I have been shaving with a straight for about 2 months now and have gotten to the point where I get pretty good shaves every day. I have used a rotation of 3 razors, all 5/8. Recently, I got a 6/8 TI Le Grelot, honed by Lynn. I have used it 3 times now and don't seem to be able to get a decent shave with it. I am certain that the problem is not with the honing, but with my technique. Alas, I can't figure out what's wrong. I have tried reducing the angle and increasing the angle, and anything else I can think of, but even after 4 passes last night, there's still quite a lot of stubble. I did not strop before the first two shaves, but before the third I did 50X on leather. My beard is a bit coarse, but not unusually so. Any thoughts?

A second question: I recently bought a new strop with felt, rather than linen. Is there a significant difference in the manner/amount of stropping recommended?

Thanks for any advice.

Phil