I have every brand of cutting mat even Polar which is hard to find. I don't have a favorite. I like the June Taylor hard surface mat I guess the best. I don't use one mat for all my cutting so they all last much longer. The self healing mats are thin plastic sheets covered in gasket material. The blade is cutting through the soft layer and rolling on the plastic sheet. So all mats are hard surface to cut on. Buy several small mats of different brands and find the one you like best.