Originally Posted by cherylynne
I started out with a smaller grey one, but now i really only use a green one with yellow markings.
The green OLFA cutting mat is the Lexus of the quilting industry. It is the one truly self-healing mat; all the others are knock offs, some are worse than others.
Most of the others WILL dull your blades faster than necessary, so buying one of them for its cheaper price will cost you money eventually.
Olfa mats have been around much longer than quilters have been cutting with rotary cutters; they were a staple in the engineering field for years before we found them.
Take a good look at the very large white/opaque cutting mats at your local quilt store; they are usually covered with gray grooves at the 1/4, 1/2, and 1 yard marks from the constant cutting and failure to heal. It's a fairly large expense for shops, the reason I used 2 largest Olfas, ducted taped together on the back, in my shop.
Jan in VA