After reading many reviews here and elsewhere about the quality of this strap I decided to buy it anyway. Many note that the skin tears immediately after wearing. After receiving mine and doing a quick quality check (bend test), it was clear that my belt was no different. He seemed very dry. So what do you do with what's dry? You moisturize it. After applying a quality leather moisturizer to your belt, it will look and feel great. No sign of cracking. This is a good lesson for those new to leather. Every skin needs care, no matter what. In this case this belt needed some maintenance but now it looks like a quality belt.