It's certainly a personal preference. I started wet shaving 2 years ago, and since then I've been regularly using my two favorite natural hair brushes, a Shavemac 2-band badger brush and a Semogue Owners Club boar brush - both are considered top-tier brushes. I've also been using several synthetics, all with 26mm Yaqi tuxedo knots, my favorite. I shave at the gym before work during the week so the synthetics work best for that application. I use my natural hair brushes on the weekends. I figured that my natural hair brushes would always out perform my synthetics because they're, well, natural hair brushes. To my surprise, however, I discovered that my synthetics have outperformed my natural hair brushes. The synthetics have great backbone, face feel, flow-through and all the rest. I particularly like that the tuxedo knots trap more soap than my natural hair brushes and dispense the soap more gradually over time. There's always plenty of soap left in my synthetic knots for a second or third pass compared to my natural hair brushes with the same size knot. I'll likely retire my natural hair brushes sometime soon.