I'm sold on getting a boar's hair brush for cleaning my car, but don't like the $70 price from Griots. I've found it for closer to $50 from a couple other online stores, but found what looks like the exact same thing labled "hog's hair" for $32 here:

http://www.eriemanufacturing.com/p595.html

They are a supplier of commercial car wash joints, and have a whole assortment of hogs hair brushes for decent prices here:

http://www.eriemanufacturing.com/c488.html

So, is "boar's" and "hog's" the same thing in this context? Are there any good reasons to spend 3x the money on the Griots version?

Thanks

Well, as far as I can tell they are the same thing. I ordered a couple and will post a followup after I use them. BTW, their order form is not secure, and the shipping quotes are not accurate. I'd recommend calling in an order if you want to buy from them.

this may sound like a dumb question...but what do you clean with a that kind of brush??? im sure this as been asked before so please help me in my quest for knowledge... thanks

from the Wash Your MINI page:

Choose your wash tool carefully!

I’ve played with all types of sea sponges, lambswool and synthetic mitts, terry cloth towels, you name it. There is lots of consensus on what not to use, but still lots of debate on the best washing tools. For my MINI, I use a 100% cotton chenille wash mitt for the painted portions, and a 100% boar’s hair bristle (also called hogs hair) for the tires and plastic portions and glass. The properties of boar’s hair brushes do not scratch like nylon bristles, and retain water and suds without retaining dirt and debris. Every time you dunk a boar’s hair brush in the wash bucket, dirt and debris slide off the bristle and down to the bottom of your bucket, unlike lambswool, cloth, or sponges which retain dirt and debris and need to be rinsed consistently with high water pressure (and are a pain to keep clean). Some caution that using a boar's hair brush on the painted section may cause small swirl-like marks on non-metallic paints like black and red colors. But Boar's hair works wonders everywhere else, especially to get rid of the fine dirt that collects in the crevices and in grills.

100% cotton chenille mitts may be a bit harder to find (lots of polyester blend substitutes). You know it’s cotton if it says so on the packaging and if the mitt passes the burn test. Take a small cut of the chenille pile and expose it to a burning match. If it emits black smoke and curls up into a burnt plastic nub, it is probably a poly blend, so try another brand. Viking makes both kinds, make sure you get the cotton blend as poly blends are also known to leave swirl marks. Boar’s hair brushes are hard to find and can be expensive (most retail for at least $50-70 per brush!!). Plus, they smell like a wet hog the first few times you use them (they don't stink up your MINI though).

If you do a google search on "boar's hair brush car wash" you'll get alot of info on these brushes.