My story:
I got into straight razor shaving for all the normal reasons that everyone lists, less irritation, less cost, tradition and just dang coolness. I started out with a 5/8 half hollow Dovo. Enjoyed it quite a bit after some terrible experiences with a disposable blade straight. When it got dull I got frustrated and sent it out. When it came back it was S-H-A-R-P. Had WAYYY better shaves but only for a little bit. Then i started buying razors...(what did I mention about saving money?).
Now i have over a dozen, Mostly vintage, a few wedges, alot of full hollows (should have started here), all kinds too, Bokers, dovos, wade and Butchers, you name it.
I realized that the problem is my blade maintenance. Either I am an idiot and cannot strop my way out of a paper bag or I cannot hone. Either way I just cant keep the edges finely tuned. I bought a Norton 4k/8k, 220, 320 dmt, 12k Chinese and still I had/have problems, went to, new 3" walking horse strop(s), still had problems, watched lynn's videos 200 times, had problems. I mean they are sharp man but they just are a bit coarse on the face. They shave arm hair fine etc but just not sharp enough..or maybe I'm to delicate.. Any way I decided to give the disposable a try again and went to lord blades.. WOW, this was a big difference. Pretty dang good shave for quote a while although I always had a couple tiny tiny weeps if I wasnt uber careful. This brought me to the conclusion that SHARP is better. I went and got something like this one from a guy in england. It takes DE blades. Amazon.com: MD Master Razor: Health & Personal Care The idea was to start getting away from lord blades to try the MULTITUDE of DE blades available. If you look for single edges mostly you find crap or lords. So I got that thing and got a pack of DE feathers.

MAN, those feathers are AWESOME. I honestly love that razor and blade combo. The razor is so sharp I swear it looks at my facial hairs on my face and they jump off in respect. But seriously I love it. I just wished it came in a longer blade.... SOOOOOO
I went and got a feather AC. I found a guy on craigslist had one for $60 (Brand new in box) so i had to buy it right?
I got 1 blade with it as well wrapped in tissue paper. Well suffice it to say I am thinking of selling all my straights now. I read post after post about how ungodly sharp they are, be careful, blah blah blah. Just don't move it parallel to your face at all and you are fine.

During all this I got a barber's chair and have been shaving my buddys for practice and they all agree, Lords are smooth, feathers are silky.

Long story short. I have come to terms with not being able to maintain my straights and I'm ok with that. The feather leaves my skin irritation free, I do less passes and it is pretty dang cheap. I think I got 9 shaves on one blade. Yeah its sharp.

My tips for my sensitive skin,
Wash, hot towel, pre shave oil (olive), cream of choice, shave, warm towel to clean, cool towel to tighten, ALUM block, balm, beer.
beer.

Closing thoughts, wish I had a hone daddy in my neighborhood to teach me/examine my technique
Wish I had gone full hollow to begin with.
Wish I had bought a feather to begin with.
Wish I had started with pre shave oil.
Wish I was an Oscar Meyer.... (what?)

Hope this helps some beginners.