Full disclosure up front: we make the CC360, so we have a horse in this race. What follows is still the honest comparison, including where each option genuinely wins — because the goal is a clean chain, and any of these beats not cleaning.
The toothbrush (free, slow)
The default everyone starts with. It works — one face at a time, one section at a time, 20–40 minutes of knuckle work per proper clean. Its real cost isn't the time, it's the skipped cleanings the time causes: maintenance that's miserable doesn't happen (the intervals that matter). Verdict: fine for the once-a-year deep clean; a habit killer as the routine tool.
The grunge brush (better, three-sided)
The classic three-sided brush does top and both sides in a pass — a genuine upgrade that cuts the job to ten-ish minutes. The gap is geometry: the fourth face and the plate-roller corners where grit actually packs. Verdict: solid budget pick; you'll still chase the inner face separately.
Enclosed cleaning machines (thorough, fussy)
Clamp-on housings that bathe the chain in solvent as it passes through, brushes inside. They clean well — and they demand solvent filling, drip management, careful clamping, and post-job cleanup of the device itself. The tool needs maintenance, which is a strange property in a maintenance tool. Verdict: appealing to gadget-lovers; most end up in a drawer while a brush does Tuesdays.
Wrap-around brushes (the 60-second category)
Designs like the CC360 wrap the chain and scrub all four faces at once — clamp on, rotate the wheel a few revolutions with degreaser, done in about a minute. That speed is the entire point, and not for convenience's sake: the cleaning that actually happens is worth more than the thorough method that doesn't. The honest limits: you still spray degreaser and wipe dry yourself, and a chain that's years-deep in wax buildup or baked grime wants a soak first like any brush would.
Ultrasonic tanks (overkill, off-bike)
Immaculate results for a chain that's already off the bike — which means replacement time, when the old chain is trash anyway. A solution for watch parts moonlighting in the garage.
The actual answer
The best cleaning tool is the one that makes cleaning frequent. Rank them by minutes-per-clean and the wrap-around design wins the routine; keep a toothbrush for the sprocket cave, where it finally has a fair fight.
Quick answers
What is the fastest way to clean a motorcycle chain?
A wrap-around brush that scrubs all four faces simultaneously while you rotate the wheel — a full clean in about a minute, versus 20–40 minutes with a toothbrush.
Do enclosed chain cleaning machines work?
The clamp-on solvent-bath devices clean adequately but add fluid handling, drips and cleanup that usually cost more time than they save versus a good brush.
Is a grunge brush worth it?
Three-sided grunge brushes beat toothbrushes clearly. Their gap is the fourth face and the corners, which is what wrap-around designs address.