So here is my question, I now have three strops that I use. One Illinois strop that I purchased new, one of Damon's strops also new and the Elk shell that I won from the raffle. They are all three quite different especially considering the drag and texture of the surface. The Illinois strap is fairly smooth and has kind of a gloss surface, while the strap from Damon is very plush and the razor has more drag or feedback when stropping. The elk shell strop is very smooth and seems almost polished. I think that this might be too hard. I can probably try to figure out how to post photos or email them to someone, but I guess I just want to know if I should try to restore them or if I am being paranoid. I feel like Damon's strop is the best of the three.