Those nice, soft pipe cleaners do a good job of getting moisture out of your pipe between smokes, but these bristle cleaners are absolutely necessary for a daily scrub-down to get all the debris stuck in it out. Like the difference between wiping your teeth with a hand cloth and brushing them. Fold them in half after a trip through the stem, then twist them in the shank, then swipe them around in the bowl. They do a great job with pipe sweetener too! Plus the satisfying Swifter effect of seeing all the extra gunk coming out of your pipe.