Using enough product and knowing how to make lather helps. You don't need to break the bank to get a good shave.With one sole exception, all my soaps are inexpensive. And, with no exception at all, they are all superb performers.
I've been using Proraso Blue in the metal tube for a few years now and it performs as well as any $$$ soaps/creams. I buy it from the drug store in my neighborhood.
Inexpensive and Cheap have two different meanings to me. Most of the items discussed in this thread are "inexpensive".