DH and I went to Joann's today and got almost everything at 50% off!

Got the FISKERS cutting mat, the big one... Sniffed the Olfa's and boy, did they smell strong. Since I have allergies we knew that wasn't a good thing for me to be in the same room with.. plus it's reversible, which is a good thing, too.. Fred was just wonderful all day! I think this was his first time ever in a fabric store, and he even was encouraging me to buy more than I did! On the way home he asked me how many computer/electronic shows had I gone to with him over the years... so now he thinks he has some catching up to do with me and my interests. Bless his heart!

I have an ALvin too

I have both Olfa and Fiskars. I love the colors and double gridded sides on my Fiskars. My Olfa has seen many projects but I don't like the different thickness of the grid lines - makes cutting more diffacult for me.

I like omnigrid and have had it a long time

olfa all the way! Of course, it is the only thing I've ever used, so can't compare.

I don't have a favorite brand but I like my cutting mat with the measurement numbers the same on the opposite side it makes lining up your ruler much easier if you can see your ruler is on the same number on both sides (hope this makes sense. Sandie

Oh shoot, I should have seen this posting B4 I went to Joanns and got the Olfa, same size but the Alvin is still cheaper even with S&H. Hmmm may order it and take Joanns back. Wish it would have said how thick it is.

I've read many quilt sites and on TV that we shouldn't be using the grid lines on our mats but to use our rulers and squares instead.

I know that when I first started I used the grid lines just cuz they were there. But when the 'right side' of my mat got chewed up over time I flipped it to the back where there were no grid lines and found that I really do like using the rulers best for using to measure.

The new mat I got today has markings on one side only. I might just start out using the side with no markings first. It is what I've become used to over the last several years.

I like Olfa. Just take some Dawn and scrub it down and dry it out before using.

I have several sizes of Olfa and like them. Last year I stepped back and accidentally stepped a little on an old one I had that was put off to the side. It shattered! I could not believe it. It was old and I had not used it much for a while. It just dried out. That was all my fault. I still love them!