My criteria for shaving is that it has to look good to my wife, be quick to maintain, and be cheap.
My wife likes a short beard, so I trim with a Phillips Vacuum beard trimmer. It collects about 90% of the hairs to keep the mess down.
I still have to shave the stray hairs on my neck and cheeks, so I use a Mach3 razor, but buy the knockoff blades from Ebay. I bought the legitimate blades from Gillette and compared them to the knockoff blades and could not tell any difference. A blade lasts months since I'm not shaving my entire face. Also, the Mach3 blades fit my wife's Venus razor so she can use them on her legs. No more disposables for her.
For shaving cream, I just buy whatever is the cheapest per volume at the time. Usually this is on the bottom shelf at the store.
Tip- Most things that have the highest value for the dollar are located on the bottom shelf at the store. It's the expensive name brands that are positioned at eye level.
If I ever went back to shaving my entire face, I'd get a Norelco. It gives a close shave, the blades last forever, and you can shave in the car to save time
The shaver will last a decade too.