Yes on the strop, no on the brush, 8/8 to start is fine if you can afford one. I think you're desire for the "cool" is outpacing your budget.

I suggest looking at SRD for everything you want, bundle your shipping costs and get started. Then look for cooler stuff later.

Hunt around SRD and see if you can find more that you like than just the strop.

Just a suggestion.

Second general vote is to check out classicshaving.com