We almost did away with felt belts entirely but found our way back to them after working out the technique. Our felt belts wore quickly in the center, leaving high points on either side of the contact wheel. This resulted in poor contact with the hollow grind and an uneven polish. That is, until we figured we could just focus pressure on the high points, essentially the usable .5 inch on either side, and pass the whole grind along it. The felt belts also rounded nicely over the edge of the contact wheel so it blends well. With enough time and patience (and lots of buffing compound), you can get a phenomenal mirror polish this way. We still finish on buffing wheels with finer compounds.
