If you're in the business of detailing, then you'd probably need many types of wheel and tire cleaning tools because they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs, not to mention the condition they're in when brought to your shop/place of work, so you need to be prepared.
For a hobbyist and AGeek'er like me who work on the same set of wheels week in and week out, any tool that worked last week should work next week. And those wheels are most likely in more than decent shape. That's why when it comes to wheel cleaning tools, I only upgrade as needed. Before AG and the Internet, I didn't even touch the wheels (!) - I'd just spray-on with some Eagle One cleaner bought off the shelf, watch it dwell and drip into a brown muck on the floor, rinse off with a hose and let air dry. That was the extent of my tire and wheel cleaning back in the day. I'd then spray some Armour All on the tires. Ignorance was bliss, yeah!!!
Over the years, I switched from spray-on/rinse off to actually cleaning the wheel and tires with some tool, from MF towels, Mother's Tire Brush sets, MF chennille mitt, detailing brushes, and finally to Woolies. With the common/classic 5-spoke or 5-star wheel designs, where I can reach in quite easily, I get by with MF towels/mitts for 90% of it, except that area between barrel and brake caliper. For that I use Woolies. A Daytona brush would work too, there is no doubt, but I don't experiment with tools/products as much as the next Geek, and luckily I don't get easily swayed by Internet opinion. I follow Mike's motto - "find something you like and use it often". Woolies work for now, and I'll use it until it won't work anymore (or I buy a new car with a different design wheel...) My wife's Subaru has a multi-spoke design (which I hate cleaning) and for it, I require the smallest Woolie to get into each crevice.
In a couple of years, with a new car, all I have may not be enough, who knows. Then it's time to upgrade/switch once again.
