I also like the Olfa ergonomic (curved handle), the blade recesses back into the cutter when you release your grip from the handle vs the straight handle where you have to push the cover back over the blade manually. It's funny how many times i've nicked myself with the straight handle style and still would find myself putting down the cutter with the blade exposed.
Self healing mats are nice, I use both Olfa and Omnigrid mats myself (I guess I like the green) and I have a few different styles and sizes. There are a wide variety of mats with various markings on them so choose which one fits your quilting style best.