What a great time to see this post, I was going to ask this question as well! I will never buy Fiskars again. My first one warped (somewhat my fault as it was stored upright in the garage in August in Phoenix, oops). The second one my blade went all the way through the mat after only 4 months of use.

I like the green Olfa one, but I also have an older Fiskars that's still doing fine!

Mine is a Fiskars bought many years ago. I wipe it after using it right away and don't put coffee cups or anything that would stain. Definitely no irons. Mine is a self-healing but don't want to push my luck. I use it only for what it is intended. JoAnn's is having great sale right now.

I have a 24x36, two smaller ones and an 18" rotary mat - all Olfas. I try to remember to use the smaller ones when possible, so I don't wear out the more expensive 24x36 mat. I would buy the largest one you have room for and also a rotary mat. I don't know how I ever got along without my rotary mat. Trimming blocks is so much easier when you can spin the mat instead of the block. Jo-Ann Fabrics and Hancock Fabrics both often run sales or have discount coupons.

Unlike the other posters, I don't like Olfa - I don't find the markings are as clear as my Omnigrid ones. I've had my smaller one 4 years now. I hardly ever use the Olfa one.
I also read somewhere that not only is it best to have your rulers the same brand for consistency, but your mat too. Not sure if I believe this though!

I love my Martelli self-healing matt. It was not cheap but worth every cent I spent on it. My blades last way longer than they used to (I cut something almost every day), my small cutting matts are Olfa.

I have an Alvin mat that I love. It's my 2nd one - I still have my first one but I got a bigger cutting table so I bought a larger mat! The Alvin mats are black on one side, green on the other, so you can decide which works best for you. I like that it also has a zero-out line about halfway across the mat, with numbers counting outwards from both sides of that line - great for helping center blocks before trimming. I bought both of mine from Amazon and they shipped them flat, not rolled up.

I definitely recommend the biggest mat you can fit...you'll always want just a couple inches more mat than you have!

My very first mat was an Olfa and I think the Alvin mats are softer and are lasting longer...but I have to admit I did abuse my Olfa mat by cutting things with an exacto blade on it. I think those mats are really only for rotary blades, not straight blades!

I just bought the Martelli. Got it in February. So far I am loving it!

I have a couple of Fiskars cutting mats -- the mats are self-healing, which I can't say for myself. Yep, I had an encounter with my rotary cutter and I'm a little handicapped until this darn finger heals! My rotary cutter is a new one and this was the first time I had ever used it! I am not sure I want to use it again!

Jeanette

I like my Olfa... but be aware they can smell awful when you first get them if they have not had time to breathe. I left mine in the garage for a month till it got tolerable to bring inside.
I don't think they last as long as they used to, but the Olfa still seems to last longer than the other brands I have purchased.