ladeg

The Martelli board will become grooved if you are not using the cutter correctly. Watch their YouTube tutes and troubleshooting videos. I had this problem, because I was holding the cutter wrong and the blade was tipping at an angle, not straight-up vertical. If you are not using their cutter, that can also contribute to the condition of the board. The board is designed to work with the ergonomic cutter. My first board did not last very long at all, all because I was using the cutter wrong. If you go to a quilt show where Martelli is in the vendor area, they can show you in person how to hold and cut. There is a learning curve to their system. Usually about 15 minutes.

pewa88

Thanks ladeg for the info. I do not always use their cutter and I guess this is the problem. Good info to know.

gale

I don't always use their cutter either, but for the price of their mats they should work as well as the olfa and fiskars ones sold for a fraction of the cost.

KalamaQuilts

I'm guessing we could ruin a 1000.00 mat if our cutter blades are dull

gale

I'm not talking about using a dull blade. I'm talking about using a different brand cutter on a martelli ($$$$) mat vs using one on a fiskars ($) mat. There's no way a mat that expensive should perform any less than a cheaper one and I've never had a fiskars mat get grooves in it.

gale

I ordered my mat! I'm pretty excited. It'll be soooo nice to not have to shift my fabric or my mat all the time, or take the mat totally off the table when I'm working with something bigger like clothing patterns.

gale

It came today!! I love it. I haven't cut on it yet but I still love it. Check it out. It came rolled up so I clamped it until it lies flat.
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pocoellie

Oh my, I love the size of that mat. I showed the pic to my husband, he asked me why I wanted it that big, since more than 3/4 of the table is usually covered up in fabric and such. LOL

GEMRM

He's observant, I'll say that, lol!

That mat is one beauty, I'd love room for one that big too!

gale

LOL! That's a very good point. I usually have my table covered too (the rest of my room is awful right now from cleaning off the table to put the mat on).