I have the grey mat to take to classes and it's fine for that, however, I don't use it at home. I agree a new quilter shouldn't start with this mat because it's slick.
But for my home cutting mat I LOVE THE AMERICAN CRAFTERS PINK MAT. I saw it at a scrapbooking store and fell in love, the color is great as it shows up on all fabric colors and it's really thick (double sided with lines). My blade just slides along. Will never buy another green mat! Being truly double sided I'm sure it will be a long time before I buy another mat. It was also much less expensive. Can't say I love it too many times