I am a cheap straight user. I use mainly Arko. I also use Proraso Green and red as well as Mitchell's Wool Fat. But mainly the urinal puck for my face.
I'm a straight razor greenhorn, but I'm just into soaps in general for wet shaving. Soaps are usually slicker, cheaper, easier to manage and store, have better varieties, and I enjoy the effort of loading a brush from a puck and whipping it into a lather.
Not sure what you call it ....I put soap on the brush from the cup... mix it with a little cream in the bowl...and add a few drops of glycerine. Works well.
Kinda like chemistry class.
Since my shave bowl broke in an earthquake i've been sticking with soaps.
Unless I feel like spending the extra time rubbing a cream into my brush then face lathering. Which i'll do if I feel like using my Trumper's Viotlet or my Musgo Real.
I try to balance between the two. Currently stop buying soap/cremes/hybrids all together bc im at 6 and I want to keep it under control if possible. lol