes and three smaller hand brushes. The handles are each etched with a burned-in STi logo. The different brushes have different materials; some have the palm fibers; others have hemp or sissal fibers, or a combination, for different levels of softness/stiffness. The pointier of the two handled brushes is excellent for poking into wheel holes and openings; the tip of the brush is coated in rubber to help prevent marring of your wheels. The broader handled brush works well for large surfaces or the inside barrel of the wheel. (See photo of the product in action.)

The two wooden-handled brushes are about 16″ and 14″ in length, respectively. The smaller hand brushes have dimensions of around 4″ (donut shaped brush), 5″ x 2″ (twist brush), and 3″ x 2″ (small hand brush). These are hand-crafted items, so dimensions will vary slightly.

Note that the inner structure of the brushes is a twisted wire. These brushes should last for years, but do be aware that when the fibers do wear out they will eventually expose the inner wire, so plan to discard them at that point.

The brushes come on a card that gives some details about the brush set, in Japanese language. (Pro tip: Use the Google Translate app on your phone for a look at what it says.)

Allow brushes to fully dry before storing.

Imported by us directly from Japan.