Has polymer clay degraded or am I using the wrong grade of it?

I originally started using polymer clay bars about 10-15 years ago and I used the same bar for years. It was a really hard bar. You had to work it in your hands for a while to limber the bar up before it would even move. I think the bar I had came from Japan.

Unfortunately I lost my original bar so recently I bought a new bar. I noticed that sellers are now categorizing them as "hard" "medium" and "soft". I tried hard.

Unfortunately, even the so-called "hard" clay is really soft and mushy and does not pick up the grit anywhere near as well as my old bar.

Is this just yet another example of products just degrading into crap over time, or is there some new product identification system where I need a "professional" grade bar or something? How can I get my hard bar back?