Don't worry about the linen being "nobby". It does not
destroy the edge.

The general recommendation is to use the linen after you have shaved with the razor once. You do not use the linen if the razor has just been honed.

The main function of the linen is that it cleans off the blade and gives a coarse alignment to the edge. The leather strop then gives the edge its final, fine alignment.

Lets understand that its much easier to clean the linen then it is to clean the leather. Therefore use the linen first to remove the dirt and oil from the razor.

On the issue of "does the linen sharpen the edge?" there is no definitive answer. If aligning the edge counts as "sharpening" then the answer is yes. If we mean abrading the edge then we have no definitive answer. Some say yes, some say no.

I use the linen and it does work for me. But then so does a coarse finish strop.

Hope this helps,
Quote Originally Posted by mmm_shavingcream
I was going to post the same topic...

My new strop's linnen side seems kind of knobby. How could that help? I mean, after going though all the trouble to get a nice edge then to strop with that??? I am not convinced.

Emil