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I use safety razor with mug and brush.
Razor; Merkur adjustable
https://www.fendrihan.com/products/merkur-progress-adjustable-safety-razor
Blades; Merkur
Brush; boar’s hair bristle (not stiff and not too soft)
Soap; Williams (I buy it at the grocery store)
Brush/razor stand; don’t get chrome.

The first three are the critical components.
The razor I use is the short handle model
The blades used to be made in Germany and I still have a good stock of them, which I purchased 100 for $10 at the time. The Asian blades did not hold a sharp edge as long as the German/European blades and you should expect to pay about .60 cents each. A blade can last up to 21 shaves for me, but I do not have a coarse beard.
The brush should be boar’s hair because it holds more water and leathers best.
The soap, for me is fine and cheap. It lasts months. Many months.

I recommend an adjustable safety razor, because the blade angle of attack can be adjusted as the blade wears. With the Merkur, the top and bottom piece have alignment marks. Insert the blade in the top cover and place them together with the bottom, ensuring the marks align on the same end. Tighten all the way down, then loosen to the desired setting, 1-5, with five being one full turn off the white adjustment knob at the base. If you continue to loosen, it’s 1-5 again. My ideal setting on a new deadly sharp German blade is five and after the blade wears, I’ll go past five to one. I am able to precisely shape my moustache with this razor.

Technique...a warm beard is required to soften the whiskers. Ideally RIGHT after a hot shower. Washcloth with hot water to wet your face again and get the brush under hot water. The lather should be thick. You’ll know it’s right when the brush wants to stick to your face because of a sort of vacuum created by the lather between your skin and the brush.
Wet the razor in hot water.
Here, I suggest that you turn the water off so you can hear the cutting sound to figure out the right angle to hold the razor. This requires very little pressure. While the angle of attack is adjustable on the razor settings, it is also adjustable by how you hold the razor against your skin and this last part is a critical difference for a consistent close shave. The same hold angle must be maintained as you shave the curves such as chin, neck and jaw. By doing this in a quiet setting, you can hear the difference in cut. Of course of the angle was wrong in any of the curve areas you’ll feel the stubble that was missed.
The best technique is to shave in 1-1.5 inch strokes at a time, rinsing the soap of the razor in hot water periodically. Do NOT side slip the razor, because they bleed and bleed and bleed and...you’ll be late for work.
After this first shave, it is advised to repeat the process for an extremely close shave.
If you have a pimple, mosquito bite, skin tag, or mole on your cheek, be careful, because this razor will cut it down (..ask me how I know).
Rinse your face with cool water, pat dry. I sometimes apply an aftershave as an antiseptic. I like Pinaud Clubman...a few drops goes a long way, smells clean, reminds me of my dad and ladies my age (60) like the scent, one even commenting that it reminds her of her dad.

When done, remove the blade, rinse and dry it and rinse and dry the razor top and base. Your blade will last much longer when you rinse and dry it and the razor after each use. Reassemble loosely so it thoroughly dries and hang it on the stand. Also rinse the brush, shake out the excess water and hang it also. The boar’s hair brush MUST hang, bristles pointing down, because water which remains near the point where the bristles attach to the handle will deteriorate the brush. Loss of some bristles is normal over time, but excessive loss is indicative of a poor quality brush, or one which should be replaced. I hang my brush over the mug to catch any drops which may fall.

Yes, the process is a bit longer, however, the cost is incredibly low after the initial investment.
Cost;
Merkur razor $75 (mine is now 17 years old, looks and works like new)
100 European blades $60 (enough for four years of shaves)
Brush $45 I prefer a shorter bush (mine usually last 4-5 years)
Soap $5 (lasts about 18 months) ...yes, really
Mug...this is your signature statement. It doesn’t have to be fancy at all! Find a low, wide coffee mug. I use a Sambos coffee mug I found at a garage sale. The only thing is the mug should be wide enough to plop the soap into the bottom and low enough that you can easily swirl the brush around.

Long term; the razor I mentioned has a spring inside and after a few years, the action can begin to stick due to soap reside inside. When I feel this happen, simply slide the adjustment handle out of the base, clean the tube, spray wd40, rinse and resemble by compressing the snap ring with your fingers as you reassemble.

You WILL get comments and questions about your razor, stand, mug and brush. “Do you actually USE that razor?” It’s the most common remark, which I’m delighted to engage.

Do NOT attempt to use this razor on...ummm...sensitive areas of your body, if you know what I mean. After the first time you accidentally side slip the razor and slice your face you’ll quickly realize that this should be nowhere near any “nether” regions!

Final note. You will never have an ingrown whisker using a safe razor and I haven’t since I began using one. Remember the ads for the double edge disposables? It went something like “the first blade pulls the whisker and the second one cuts it”. Well, pulling the whisker before cutting it does cut it below the skin and AND cuts it on an angle, which leaves a pointy whisker under the skin and that point is subject to curling...curling back into the skin. This never happens with a single blade shave.

I hope this helps your decision process.

I bought my first safety razor at a garage sale. It was a used Gillette with the original box. It was not adjustable and the shave wasn’t too great. It could be that I was simply new to the process...who knows. But the adjustable is a thing of beauty. I’ve since given this razor, brush, stand, soap combination to five buddies as gifts and every one of them love them...except one guy who prefers his electric razor, but complains about replacing his blades when they dull and the cost of them...then uses the safety razor.

I hope this is helpful to your decision process.

A good old fashioned barber shop, one where they actually offer you a shave as a service should sell quality European blades and quality boar’s hair brushes.