I have an old cutting mat that's huge...one of the first ones out. It's more like metal. It's been used 1000s of times. I don't notice that the blades last longer or wear out faster on it. On the other hand, I have two "self-healing" mats that look terrible, have small cuts in them and are losing their markings. If June Tailor mats are like my first one, I'd buy it.