cutting mats
Is there a difference in cutting mats? Is one brand better than another? I have seen Olfa, Omnigrid, June Tailor, etc. Are self-healing or two-sided mats worth the extra money?
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Originally Posted by josieh
(Post 5479547)
Is there a difference in cutting mats? Is one brand better than another? I have seen Olfa, Omnigrid, June Tailor, etc. Are self-healing or two-sided mats worth the extra money?
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The color of a mat may be important to you. I first tried a grey mat with orange lines, which I could hardly see. Now I use the green Olfa mats with yellow lines. I always buy the self-healing mats, because I think that's important, but honestly haven't tried the others.
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there are huge differences in mats- and if using a rotory cutter a *self-healing* mat is a must...otherwise you will get deep (grooves) cuts in the mat fairly quickly and be replacing it. a self healing mat will last a long time as long as you take care of it- a mat that is not self healing will not last very long-will have to be replaced frequently if you use it alot. as for color/brand- buy the one that has lines you can see the best- some people like the gray ones- some like the green ones- and some like white ones- it's up to you what works best for you. you get what you pay for.....
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Is there truly a "self healing" mat out there?? I have fairly new Olfa large, and swivel. They both stated "self healing". They have fabric imbedded in the cuts..I took a dry steel scrubber to try and work out the fabric..It helped a little. I'm going to just use them as is, and not run out and spend more $ to just have the same thing happen to the next "self-healing" mats.
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Originally Posted by dunster
(Post 5479645)
The color of a mat may be important to you. I first tried a grey mat with orange lines, which I could hardly see. Now I use the green Olfa mats with yellow lines. I always buy the self-healing mats, because I think that's important, but honestly haven't tried the others.
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I've had my two white Dritz table-sized mats for over twenty years and they're not ready to be retired yet. I do have a couple of the green Olfa mats which have probably been used only two or three times to take to classes; I just don't like how thin they seem. The Dritz are a full 1/8" thick, the markings are dark brown and very legible against the white background.
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I've got two Fiskars cutting mats - one 24x36 and the other is 18x24 for taking to sew outside of my craft room. I love them.
I also have a rotating Olfa mat which I really am not impressed with. The cuts that the rotary cutter make seem to attract fuzz... I'm constantly having to wipe it off. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money for a larger Olfa mat. I know that I'm probably in the minority with my Fiskars mat love, but I love mine. I've had it for a few years and it's holding up quite nicely. :) |
I ordered an Omnigrid mat and pretty quickly warped it :(. So when I went looking for a new mat I ended up ordering an Alvin brand. I love it. It is much thicker than the Olfa/Omnigrid mats and looks about the same. It cost me 18.00 for the 18x24 size. I have also use MegaMat, and I am much more impressed with the Alvin. Gina
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I'm considering a 14" Fiskars rotating mat. Does anyone own a Fiskars?
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I use the 2 piece OLFA self-healing mat. To get the imbedded "lines" out of the self-healing mats, use an ART GUM eraser
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My favorite is a 24" x 36" green Olfa. I also have 18" x 24" and 12" x 18" grey/blue reversible Gingher mats which I don't like the feel when cutting. The line's color doesn't matter to me since I don't pay attention to them, although I do appreciate the numbers.
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Originally Posted by mike'sgirl
(Post 5481810)
I ordered an Omnigrid mat and pretty quickly warped it :(. So when I went looking for a new mat I ended up ordering an Alvin brand. I love it. It is much thicker than the Olfa/Omnigrid mats and looks about the same. It cost me 18.00 for the 18x24 size. I have also use MegaMat, and I am much more impressed with the Alvin. Gina
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Originally Posted by ckcowl
(Post 5479664)
there are huge differences in mats- and if using a rotory cutter a *self-healing* mat is a must...otherwise you will get deep (grooves) cuts in the mat fairly quickly and be replacing it. a self healing mat will last a long time as long as you take care of it- a mat that is not self healing will not last very long-will have to be replaced frequently if you use it alot. as for color/brand- buy the one that has lines you can see the best- some people like the gray ones- some like the green ones- and some like white ones- it's up to you what works best for you. you get what you pay for.....
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I like the previous poster stated, use the lines of the ruler, not the mat. I have a Fiskars that is 4 years old and looks new. I will try the Art Gum erasers for the fuzzies.
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I have always used the olfa self healing mats. my 18X24 one is 15 years old. It does show some signs of wear, but still works great. I recently bought a 24x36 mat and expect it to last just as long. Someone mentioned art gum erasers to clean out the fuzzies.... thats what I do too. You can also wash your mat if needed in soapy water with a soft brush. I always store my mats flat so that they don't warp.
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I mainly use my small rotating 7" square Fiskars. I get them for about $8 at Joann's with a coupon and replace as soon as they dull a little.
But I also have the very large Olfa permanently on my cutting table. It's been in use for about 20 yrs, and it still works just fine. |
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