As mentioned in previous posts, it is a good idea to get a good badger brush and shave soap (or cream). Learn to lather. You won't get great shave results without a good lather.

I think that a DE safety razor is a good start. I was using a Mach 3 razor before I switched to a DE a several years back. I got a Merkur "Classic" 33C and tried different DE blades. Over a year ago someone gave me an old Gilllette Adjustable DE razor and I loved it. With an adjustable DE razor, you can adjust the angle of different DE blades to match your shave style. I would recommend an adjustable DE if you want to try DE shaving.

Last month I jump on the SR wagon and got myself a Parker SR1 razor. This is a shavette, not a SR. I was able to use my existing DE blades on it. Just snap a DE blade in half, while it is in its wrapper, and carefully insert the blade into the razor. I find that it is a good, cheap way to learn SR shaving. I'm getting the hang of it and keeping my shave angle in check. There's no need for stropping since you are using a new blade. Stropping is for SR razors.

I' m slowly moving to a regular SR. Recently I purchased a vintage J.A. Henckels SR on eBay. I just have to polish it up a bit, maybe hoan it, and then strop it. I also ordered a regular, inexpensive strop and Norton stones for practice. I'm getting there.

I found that moving to an SR shave slowly (i.e., Mach 3 --> DE --> Shavette --> SR) helps me appreciate it more.