Wire brush vs nylon patio cleaner
Updated: 22 October 2026
The wheel is what marks the stone or leaves the weed standing. Wire brush vs nylon patio cleaner is that choice for the six listings on the [electric joint cleaner comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/electric-joint-cleaner). Steel and Ark Mat’s metal wheel are for robust brick, concrete and block. Nylon is for sandstone and other faces that should not meet wire. The Ryobi RY18PCA-0 arrives with wire only. The Kärcher WRE 18-55 arrives with nylon only. Corded or cordless is on the [electric patio cleaner buying guide](/hub/garden-supplies/electric-joint-cleaner/sub/electric-joint-cleaner-buying-guide).
The wheel is what marks the stone or leaves the weed standing.
The wheel is what marks the stone or leaves the weed standing. Wire brush vs nylon patio cleaner is that choice for the six listings on the electric joint cleaner comparison. Steel and Ark Mat’s metal wheel are for robust brick, concrete and block. Nylon is for sandstone and other faces that should not meet wire. The Ryobi RY18PCA-0 arrives with wire only. The Kärcher WRE 18-55 arrives with nylon only. Corded or cordless is on the electric patio cleaner buying guide.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Brushes | Brush width | Power | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Ryobi Ryobi RY18PCA-0 | Wire only | Not stated | 18 V | 5.2 | about £83.95 | View offer |
 Ark Mat Ark Mat LW-1 | Nylon and metal | 110 mm | Mains, 400 W | 7.5 | about £55.95 | View offer | |
 Kärcher Kärcher WRE 18-55 | Nylon only | 180 mm | 18 V | 3.7 | about £128.99 | View offer |
On this page
What steel is for
Steel is the wheel reviewers use when the joint is concrete, engineering brick or robust block, and nylon has already skated over the moss. An Ark Mat reviewer used the metal disc on block paving without the damage they had feared. On a face you still like, stop after a two-second trial in a corner you can accept. The UK shop spare 3424100 is a 100 mm steel wheel, 15 mm wide, for joints from 15 mm, for the GC-CC 18 Li family. Narrower joints are the electric weed remover for block paving problem. Steel will still sit on a 3 mm gap and grind the edges.
What nylon is for
Nylon is the wheel you fit when the stone is sandstone, a soft tile, or anything the steel trial has already hazed. Kärcher reviews describe fingers that wear out in one session on a yard that was not called huge. Nylon is not a measured safe pass on every sealed face. Porcelain and slate appear in Ryobi’s accessory text, not in a scratch test we ran. If the cup is wider than the joint, nylon rides the same way steel does, only with less bite.
Who gives you the choice in the box
Four listings claim both materials. Ark Mat at £55.95 lists one 110 mm nylon wheel and one 110 mm metal wheel. Ecobuild at £59.99 claims two of each at 110 mm. The kit at £75.95 claims them beside a battery and charger, and one review contradicts the nylon claim for that carton. If you wanted wire for concrete and nylon for a sandstone path, Kärcher is the wrong single tool, and Ryobi is only half the pair until RAC818 is in the same order. Who already owns the battery is on the best electric patio weed remover page.
Wear and a test corner
One Ark Mat review mentions a 1/4 inch hex fitting. That is one review, not a standard, and not a reason to buy a generic hex wheel for an Einhell. Quote the SKU: 3424100 for the 15 mm steel wheel, 3424110 for the nylon wheel with a 10 mm cleaning width, and 3424115 for a two-piece set whose widths differ again. If the arris hazes, that wheel stops there. Changing material does not lift a taproot, and it does not make a 110 mm cup fit a 3 mm gap.
Common questions
Which wheel is for concrete and robust block?
Use the steel or metal wheel. Ark Mat assigns metal to brick, concrete and paving slabs. Einhell assigns steel to robust paving and concrete. Ryobi’s included wheel is wire, at 1,350 rpm on the listing. Expect a mark on softer brick, and expect wear. One Ark Mat drive used a wire wheel up in about six hours. Concrete cracks with thick moss are where this wheel earns its place, if you can accept the debris.
Which wheel is for sandstone and softer tile?
Use nylon. Ark Mat says so for sandstone and softer tiles. Einhell’s manual says nylon when the surface is too sensitive for steel. Ryobi’s RAC818 covers sandstone, limestone, porcelain and slate, and it is sold separately. Kärcher is nylon only. Nylon cuts more slowly, wears faster, and still needs a corner trial. There is no scratch-test number in this set for a sealed face.
What is in the Ryobi box, and what is RAC818?
Listing B084Z5DHYV includes the cleaner and one wire brush. The battery and charger are excluded. RAC818 is the 115 mm nylon accessory for the RY18PCA, at about £17.99 on Ryobi’s UK shop in this window. Reviewers who bought a gentler wheel later called it short-lived at about £15 to £18. If the stone is sandstone, order RAC818 with the tool. The wire wheel has already marked brick in the notes.
Does the Kärcher have a steel option?
Not on the WRE 18-55. The amazon box is a nylon bristle head, and the UK description stays with superficial dry moss and weeds. Bristles wear quickly, and the screw cap can stick, including with a screwdriver. Walls appear in an amazon bullet. That line is not a method, and it does not add a metal wheel. Grass and heavy growth sit outside Kärcher’s own examples.
Will nylon clear the same weeds as steel?
No. Nylon is for light growth on a face you do not want to mark. Steel is for obstinate moss on robust paving. Some Einhell reviewers call nylon nearly useless on weeds steel removes. You can follow nylon with steel on concrete after a clean trial. You should not expect nylon to repair sandstone that steel has already hazed.
Can steel pull mortar or jointing sand out?
Yes. An Ark Mat reviewer says the tool can take mortar with the weed, and a Ryobi reviewer lost poor pointing. Both materials throw jointing sand, which Marshalls says should be replaced. Steel is the more aggressive way to empty a weak joint. Stop if the arris opens, and brush sound sand back the same day. Einhell’s manual asks for that trial in a corner before the rest of the patio.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices are the figures used for this comparison. Updated 22 October 2026.
- HSE, electrical equipment (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First, garden (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- IET, BS 7671 Regulation 411.3.3 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Einhell UK, patio grout cleaners (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Ryobi UK, RY18PCA-0 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Kärcher UK, WRE 18-55 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, glyphosate renewal (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Ark Mat LW-1, amazon.co.uk B0CBKXP4XQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)