I have a large Alvin mat and I love it. It's my second one - the first didn't wear out, I just got a bigger table and wanted more real estate! The original one is now on my art desk, for paper crafting.
I bought mine on Amazon - the price was very reasonable for the size I bought, and I've had no problems with it whatsoever.
You do need to hydrate your mat periodically if you want it to last longer. Mine is too large for me to soak it in the tub, so as a compromise I will lay warm wet cloths over it for awhile every now and then. But first I scrub it with a green scrubbie pad from the kitchen to get any trapped fibers out of the cuts, especially if I've been cutting batting.
Mine is....2 years old now? It still looks brand-new, except for the spot where I got some paint on it. (oops!)