For over 50 years I used whatever inexpensive synthetic that I found in my local drug store until I discovered the forums, and for the past five to six years have tried most of the expensive badger brushes. Large knots with a nice backbone and very soft tips feel luxurious, but I can whip up just as good of a lather with my old cheap synthetics. Lately, I've had fun with boar brushes, which can be had at a fraction of the cost of a quality badger brush. Like many things, increased cost doesn't increase function significantly. I purchased my car new in 1996, and it gets me back and forth to work just as well as a new luxury car, even better since there are no electronic gizmos that I have to remember how to program, just push a knob and turn a button.