I have read this thread with a lot of interest. I have five brushes that I use reglarly, two Simpsons, a Body Shop synthetic, a no name synthetic and a bristle brush, I use soft shaving creams, hard shaving creams and shaving soaps. In terms of looks, the Simpsons have it but, apart from the bristle, in terms of performance, I can tell no difference between the other brushes, in fact the Simpsons are the worse being a little too floppy, they lose hair and splay out.
On top of that I have some real ethical concerns about supporting the badger farm trade in China.
I looked to see what Simpsons had to say about badger v synthetic
'Synthetic bristles are super soft and offer a certain amount of resistance to raise the beard up and prepare it for shaving. Not as exfoliating as Badger, you will still need to keep up your washing and exfoliating routine to fully prepare the skin for shaving. as the bristles are non-absorbent, synthetic bristles often require less shaving cream or soap to generate a fine, rich lather'
I have to say that synthetic brushes work best for me especially when I look at the price I paid for a Simpson Badger at £230 as compared to the £8 Body Shop brush.
However, I like the idea that we have a quality manufacturer with global sales.