I use the Omnigrid and I love it! I found the Olfa too soft and SO STINKY, that I had to leave it outside. If your board is getting 'grooves'. you are probably not holding your cutter with the blade as upright as possible--are you cutting crosswise, or away from your body. I also have used the Martha Stewart board made for scrapbooking and have found it very satisfactory.

I bought an Alvin mat to replace my old June Tailor mat. What a difference. Love the Alvin mat ~ got it on Amazon where it was less expensive than other online sites. I found an Olfa mat at an estate sale ~ didn't know what they had but priced at a $1. After arguing with them, I gave them $10 and it was still a deal for a 24 X 36 inch mat which is essentially brand new. I kept the June Tailor one for DH when he wants to cut stuff on a mat or for purse bottoms if I ever get around to making them.

I will second this!! I have 3 Martelli mats - (got these as I was replacing my original Fiskars and Olfa mats) - and I DO LOVE THEM!! These, with their ergonomic rotary cutters make cutting out fabric a breeze.........and every month they have a REDLINE special for on line purchases where one or more of their items is 50% off.......If you have not yet signed up for this, go to their web page and find REDLINE and complete the contact form.....really worth it!

If you can - Look at the Martelli mats first. I think they are so far superior to everything else out there....

cuttinng mats
 

has anyone used june taylor mats I have fiskars and a couple of others

My main mat is a Fiskars that I have used since 1985. Still in excellent condition. Perhaps the older ones were made of different material? Also have the large Olfa mat. As mentioned by others it is very good with a rotary cutter.

When moving I foolishly left the main mat, 24 inch, in the back seat of my car in hot weather. It was full of ripples. My daughter thought to lay it on the driveway in the hot son. It flattened out perfectly. Hated to think of getting a new mat because some of them smell of chemicals.

I have the first Olfa I bought 14 years ago (when I started quilting again). I have a few issues, but haven't cleaned it as often as I should - I get a little skipping, but not much. I bought a second to keep upstairs. I have the Brooklyn Revolver rotating mat and a couple of Fiskars that rotate -- the Fiskars are a pain to cut on, love the cutting surface of the Brooklyn but sometimes it rotates too fast for me, though it is my first choice when trimming blocks.

I have both the Olfa and the Martelli mats. I like them both, but prefer the Olfa because it is slightly larger than the Martelli. You can use your old mat for purse bottoms!

Olfa all the way.

I have a 30-some year old Olfa mat and a 1 year old Fiskars mat. Both would have 'skippy spots'. I'd been blaming my cutter. But when I read what Jan in VA said, and went to the website that Dogwood Quilter posted, I took it to heart. Yesterday I did a lot of cutting on my Fiskars mat and I started out with a blade that skipped every once in a while. When the skipping got to be too irritating, I ran my hand over the cutting mat and I could feel little areas that felt almost like sand grains. This is not possible as I never use my mats for anything but sewing. I didn't want to use a damp cloth because I was still cutting, so I grabbed a clean paper towel and wiped it down good, almost like scrubbing. When I ran my hand over it again, those bumps were gone and my blade cut perfectly for a long time. I've 'dry-scrubbed my mat several times both yesterday and today and have had no problems cutting. I think my blades are going to last a lot longer now! It's a science experiment of one, but I'm a happy camper and you ladies did it!