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?

I always stick with Olfa. The white ones will cause your blades to dull a lot faster.

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.

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.....

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.

Those are my favorites, too. I had a no-name one (it was cloudy clear white) that was awful... dulled my blades, buckled... it was horrid. I think as long as you stay with a name brand you should be OK.

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.

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

I'm considering a 14" Fiskars rotating mat. Does anyone own a Fiskars?

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

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.

Gina, I love my Alvin mat too, which I ordered because there was one 30 inches wide (42 inches long) that fits my table. I've had it about a year and a half and it has no visible cutting lines, and although it's white my blades seem to stay sharp just as long. Mine came from the Hayneedle website and they didn't charge any S/H.

I have to disagree with that statement. I started quilting over 15 years ago and bought a Dritz white with brown lines mat. I am still using it. I don't use the lines on any mat, I use the line on my rulers. I have see the self healing mats that are used over and over in the same spots at LQS that are cut straight through the mat. So like everything else in quilting it is personal preferance...

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.

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.

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.