Tony - its great to be able to give you some advice, instead of just asking you for it!

In your price range, I would definitely consider the Saville Row brushes - I have a 22mm silvertip and its one of my favourite brushes - soft, but firm and definitely not floppy. They come in 18mm and 20mm (around $80) in a variety of handle shapes. These are some of the best deals around in my opinion. The brush works well with both soaps and creams and is the brush that finally disabused me of the notion that you need a stiffer bristle to get soaps to perform.

Rooney makes some great brushes as well I have a #1 large silvertip (I can't justify the incremental difference between silvertip and finest given the huge price difference - I also got mine for about 1/2 the retail price). The Rooney is a little floppier than my SR, but not as floppy as my Vulfix. If you're looking for a less floppy brush, then stick to brushes with a shorter loft - a 5mm difference in loft height makes a big difference in this regard. The #1 has the shortest loft, followed by the #3 and then the #2 - so the small (22mm) in the #1 in either super or silvertip would likely fit the bill). I have a definite preference for smaller brushes and this is the only brush that I have that has a knot diameter greater than 22mm (its a 26mm) and it is nice to have a large soft brush - especially for whipping up creams - for when you want a change.

You might also want to try a Kent brush - the white barrel handles are supposedly some of the most comfortable around (and they look great). The BK2 is a pure badger brush that is a little firmer (and a great deal on e-bay as they can be had for between $50 and $60 new) that is supposed to be a great soap brush (I almost bought one, but decided that I really prefer silvertip brushes and already have a small Simpson brush that is very similar). The BK4 is basically the same brush in silvertip and goes for around $75 - $80 on e-bay).

As for the Vulfix, I only have a 2197 in pure - this was my first "good" brush (got it for about $30 locally) and I still use it. It is floppy and Vulfix brushes have this reputation. If you want a Vulfix, I would go with someting with a shorter loft to combat this tendency and pick something with a beefier handle if you have large hands - I find the 300 series brushes to have very small handles and I don't have especially large hands.

Shavemac is another great option - especially if you want a custom brush. You're not limited to the options on the webpage - Bernd will work with you to come up with something that's just right for you. His prices are also amazing for the quality.

Finally, there is the B&B brush that's going to be available soon - I'm seriously considering one of these (even thought I'm quite happy with my current selection) as it looks to be a great brush for the price.

Hope this is useful information.