During your climbing adventure, there are several practices you should employ to ensure success and safety. You don’t want to be climbing with ineffective gear or on a route that heightens the risk of getting into an accident (unless you’re trying to push the edge a little bit, which is always okay). That said, a good climbing brush can come in handy more than you might think when it comes to making your routes and problems a little bit safer.
Climbing brushes are excellent counteractive tools that help to not only improve your chances of success on a problem or route but also increase your safety. The best climbing brushes are designed to effectively clean off excess chalk, grease, dirt, and other remnants from the holds. Furthermore, these tools are also built to increase friction in any holds, improving grip and overall performance.
Listed below are the 8 best climbing brushes in 2021. Each climbing brush incorporates a special design to improve functionality. The choice is all yours. Go for an option that appeals most to you.
OUR TOP PICK
Dyno Bouldering & Climbing Brush
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- High density and thick boar’s hair bristles for improved durability
- Bold dark brown housing and sand-colored hair bristles
- 100% recyclable material
- Lifetime guarantee
Handle material: Molded plastic
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 2.4 ounces
Price rating: $$
EDITORS CHOICE
Happy Reunion Climbing Brush
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Wide head and thick hair bristles for improved cleaning surface area
- The 7-inch long handle provides ample grip area
- Extremely sturdy and reinforced fiberglass handle
- Hairs absorb moisture and oils for increased friction
Handle material: Fiberglass
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair and nylon
Weight: 2.7 ounces
Price rating: $$
BEST VALUE
Crush Brush Climbing Brush
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Available in vibrant colors that enhance visibility on the ground
- 8 inch long for easy grip and handling
- 100% premium and high-density boar’s hair bristles
- Doesn’t polish or damage rocks
Handle material: Fiberglass
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 1.6 ounces
Price rating: $-$$
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Up to 14000 fine and dense boar’s hairs for effective coverage
- Slim and ergonomic brush design easily fits into chalk bag and climbing bag loops
- Lightweight design at 1.5 ounces
- Built and packaged with 100% recyclable material
Handle material: Molded plastic
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 1.5 ounces
Price rating: $$
Metolius M-16 Climbing Brush
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Extremely affordable
- Extremely lightweight design
- Two different brush sizes
- Very brittle brush hairs
Handle material: Molded plastic
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 0.3 ounces
Price rating: $
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Sturdy and extremely durable wooden handle
- Moisture and oil absorbent packed hair bristles
- Designed for use on both indoor walls and the crag
- Affordably priced
Handle material: Wooden
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 2.08 ounces
Price rating: $
Escape Climbing Brush
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- 4-piece valuable package
- Angled tip for added convenience and versatility
- Available in 8-inch and 14-inch sizes
- Affordably tan bleached bristles for color change and minimal animal smells
Handle material: Wooden
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 5.6 ounces
Price rating: $$
- What Makes This Climbing Brush Stand Out
- Long 9-inch handle for ample grip
- Curved handle design for easy handling and effective brushing
- Narrow brush head to access the smallest and narrowest cracks
- Curved bristle design to contour to holds and crevices
Handle material: Plastic
Bristle Type: Boar’s hair
Weight: 0.6 ounces
Price rating: $$
How To Choose A Climbing Brush – Buying Guide
UseÂ
Your climbing brush is designed to clean holds that are full of dirt, rubber, chalk, grease, and grime. This process helps to improve your climbing performance as well as your safety. Yet, for effective usability, you must ensure that the brush is fitted with ideal brush hairs and ergonomic handles. Wider brush heads clean relatively larger surfaces whilst smaller and narrower brush heads clean narrow holds.
SizeÂ
When you are looking for the best rock climbing brush to invest in, you must also consider the size. A brush with a small or narrow brush head works great for small or narrow spaces. Larger brush heads, on the other hand, are ideal for larger rock surfaces because a small brush head will take considerably more time to clean.Â
Ideally, you want to invest in brushes of at least two or more sizes to cater to your needs when climbing. Some manufacturers will provide value packs with at least two or more brushes with multiple sizes to cater to all your needs when climbing. You may even choose to go for a climbing brush with dual ends that offer a large and a small-sized brush head, such as Metolius M-16 Climbing Brush. Â
Furthermore, you also want to purchase a climbing brush option that is lightweight to make carrying easier. A brush weight of no more than 2.5 ounces per brush is ideal. This feature should not only be limited to weight. You also want your brush to be portable enough to fit the loops of your chalk bag.
Bristles
The best rock climbing brush is made of one of two key bristle materials: nylon/plastic or boar’s hair. Boar’s hair bristles are more durable compared to nylon/plastic bristles. Boar’s hair bristles also effectively clean off chalk, residues, and grime and are eco-friendly. Â
Because of their superior hold, Boar’s hair bristles are also more favorable for outdoor use as well as for reaching areas that are narrow, small, and otherwise difficult to access.Â
Nylon/plastic hair bristles, however, are ideal for indoor use because they prevent wear and damage on the artificial climbing holds you’re brushing. Additionally, climbing brushes with nylon/plastic brush heads tend to be more affordable compared to brushes with boar’s hair bristles.Â
Handle Material
The material of your climbing brush also affects performance. The best rock climbing brushes are commonly made of plastic or wooden material. Wooden brush handles tend to be sturdier and don’t break as easily as plastic handles.Â
However, if you are not a frequent climber or don’t explore difficult and complicated routes, plastic brush handles shouldn’t be an issue. Both plastic and wooden brush handles can be made from 100% recyclable materials, but wooden handles are almost always preferable from an environmental perspective.
ErgonomicsÂ
The design of your brush is also an important factor. Designs such as dual-sided brushes help to enhance functionality as well as cut down on weight and space.
Additionally, a curved brush and a straight brush will offer distinctly different operating styles. Curved brushes are more functional, generally, as they also allow you to easily access narrow and smaller spaces. A curved and longer brush (at least 7-inches long) provides superior handling and more grip space.Â
Additionally, most individual climbing brushes also mimic a toothbrush with an oversized head design. This design helps to address the cleaning of places such as sloppers, which may be difficult to clean with a smaller brush.
Performance
Good quality climbing brushes must exhibit exceptional performance. Generally, there are important key features to observe in your brush to ensure it is of good quality and exceptional performance. One of the key features to observe on your climbing brush is to ensure it gently but effectively cleans the rock surface without polishing or damaging the surface. Â
The climbing brush should also work to enhance friction by cleaning off excess chalk and other residues. The brush bristles should also be of high quality so that they don’t shed. The handle on the other end should feature a curve ergonomic handle that allows for comfortable handling and enhanced grip.
FAQs
Q: What Is A Climbing Brush For?
A climbing brush is used to clean holds and rock surfaces that are normally filled with excess chalk, grime, dirt, rubber, and grease. They are used to clean these remnants, leaving the surfaces clear with enhanced friction. The increased friction on your climbing holds and the surface is important because it helps to enhance grip when you are climbing.
Q: Do I Need A Climbing Brush?
Particularly if you’re bouldering you need a climbing brush. A climbing brush is very important because it helps to clear off excess material such as chalk and other residues on your problems. This is a very important process to help increase friction and ultimately, your grip. Climbing brushes aren’t as useful on sport routes, but they’re so cheap and lightweight that any climber should at least own one or two. They’re also good for cleaning off your holds when you’re done projecting, so you don’t leave chalk on the wall.
Q: How To Clean And Care For A Climbing Brush?
Add clean water and a mild detergent to a small basin, then scrub the bristles of your brush with your hands until all the remnants stuck on the brush are dissolved. Then, rinse with clean water. Lay flat to dry. Avoid using the brush when it is wet because this will result in caking of the hair bristles.
Glob Surf Overview
Climbing brush reviews are important because these tools are designed to not only affect grip and improve your climbing experience but also to improve your safety during the climbing process. The buying guide above provides a clear guideline on what to look for when choosing the best climbing brushes. Our list of the 8 best climbing brushes is an excellent place to begin your search.Â
