I bought mine over labor day weekend when they were $199. The first die I used was the large tumbler block. Even though I rotated all around it literally wore out my mat. I e-mailed Accu-Quilt and they sent me a new one! You can't ask for better service than that! This time my mat is marked 1-2-3-4 on one side and a - b - c - d on the other side so I can be positive I run the mat through all eight positions.
I bought some dies at 25% off at JoAnns but the strip dies I'm getting from sew n vac because they are so much cheaper. Even with the 25% off at JoAnns it is more than purchasing and paying for shipping with sew n vac. (No affiliation)