I reckon this whole soap/cream brush concept is over-exaggerated.
While a stiff, dense brush will no doubt load hard soap a bit quicker, a softer brush will lather a hard soap just fine. In fact, I've found my medium dense brushes actually create lather quicker than the ultra-dense brushes (more air circulation?). While they may be slightly quicker at picking up soap, that same characteristic will also be harder on your face. YMMV and all that.
My ideal brush would have very good backbone (but not overly dense), yet really soft tips. I have yet to find this Holy Grail - maybe that was Rooney Finest? None of the two bands I've tried have had really soft tips, except Fido's, and that is the closest so far. Not too dense, soft tips, but I wish the shafts were a tad firmer. Almost there..... :mrgreen:
John