Pricing Overhaul

Not only should prices be recalculated to be fairer and more interesting, but so too should the value of objects (i.e., comfort, craft quality, environment quality, etc.). I would use a lot of the alternate chairs, couches, beds, etc. in my higher-end homes, but the values are often shockingly low despite the prices. If something is going to be high cost, it should also generally have a high value. And the cost and value should have at least some relation to the visible quality of the object in the game. Perfect example of this is the bathtubs and showers. I get that the 12,000 Simoleon bathtub is the only one that provides a perfect 10 for hygiene. But why on earth do the shower tubs provide an equal level of hygiene (8) to the other highest-end tubs which are vastly more expensive and visually luxurious? Likewise, why wouldn't Excellent-level woodworked bathtubs provide at least a level 8 hygiene, given that crafting one is among the more challenging in-game tasks? Last note on the shower-tubs: why does the cheaper base-game one provide level 8 hygiene, while the higher-cost ones from the various packs only provide level 7? Some of these things just do not make sense.

As long as the shower is functioning and the sims are able to wash themselves, the hygiene value should be 10 because there is both soap and water and they get clean. Same with toilets, they empty their bladder regardless of how expensive the toilet is. Maybe they could decrease the hygiene level if they are dirty. 

I understand that use of any shower or tub will get a Sim to full hygiene, but I assume the point value is based on speed that this happens. Otherwise, I don't know why there would be a difference in the values. All toilets, for example, are level 10 and all take the same amount of time for a Sim to use. If the hygiene scores are meaningless, then I don't know why they are listed.

Separately, the comfort / discomfort relief values for showers and tubs should be different (or at least utilized) since that seems to be an obvious value that is rarely used.

Yes, but it makes no sense, since they all basically function the same and the aesthetic has no effect on the hygiene. I almost always give my sims the cheap uni shower as it's the most practical for my gameplay. 

Comfort is actually used for something, but it's not obvious. It's a hidden value and it's not really "fleshed out". Comfortable objects give a special buff when used, and uncomfortable objects can get a negative buff when used, but a vast majority of items are "neither".

You're correct about the hygiene and bladder values- it's about speed of increase. For showers, higher hygiene = faster increase. Upgrades can increase the speed further.

I've looked deep into these things because I actually have two mods I've made myself for these things- Comfort Motive, which restores the Sims 1 + 2 style full scale motive for Comfort that prevents Sims from standing around all day and forces them to relax, and More Money More Motives, which makes lower value items provide even slower motives than usual and higher value items provide even faster motives than usual.

The latter was partly made because it bothered me that some low value items had high motive values and vice versa...so I just across-the-board (by item type) multiplied their rates based on item value using a rarely-used EA function that does just that!

It's just another problem that necessitates a true pricing overhaul.

Thanks for this answer; it explains a lot about why some of the values (like comfort) are barely ever shown for certain objects. Like you, I would just like to see them used more consistently and with more obvious intention, since it seems to be almost random which objects are listed as having them or not, or what the values are.