I'm also a newb and haven't shaved with the straight yet.
As far as the Rolls Razors and Valet Autostrops, I've got a few of each of them. I have 3 Valets,one completewith strop, razor and blade, and two Rolls, which aren't as nice, broken stone(s? been awhile since I've seen them, they're in storage) and or missing strop. Both Valet and Rolls are quite collectible. I've never tried shaving with either of them though, so I couldn't give any idea as to how they would behave. When you find out what your friend shaves with let us know, you've got my curiosity up lol.
Tony