I have one of these (INF2) and find that there is sufficient backbone for a firm lather without slinging the soap all over the place! It works well on hard British triple-milled soaps, for example.The fibre is a bit scritchier than INF1 (which I also have) and quite a lot scritchier than many modern badger-like synthetic fibres - certainly more so than Muhle Silvertip Fibre. In all, the effect is probably akin to a lowly Pure Badger. If I want to give my face a good scrubbing, I'll pick a boar ... or this. I like it! It's not like many other synthetics out there. Likewise, I like the shape and the knot size is just perfect for the handle.