Glad to hear Revolucion took care of you and they didn't up-sell you. The Merkur-Sollingen's are well made and well priced, offering the best bang for buck.
From my experience, the Merkur Super blades are the best. I have very coarse facial hair and the Merkur blades outperform a lot of the brands out there. They also last a lot longer.
Keep in mind, everyone's facial hair is different, so make note of your dad's. Most people I know who wet shave have tried various brand, but always gravitate back to the Merkur. The only way to know is to sample different blades, but I wouldn't go overboard on it. Blades are cheap to buy so it won't be the end of the world.
As for soaps, you'll just have to dive in head first and get him something.
Edit: If you want some Astra blades, I have a shit tonne. I want to get rid of that shit pronto -
FREE.
PM me if interested.