I've been using a straight for a few months a few times per week and am still learning, but getting better. After reading the forums, I got an rbecker scuttle (small and pretty inexpensive, 11 bucks) from the bay. Wow. It is not only good to have a dedicated mug (I'd been using a small jar), but nice to have hot lather too.

Never would have thought about getting one till I read the advice on this site. Thanks. Maybe I'll move up to a bigger one in the future, although this one kept the lather hot for a long time (at least 45 minutes).