Jeff, I think you mean you're struggling with a Straight. To my knowledge SE blades cannot be honed and certainly shouldn't be stropped. (SE blades look like the paint scraper blades you pick up at the hardware store...though thinner and sharper)
I'd definitely go with a DE. That's what I did while my razors were off being honed and I'll never go back to a cartridge again. Lots of options when it comes to DE's though.