Quickchange, Hex, and Threaded - A Guide to Drillbrush Shafts

Just Talkin’ ‘Bout Shafts

Anyone who knows us knows our brushes fit into cordless drills and impact drivers. But how do you know if Drillbrush products are compatible with your specific drill? Will they fit in more specialized tools like polishers? What if you need something other than a conventional metal shaft?

Luckily, we’ve put together an outline of every shaft-type we use on our brushes, their sizes, and what tools we recommend you use them in. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Quickchange

The 1/4 inch Quickchange Shaft.

The most common shaft you’ll find on a Drillbrush product is the 1/4 inch quickchange shaft. This shaft has a unique shape that, as the name implies, allows it to be quickly inserted and removed in certain tools. 

These shafts are made of heat-treated plated steel and found on most small to large brushes in our catalog. These include the bullet-shaped Original-style brushes, our 2 inch detail brushes, flat 4 inch and some 5 inch brushes, the edge brush, our extensions, and on one side of the threaded-to-quickchange adapter.

Easily clicks into impact drivers.

The quickchange shaft is the most versatile of our shaft-types, as the quickchange can fit into any standard cordless drill or impact driver, meaning if you have a drill at home, it can most likely accept a Drillbrush.

For most users, the quickchange shaft is the only one you’ll really need to familiarize yourself, as they are the most commonly used tools in our line. However, if you’re working with more specialized brushes and tools, then continue reading about our other shaft-types.

Hex Shaft

The 5/16 inch Hexagonal Shaft.

While the quickchange shaft has a rounded top and a notch built into it, the 5/16 inch Hexagonal shaft is just that; a straight, six-sided shaft. This shaft is designed like some more typical drill bits and is built to go into cordless drills with an adjustable chuck. 

Like the shaft before it, they are made of plated steel. However, as they are slightly bigger than the quickchange and shaped differently, this shaft cannot go into an impact driver, only cordless drills.

A family of 5 inch Hexes!

The only Drillbrush products that feature this shaft are the 5 inch Hex brushes, flat faced brushes that are identical to their quickchange counterparts apart from the shaft and some block construction.

The 5 inch Hex brushes also work well in close-quarters drills, as the leverage it provides helps when cleaning large flat surfaces.

Threaded Shaft

The 5/16 inch, 24 thread count Threaded Shaft.

Our next shaft is built for specific devices. The 5/16 inch, 24 thread count threaded shaft is a grade 8 heat-treated zinc-plated shaft with a bolt on the bottom that has grooves that can be screwed into variable speed polishers.

Give this the ol’ brush n’ polish!

Variable speed polishers allow for more vigorous scrubbing, so a more secure shaft is necessary for tasks using his tool. As it’s most commonly used on large flat surfaces, our 5 inch Threaded brushes are the only products in our line that feature this shaft.

Threaded Nut

The 5/8 inch, 11 thread count Threaded Nut.

Some of our products have a connector that isn’t a shaft. The 5/8 inch, 11 thread count threaded nut is featured on our 7 inch industrial brushes and our 3 inch pad backer and allows it to screw onto anything with a compatible threaded shaft. It is made of heat-treated plated steel and is surrounded by the plastic of the brush’s block.

The primary purpose of the threaded nut is for use on rotary polishers. These are high speed, heavy duty tools that can handle larger brushes like the 7 inch and some of our larger pads. The 7 inch brushes come with two set screws that can be tightened with an allen wrench into holes on the nut for added security.

That’s nuts!

Though just because it can fit on an object doesn’t mean it should be used on it. A 7 inch brush should NEVER be used in grinders, as their speed is too fast for brushes of this size. Stick to rotary polishers and follow the RPM limits printed on the block.

The nut on the back of the 3 inch backer, in addition to rotary polishers, attaches to the threaded end of a threaded to quick-change adapter, which will be discussed in the next section.

Adapters

The Threaded-to-Quickchange Adapter!

Adapters are devices that feature two different shaft types, one on each side, that allow a brush to be attached to a device it otherwise wouldn’t be compatible with.

The only adapter currently sold by Drillbrush is the Threaded-to-Quickchange Adapter. One side is a 1/4 inch quickchange shaft and the other is a 5/8 inch, 11 thread count shaft compatible with the threaded nut mentioned in the previous section.

So adaptable!

This adapter comes pre-installed in the 3 inch pad backer, which is required to use pads in a cordless drill or impact driver. It can also be used in the 7 inch threaded industrial brushes to attach it to more conventional drills.

Connection Made

A diagram showing each brush and the shaft-type available for it.

For a majority of our products, Drillbrush Power Scrubber brushes and accessories can fit in all standard cordless drills and impact drivers, so you’ll be safe purchasing any of our quickchange brushes.

However, if you’re looking for something for a specific device, we have additional shaft-types that have got you covered!

If you have additional questions about our brushes, check out our FAQ or email us at info@drillbrush.com.

If you’re looking for a drill to go with your new Drillbrush, check out our blog on the subject here. 

Lastly, you can watch our video version of this guide here or at the top of the page.