hello all, I am new here and I've read some, but i haven't seen anything that clears this up to my satisfaction.

recently I have gotten into using a DE razor and already I have found myself wanting to move on to a straight razor.
when I got my DE I went and got a cheap soap/brush/bowl kit to get me started. I know they are cheap and now that I have
realized my interest in this art and know that i wish to really persue it, I will be replacing items as funds allow and as I learn
what Im going to want out of these items.

all that said, here is what I am looking at right now. I very quickly decided that i do not like a stiff brush. I don't like the feel of scratching on my face. after reading some I have come to understand that nicer badger hair tends to be softer. which happens to be where the price goes up, in some cases a lot. I also found that making my own brush (I browsed TGN) can be much much cheaper. even if i choose to go with the most expensive knot.

so the actual question is this: is making my own brush really that much cheaper, or is there some aspect of what I'm looking at(ie product quality, assembly difficulty) that i just don't understand that makes paying more for a premade one worth the money