Had to pick between a rotary whip and a hex shaft brush today

Got a call on a narrow flue in an old house near downtown Portland. I was standing there with both tools in my van, had to choose and go. I grabbed the hex shaft brush because I figured the offset would handle the tight turn near the crown. Worked alright but I think the rotary whip would have been faster on the soot buildup near the bottom. Any of you guys deal with tight flues that force a tough tool choice?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tessa1mo ago

My buddy jimmy tried the rotary whip on a tight flue last winter and it flung a chunk of creosote so hard it cracked his safety glasses. He switched to the hex shaft after that and said it was slower but way less dangerous. You ever have a close call like that with the whip?

drew551mo ago

Had to pick between a rotary whip and a hex shaft brush" I've been there. Stood in my own driveway staring at both for a good five minutes once. Ended up grabbing the whip and it whipped right back at me - flung creosote chunks all over my arm.

noahmartin1mo ago

And that's the thing nobody tells you about the whip. You think you're being efficient and then it punishes you for it. How bad was the burn from the creosote? I had a chunk hit my neck once and that stuff is like napalm when it's fresh, took a week to stop itching. Did you stick with the whip after that or did you just write it off completely?