Our take on Conair’s paddle hot air brush, which provides gentle everyday smoothening and detangling in one tool right after a shower
Model name/ number: BC120
Price: $37
Heat settings: low: 125°F / high: 155°F
Best for: all hair types, neck length or longer
Hairstyle: with its paddle-shaped brush, it can effectively dry and smooth hair, although it’s not the best for adding volume
Pros: fast and gentle smoothing and detangling, detachable design, 6 additional attachments available separately, lightweight, and relatively quiet operation
Cons: doesn’t create super straight, sleek results, the back of the brush gets quite hot, it has a short cord.
How it stands out: it’s the only hot air brush on our list that you can use right after a shower for styling and has the widest surface for the fastest results
If you want a hot air brush that dries and detangles hair quickly and gently, the Conair Smoothing Dryer Brush should be on your shortlist. All told this hot air brush, with its paddle shape, can cover a large surface area of your head and can dry your head much faster than a blow dryer. You can use this tool even right after getting out of the shower, which is usually not the case with most hot air brushes.
Keep in mind that the Conair paddle brush doesn’t give you bone-straight results. But if you’re looking to keep your natural curl pattern intact, this tool is perfect for you.
Below we share our experiences with The Knot Dr. All-in-One Smoothing Dryer Brush. If you’re curious about the competition, check out our article about the Best Hot Air Brush Reviews.
Size And Shape
The InfinitiPRO features a 2.35″ wide by 4.25″ long paddle-shaped brush, offering a unique alternative for home stylists. We’re all used to hot air brushes that have a barrel and as much as qualities of round and oval brushes vary, what the paddle brush offers is significantly different.
First of all, a paddle brush has the capacity to dry your hair from scratch. This means you don’t need to wait till your hair is 80% dry like most other hot air brushes. This is a great advantage, saving time and energy.
Secondly, it’s much gentler on your hair than barrels. It provides a gentle smoothing process, applying much less tension to the strands. Last but not least, paddle brushes can cover a huge area in one go, which not only contributes to the speed of the session but also protects the hair from heat damage caused by too many brush strokes.
Paddle brushes are great detanglers as well. Their shape allows them to penetrate the strands in a gentle yet firm way.
While the paddle shape is superior at detangling, straightening the hair is not its strong suit. It smoothens the hair, keeping the natural curl pattern intact. If you’re looking for super straight results, this brush is not the one for you. But if a natural look is what you aiming for, will definitely be satisfactory.
Bristles
Conair advertises its brush saying it has Easy-Glide Flexatile nylon bristles. This technology allows the brush to smoothen and detangle the hair effortlessly. The silicone cushioned brush also supports the gentle detangling process. There are 138 bristles, which are spaced intelligently, also helping the “knotectomy”, as they call it. Longer bristles are known to be better detanglers and its 0.7″ long bristles make it the second largest detangler bristle size on our list. (Amika Hair Blow Dry Brush 2.0 has the longest detangler bristles with 0.75″)
Detachable Design
The paddle brush head of Conair The Knot Dr. is detachable, making it compact and easy to travel with. But this is not the only quality that a detachable head offers. The paddle brush is not the only attachment that CONAIR offers to its users. Once you have the handle with a “swivel cord”, you can mix and match with many different head options including different-sized oval and round brushes, nozzle, and diffuser.
This is a hard-to-beat feature that can make a home stylist’s life much easier and more colorful. We have to mention that like most detachable models, it’s less sturdy and should be used with more caution and care. But it’s a fair price to pay in exchange for versatility.
Temperature
– Heat Settings
The maximum heat of The Knot Dr. Smoothing Dryer Brush is considered average amongst hot air brushes. With 155°F, it’s warm enough to tame thick hair yet gentle enough to avoid heat damage with fine hair.
This is not the only quality that makes it suitable for all hair types. It also comes with 3 different heat settings; high low and cool. While the high setting (155°F.) is meant for the unruly types, the low setting (125°F) is designed to provide a gentle blow for the fragile.
There is also a cool setting that seals the style that you work hard for. We highly recommend using this option, especially if you want to use your style for more than one day. It works especially well in humid conditions.
– Handle Temperature
Its handle temperature is 80°F on the low setting and 85°F on the high setting. These temperatures are safe and comfortable for extended use.
– Cool Tip Temperature
The cool tip is at the top of the barrel, which you need to touch with your other hand for support while styling. The Knot Dr. can get quite hot, reaching 135°F on both the back and top of the brush. This is the highest temperature on our list and may not be ideal for delicate hands or for hair types that require long styling sessions.
Performance And Durability
The Knot Dr. Smoothing Dryer Brush is a budget product and as you can imagine, there’s a sacrifice to make in terms of life span. Our tests show that the price vs. quality of this hot air brush is high and considering its price of only 50$, it will last long enough, even if you use it every day. The experience of us and our users has been very positive and there’s no report of early breakage or loss of strength.
Ergonomics
– Weight:
We call this tool “great for everyday use” for good reason. It’s a very lightweight hot air brush with only 13oz. Considering most hot air brushes in the market are above 15oz, this hot air brush will provide you with a session, as gentle as possible, not only with its low heat and gentle bristles but also with its light weight.
– Handle Size:
The diameter of the handle is 5.5”, making it easy to maneuver and handle.
– Length:
The length of the hot air brush is 14 inches, which makes it easy to hold for bigger hands as well.
– Noise Level:
Hot air brushes are quite loud tools that can become a problem for sensitive ears, especially in the case of everyday use. The Knot Dr. stands out as the quietest on our list, at just 85 dB on the high heat setting, making it a good choice if you have family members sleeping nearby.
– Cord:
Its cord is 5.7 ft and swivel, which is the shortest on our list. This number can get frustrating if you don’t have a plug next to your mirror.
Other Models From Conair
The paddle brush is only one of the possibilities that The Knot Dr. has to offer. While the paddle brush comes with the “handle” part, you can also purchase many different attachments individually and complete a set of a whole professional salon. One example is The Knot Dr. All-in-One Oval Dryer Brush, which is one of the best options for long hair on our list. So, it’s all up to our user’s wisdom to choose according to their needs because The Knot Dr. seems to offer different attachment options to achieve every possible style.
Competition
The biggest competition we would say to The Knot Dr. All-in-One Smoothing Dryer Brush is Chi 4-in-1. It has the same versatility with its detachable head and many attachment options, but it’s less budget-friendly at 102$ and offers a more luxurious session with more durable material. So the decision between the two is about what you are willing to spend on your hot air brush.
