If I'm reading your question right, you want to know how I decide on a given morning which brush to use. In my case the deciding factor is which soap I will be using. For hard to lather soaps like Williams or some of my soap concoctions I go for the boar and work the living snot out of the puck. For Obie's 1st and 2nd tier soaps I use my best badgers. I have one cheap badger that I use for exclusively for two foul smelling creams.