Shaving Equipment Hierarchy

I think about this in terms of what makes the greatest difference to my shaving experience on a variable basis. For example, my pre-shave routine is very important but I have long settled on it and I do the same thing every time, washing with a glycerine or clay soap. Same with blades - I settled on a few that I like best and I just use those and never have to think about the blade.

So I would say what really makes a difference from shave to shave is (1) the razor, by far, (2) the soap - lather quality and scent, and (3) the brush. The reason I have brushes third is that I have many good brushes that feel good to me and largely similar, and I’m not normally shifting from a soft knot to a scritchy knot. I do use different fibres, different sizes, etc. but it’s not really a massive difference for my shave.

So far, the brushes importance ranks at or near the bottom in this thread. Aesthetically the brush is a nice addition, but functionally not so much. Again, as long as the brush crosses a minimum threshold for the user.

I concur with Blade being #1. It's the blade that shaves you not the razor.
#2 Soap. Good prep is vital for the blade to work most efficiently.
#3-#4 Tie. Razor/Brush. These, to me, are aesthetics pure and simple. I can get a great lather from a paint brush and with enough practice, a good blade attached to a popsicle stick.

Razors have a decidedly different character between and within types. Surely, even within types and brands you will concede that a Wolfman WR2 in 0,95 is decidedly different than a WR2 in 1,75?  Or that a WR1 in 0,54 is decidedly different from a WR1 in 0,96 or WR2 in1,35?  And surely the delta between shaving characteristics of stiff bladed AC and Gem single edges are vastly different from DEs?  Straights exist on another planet altogether.

Not to be argumentative Primo, as you a sharp guy, but differ in my perspective RE the impact of razor characteristics

I understand completely, Dan.
The OP asked for a ranking and I gave mine.
I concur that different razors present the blade differently, however, I stand by my assessment that it's still the blade that shaves you, not the razor.

I concur with Blade being #1. It's the blade that shaves you not the razor.
#2 Soap. Good prep is vital for the blade to work most efficiently.
#3-#4 Tie. Razor/Brush. These, to me, are aesthetics pure and simple. I can get a great lather from a paint brush and with enough practice, a good blade attached to a popsicle stick.

Razors have a decidedly different character between and within types. Surely, even within types and brands you will concede that a Wolfman WR2 in 0,95 is decidedly different than a WR2 in 1,75?  Or that a WR1 in 0,54 is decidedly different from a WR1 in 0,96 or WR2 in1,35?  And surely the delta between shaving characteristics of stiff bladed AC and Gem single edges are vastly different from DEs?  Straights exist on another planet altogether.

Not to be argumentative Primo, as you a sharp guy, but differ in my perspective RE the impact of razor characteristics

I understand completely, Dan.
The OP asked for a ranking and I gave mine.
I concur that different razors present the blade differently, however, I stand by my assessment that it's still the blade that shaves you, not the razor.

Respect that bud and true

Inerstin post

Blade
Soap
Razor
Brush

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I would have to agree with Tommy.

As someone who has evaluated more than 80 different razor blades, I have found that some blades can give me a great shave and some won't work at all. However, someone with a very fine bears might be able to use blades that do not work for me.

As someone who has evaluated more tha 250 different shaving soaps, I know that some work wonderfully well and others don't work at all and immediately get tossed into the garbage or PIFfed. Again, some soaps that do not work for my sensitive skin might work for others whose skin is less sensitive.

I have evaluated approximately 18 DE razors, 3 SE razors and about 2 dozen straight razors. With the DE and SE razors, as long as I pair the razor with the right beard and an excellent soap, I can get a good shave with nearly any of them. There are a couple of razors I just do not like due to weight, balance, etc. but otherwise, the razor is less important.
With straight razors, the way the blade is honed makes more difference than the razor itself, although I do have some blades that won't take a suitable edge. 

I have a collection of badger, boar, horsehair, and synthetic brushes. While I prefer using badger brushes, with a little adujstment, the others work as well.

All software and hardware components are important for improving shave quality. Their cost or popularity does not matter as much as their match with your preferences. When I replace a component with one that I don't like, there is a significant drop in the quality of my shave.

I have one caveat to my "I can get a passable shave from almost any razor" proclamation.

A few years ago I bought a modern Parker injector razor to try out as a TSA compliant travel razor. I could not get the damn thing to shave no matter what setting I used. After two attempts on two different trips I left it behind in the hotel room for the next person. I really don't know if maybe I just wasn't riding the cap sufficiently, or what I was doing wrong but honestly I just couldn't get it to cut well.

I can get straits, disposable single edge, twin blade and cartridge razors to work fine.

Anybody have any experience with that Parker razor? Is there some weird black magic you have to use to get it to work?

I have one caveat to my "I can get a passable shave from almost any razor" proclamation. 

A few years ago I bought a modern Parker injector razor to try out as a TSA compliant travel razor.  I could not get the damn thing to shave no matter what setting I used.  After two attempts on two different trips I left it behind in the hotel room for the next person.  I really don't know if maybe I just wasn't riding the cap sufficiently, or what I was doing wrong but honestly I just couldn't get it to cut well. 

I can get straits, disposable single edge, twin blade and cartridge razors to work fine.

Anybody have any experience with that Parker razor?  Is there some weird black magic you have to use to get it to work?

Bought one when they 1st came out 3 years ago and couldn't get it to shave all that well either. Final thoughts at 15:50 mark.
https://youtu.be/Upqwb73vvsU?si=Yq4t0eZNNuZiaOF3

I have one caveat to my "I can get a passable shave from almost any razor" proclamation. 

A few years ago I bought a modern Parker injector razor to try out as a TSA compliant travel razor.  I could not get the damn thing to shave no matter what setting I used.  After two attempts on two different trips I left it behind in the hotel room for the next person.  I really don't know if maybe I just wasn't riding the cap sufficiently, or what I was doing wrong but honestly I just couldn't get it to cut well. 

I can get straits, disposable single edge, twin blade and cartridge razors to work fine.

Anybody have any experience with that Parker razor?  Is there some weird black magic you have to use to get it to work?

Bought one when they 1st came out 3 years ago and couldn't get it to shave all that well either. Final thoughts at 15:50 mark.
https://youtu.be/Upqwb73vvsU?si=Yq4t0eZNNuZiaOF3

Well, well, well.......our experiences were very similar! You do quite a bit more buffing than I do (t try to avoid it altogether) and it appears that I have a heavier beard than you do. So, for me, even on "5" it hardly shaved at all. I thought that maybe it was the default blade that it shipped with but I see that you used a Shick blade so the blade probably wasn't the problem. I seem to remember from a long time ago that I had a Shick Injector with the round dial on it, and that gave me a very aggressive shave.

So, getting back on topic, I guess that I my "gear tree" would look something like this:

1) Shave soap,
2) blade
3) razor
4) brush.

Now, having said that, the brush really is important to me. I face lather and like a really good scrub. Only boar brushes do that for me but it is probably more of a luxury element than a necessity.

With a str8 razor, the edge is of tip importance for me. With a de and se then the razor is top for me.
Then the rest is a toss, anything very wrong screws the rest, anything top quality lifts the results and experience.