I bought the very expensive Noch Grassmaster 2 (on sale $160), but I also made one myself from an electric fly swatter for about $10. Guess what? The homemade one works much better. My theory is there is a much higher static charge with the fly swatter, so the grass fibers really stand up and look good.
When it comes to glue, I go with straight white glue, applied with a very cheap paint brush. I give the glue a quick shot water with a spray bottle, to loosen it up and spread easier.
I did this side by side test patch. The area to the left of the nail was done with the fly swatter, and to the right the Noch.
See how the fibers in the back are really standing up? My wife said the stuff in the foreground looked more like mown hay. I agreed.
You don't need foil to make this work. What you do need is an electrode to hook the ground clip to, the nail, in my case, and wet glue to conduct the negative charge. This way the positively charged fibers will stand up.
