Could just be a blade issue. You can send one to me and I can check it out for you, tell you if you're crazy, hone it better, and return it if you'd like.

Generally, there is no such thing as a "heavy beard" to a straight razor. You could add a little more prep time, but that is an unlikely cause of the problem.

By the way, the only reason to skip stropping is if the razor is already shaving you perfectly. Otherwise you should strop quite a bit.