Surprisingly enough, I found it very difficult to lather with my unicorn hair. Every time it touches the soap it just shoots out rainbows and pixie dust, making a serious mess in the bathroom, not to mention difficult to see in the mirror. The griffin felt great in the hand though.
I'm still not convinced that money is the only matter in getting a great brush, as with anything else hype plays a big roll. I've got vintage badger & boar, synthetic and the new great brushes but I'm not wiling to spend 2-3 hundred on a brush that fifty bucks can do just as good of a job, with brushes as most things that guys consider high-end and are willing to over pay I say good for you but there are many companies that sell affordable brushes at reasonable prices and those will be in my den....
Semogue SOC boar with a custom handle (Orchid Isle custom wood, or a custom acrylic from Wolf Whiskers or another member).
I like my 2 brushes enough (also a 28 mm synthetic Gen 4 Frank shaving knot in an Orchid Isle cocobolo handle) that I don't look for others. Unless Muhle comes out with a 30 mm synthetic Gen 4 where the entire knot feels flat on the face in synthetic horn, in which case I would need to get my wallet out again.
I would have exactly the same as I have now, Edwin Jagger large size super badger. It's very soft and not even a single hair lost. It's just about perfect for me for lathering cream or shave stick on my face. On the other hand if I started using soap in a bowl it would be too soft and I would probably get a boar hair even though I would be loading the brush with soap and still lathering on the face. In that case probably a Proraso Professional which looks to me like a hybrid Omega with 10049 handle and 10048 bristles but I don't know if that's true.
I wonder about the high cost of certain brands of brushes: What makes those brushes better than the brushes my granddad and dad used? Quite honestly I'd say not a lot. Nice to get for example a Plisson Horn Handle Pure White High Mountain Badger Brush as a gift but I wouldn't buy one for myself and in any case I wouldn't use it in case I damaged it.
Not particularly outside the box thinking but I would get a Simpson Polo 12 in 2 Band Super or Simpson Chubby 3 Manchurian; both very big brushes that makes statements... or a Rooney Heritage Beehive #2; unique handle and a more modest everyday usable luxury.