Vicky, I don' feel any discomfort striking the bag with the gloves I have. They are
TITLE Gel World Bag Gloves (Leather) and have an amazing inner pocket for your hands. I also don't have to use any additional wraps for my hands. You can get these from Amazon and I think I paid $75 for them. The good is they are all leather and they do not have any weird smell and my hands stay very comfortable in them (plus they come in pink)

. My heavy bag is a 70 pound Everlast (PolyCanvas) and I suspended it to the ceiling with a marine winch, and this is all personal preference as to how you want to strike at your bag. This way I could lower and raise it to my height or if I want to do kicks. It wasn't difficult thing to do, just a few trips to Fleet Farm for a hook, chain and winch, etc.
The routine is a stress reliever, there is something about hitting a bag, and its a great change up from straight kickbox. There is an investment here. I wouldn't buy the cheapest gloves, or bag either. I figure I put $175 in this with the hanging system, but I love the variety it brings to my gym. Also I'm able to lower the bag and drag it to a corner of my gym and its completely out of the way. The Wavemaster was a little bit too big and nearly every square foot of my gym is occupied, so that's why I went with a hanging bag.