Tawashi Scrubbing Brushes - From The Daiso

A few years ago, I came across and brought home a few Tawaski Scrubbing brushes on a trip to Tokyo.  Here's that post.  On the next few trips that I've been there, I sought out and brought home some 'made in Japan' brushes and we used them and gave them to family.  I really like them, but they don't (at least for us) last long because when food gets stuck in them, it is time to toss.   In Japan, you can find these things in different forms at stores and markets, but quite a few of them are NOT made in Japan.  If you flip the package over, you'll see that they're made in Sri Lanka or somewhere else. 

I'm happy to pay $10 or $12 for a real-deal Japanese one.  But those other ones?  Meh.  Especially when I'm not sure how long they'll last before the left-over scrambled eggs that are stuck to the pan infest the brushes. 

That was, until, we went to our first US-based Daiso called Hello Tokyo up in Niles.  At Hello Tokyo - everything (well...almost everything) is just $2.  And that includes this pair of Tawaski Scrubbing brushes with handles.  I saw these - flipped the package over to see that these WERE NOT made in Japan - and threw them in our basket.     At $1 a piece, I'm suddenly not that afraid of getting food stuck in them and having to throw them out. 

If you're being true to the intended use of these brushes, I'm not sure scouring pots and pans is what they're *supposed* to be used for in Japan.  Based on this World Market post, they bill these as 'vegetable brushes'.  From their listing:

Crafted of unbleached coconut-husk fibers, our exclusive tawashi brush cleans fruits and vegetables without causing any damage. A staple of households throughout Japan, traditional tawashi brushes are used to scrub a range of delicate produce to remove dirt, contaminants and chemicals without breaking the skin or scouring the rinds. This non-slip brush contours to the palm of your hand and is durable for long-lasting use.

I'll take my $1/per brush and do what I want to do with it.  Thank you very much.