generic lino brand is too hard to carve

hi! i am new to the wonders of lino printing. i recently bought a generic lino block from a local art shop, but the lino is too friggin hard and my lines do not look as sharp as i'd like and also carving is really difficult.

i've been using an iron so i can warm up the lino under a piece of clothing before i carve, although this has worked i need to do it every 5 minutes or so.

speedball pink lino is too expensive where i am at right now, do you know of any budget friendly lino brands??

pics of the lino i am using, maybe any of you have had this same thing happen before? what did you do???