Is the Black Tip on Original Brushes Stiffer Than the Rest of the Brush?

Drillbrush makes drill-powered scrub brushes for all types of cleaning, and as such, we offer a wide array of options catered to pretty much any scrubbing situation. This includes various tools, brush-styles, and somewhat iconically, bristle stiffness.

Our color chart goes over our often copied color-coded bristle system, which is White Soft, Yellow Medium Bathroom, Green Medium Kitchen, Blue Medium Outdoor, Red Stiff, and Black Ultra Stiff. This simple system allows cleaners to quickly identify the right brush for the job with just a quick glance.

However, two aspects of our brushes have confused some novice Drillbrush users over the years; the difference between the three Medium brushes (which we covered in another blog) and the tips on our bullet-shaped brushes.

Unlike the rest of our line, the top half of our Original, Mini, and Jumbo brushes sport black bristles, regardless of what color the rest of the brush is. This has led some to think the tips on these brushes are all Ultra Stiff.

So for those looking for a quick answer, we’ll clear that up now. The black bristles on the tips of Original-style brushes are the same stiffness as the rest of the brush. The black bristles are Soft on White brush, Medium on Yellow, Green, and Blue brushes, Stiff on Red brushes, and Ultra Stiff on the Black brush.

We hope that answers your question, and alleviates any fears of picking up an Original brush for the first time. But if you want to know why we have a black tip on some of the brushes, we’ll go into it more in this article.

Origins as a Toilet Scrubber

"Wait, it’s all the same stiffness?" "Always has been!"

The Original brush is very important to the history of Drillbrush. In 2005, Drillbrush inventor Anthony LaPolla was a self service car wash owner in Marcy, New York. While these establishments typically give you the tools to wash your car yourself, LaPolla would go the extra mile and help customers scrub their rims and do other detailing work.

However, after years of construction and electrical work, LaPolla began to develop Carpal Tunnel, which made scrubbing painful. He came up with a quick solution to ease the burden on his hands; he bought a toilet scrub brush, chopped off the handle, and attached it to a drill bit so he could insert it into a cordless drill. It worked like a charm and was the catalyst for Drillbrush as a brand.

The Original brush prototype, which had a blue bristle tip.

[picture of Oriignal brush]

The Pump

Many toilet scrub brushes, like the one LaPolla purchased, have multi-colored bristles. It varies on whether the bristles are of different stiffnesses or not. Higher-end toilet brushes have stiffer bristles for scrubbing under the ring of the bowl. Others have little to no difference. We opted for the latter approach for our brushes, as consistent bristle stiffness is important for drill-powered scrubbing.

There are two other reasons for having varying bristle colors. Firstly, the black tip helps delineate the transition between the sides and the rounded tip, making it easier to know which part of the brush is making contact with the surface.

The other reason is simply aesthetics! Black + our bright brush colors makes for a striking contrast, and it’s been a pleasure to photograph them all these years! We’ve concepted brushes without the black tip in the past, but they never looked quite as appealing.

Clearing Things Up

We hope we were able to ease any confusion about the Original-style brushes. If you have other questions about the Drillbrush you’re dying to see answered, check out our FAQ page or our blog on commonly asked questions.