I found I got more mileage on my blades on my self-healing mats than my regular cutting mat. So when I went to upgrade/enlarge my cutting table I searched for a self-healing mat as a replacement. I also picked up a blade sharpener at Nancy's Notions. I seem to use my blades for a much longer period now and then I hit them with the blade sharpener to add a little extra life on them. Once they're pretty much spent for fabric cutting I sharpen them one more time and use them for cutting everything but fabric. I have a 60mm rotary cutter marked for just that so I don't mix them up. I warn all who come to play in my sewing room the rules for my rotatry cutters too. They are marked for safety sake but you know how things can go when you just grab a cutter and start cutting.