I have 6 brushes - 2 silvertips of different heights, super badger, 2-band badger, Semogue OC boar, high mountain badger. Of the six, my favorites are the Semogue boar and the high mountain badger (though I really like them all). The Semogue had plenty of backbone and massages my face while having really soft tips; the high mountain is very similar - nice backbone with gel soft tips. I found that I appreciate backbone, I like the mild exfoliating effect. This takes nothing away from the others, it's the conclusion I came to after trying a wide variety.