Kent Infinity Plus Silvertip Shaving Brush Review: An Affordable, Quality Brush
Kent Infinity Plus Silvertip Shaving Brush INF2
The Kent Infinity Plus INF2 is what I would call a likable brush but not lovable. It ticked a few boxes for me, and it is very affordable, but it did not quite hit all the notes that my Simpson does (could be subjective, though).
Pros
The knot is fairly soft on the skin, and still holds its ability to work lather into the whiskers.
The overall size seems to be suited for most gents with a couple of days or so of growth.
Although it is quite tall, it does not have any floppiness
It is fairly inexpensive for a decent brush
No hair loss (apart from on my head)
Cons
I found water and lather retention lacking somewhat
A slight prickly feeling which some gents may not like
Not all traditional wet shaving enthusiasts are behind companies like Kent ditching badger hair brushes.
However, if the cruelty reports are real and brushes are not just about taking hair from an animal (like wool, for example), then I am behind it.
Anyway, conscience and ethics aside, I must test and review a Kent synthetic brush anyway, and my first choice was this Kent Infinity Plus Silvertip.
The Kent Infinity Plus INF2 looked promising, especially based on its cost.
After a pretty good experience with the Simpson Trafalgar T3 Sovereign Synthetic Brush, I had a good example to compare the Infinity with, but I would say I found it closer to the experience with the Mühle Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush.
Specs – Quick Glance
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Kent Infinity Plus Synthetic (INF2) |
| Knot Fiber | Silvertex Synthetic (Crimped Nylon) |
| Overall Length | 110 mm |
| Knot Diameter | 25 mm (at base) |
| Handle Style | Ergonomic resin barrel (INF2 larger form factor) |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Price Point | ~$30 USD / £25 GBP |
Handle Design & Ergonomics
The Kent INF2 handle design allows my thumb to sit quite nicely on the carved section, and my forefinger sits well on the front of the brush, giving me an overall firm grip.
The handle is large enough, and the design allows me to bowl lather – even in my smallish Mühle Porcelain Shaving Bowl. I dont find it too large at all.
Knot Characteristics: Fiber, Backbone & Softness
Kent states they use Silvertex crimped nylon bristles, designed to mimic that soft feel we can get from badger hair brushes, plus hold water better than other synthetic bristles. Sounds good!
The knot looks quite tall, and it is. The fibers also look compact but not quite as compact as my Simpson Trafalgar T3 (the Trafalgar Synthetic is kind of perfect, though).
- Fiber Softness & Feeling: The INF2 has a very comfortable, soft feeling on my face and is more similar to, or maybe a little softer than, my Mühle Synthetic Silvertip. I found it does have a slightly scratchy or prickly feeling, though.
- Density & Backbone: It most definitely has good backbone, and I see no sign of any sort of floppiness from the bristles at all, as they are tightly packed. I found it retains its shape under moderate pressure, making it easy to load hard shaving soaps directly from the puck. It is springy!
- Splay & Application: I found that, due to the crimped design and dense base, the knot resists widespread splay. If you prefer a wide, sweeping splay that covers your cheeks in a single stroke, the INF2 might feel a bit rigid. Instead, I found it excels at targeted lather placement and painting motions.
Lathering & Applying
As always, I tested out bowl lathering and face lathering. I only used my Mühle Porcelain Shaving Bowl because that is the only one I have at the moment while I am outside of the UK, and as the Mühle is small, it worked out to be ideal for testing.
Bowl Lathering
Overall, really not an issue at all, and I was able to build a dense, thick lather in about a minute. As I mentioned, the handle design and maybe the brush being slightly large (110 mm) meant I didn’t get any knocking of my fingers within the fairly small Mühle bowl.
Painting the lather on was fine, but for some guys that like their splay on a brush, I would say it is not a splayer and more of a detailed painter.
The next video clip shows me taking soap from the puck and then bowl lathering.
Face Lathering
Face lathering took a little more practice to get the water ratio right (as expected) and to just get into knowing the brush. I did find it slightly prickly (as mentioned), but this seemed alright as I was getting the lather into my whiskers, so I did not feel that the prickly feeling was a negative.
The next video clip shows me face lathering.
Water Retention & Lather Flow-Through
I did notice when using both the Truefitt & Hill Apsley and GEO.F. Trumper Sandalwood soaps that I had to go back to the puck/wooden bowl frequently, so the knot was probably not holding a lot of lather. The good thing is, though, the knot does not hold unnecessary lather in the knot (easily noticed when rinsing).
Cost – Value For Money
The Kent INF2 costs around $30 USD / £25 GBP, which in my view is very good value for money.
The Simpson and Mühle synthetic brushes I have used are slightly more expensive (not a lot).
There might be cheaper synthetic brushes that are better or just as good, but I haven’t used and reviewed one as yet.
Final Thoughts
My biggest challenge with the Kent Infinity Plus might have been the fact that I was spoiled with the Simpson Trafalgar T3. I could not help the Simpson preference coming to mind and making a comparison!
However, some of these preferences of mine are going to be subjective, and others may prefer the slightly less soft and taller (while being cheaper) design of this Kent.
It is a decent, affordable synthetic brush that I could use as a travel brush (while leaving my current favorite – Simpson at home), or just as another option to keep in my grooming rotation.
Do let me know your views in the comments section below, or if you have a question, fire away.
