Whips shaving cream or shaving soap into a copious lather. Synthetic bristles lift beard off of skin, to allow for the closest shave. Aluminum handle.
I saw it on sale for about 9.99 a while ago, too bad it was sold out...
It doesn't have to be the cheapest or smallest, but it should be very good at the one thing it should do - make good lather. The fast drying bristles and matching case are just a bonus.
If it helps any, I'm using an EJ small synthetic ivory travel brush. It's on par with any other brush in terms of making a decent lather but it's still limited by it's physical properties - the fact that it's made out of plastic. The bristles in general aren't as soft as a badgers' (even though the tips of mine are soft) and they don't really absorb water, it just sort of carries it.