I am in the market for a new cutting mat. JoAnns sells June Taylor mats much cheaper than Olfa... am I paying for the Olfa name or is there really a difference. I have an 18x24 now... looking to get 24x36... any comments are appreciated. Quilter1234

Mine are all fiskars. I'm happy with them.

I read someone on here used an Alvin brand drafting mat. I bought one and I LOVE it! It is the best mat I have ever used. I have tried Fiskar's, June Tailor and Olfa and the Alvin one is far better. I bought it from Amazon. I believe the otehr lady who talked about it was able to buy it at a college book store. You could also try a drafting supply store.

It is so thick and it doesn't get the grooves like the other mats did. I love it!

Oh, they come in multiple sizes, too. Mine it 24" X 36".

I much prefer the Olfa to June Tailor.

I've got a Fiskars 24" x 36" and a June Taylor 18" x 24".

I bought them because they were the best priced matt at the time I was getting them. I've had them both for at least 4 or 5 years and both are in excellent shape - no indentations or tears. I'm a casual quilter (not everyday), so I can only speak from that point.

I'd say both of these brands are excellent choices. I've always made sure to have mine laying flat, so they don't warp.

Smell of it first. Mine still stinks after 3 weeks.

Can you lay some fabric dryer sheets on the stinky mat?...I think I would have returned it for a different one after one day.

Me too!

I have the blue one. Duraheal I think! I like it!!!

Oh, believe me I have tried most everything. I got it on sale and didn't want to pay the price for the olfa mat. I suspect they all smell if they are the self healing kind. I put it in the closet with the well pump for the holidays hoping it would clear up; nope still smells.

I am going to get one of these Alvin brand to replace my old cutting mat. I just checked and for less than $24 I can get the 24" X 36" :D:D:D

i'm not a huge fan of the june tailor mats, although they're not bad for the price.

olfa's are good mats but that awful green .... beeeyuck. :lol:

i prefer the Fiskars. they come in such pretty colors. they have a nice, smooth surface; they're easy to read; and much more affordable. the newer ones are greatly improved since the days of the gray mats.

i've never tried any of the others so can't offer a reliable opinion.

Me too

I have an Alvins and love it. Can't remember where I ordered it but it was more reasonable than others. I also have an Olfa mat and love it too! I guess I am so accustomed to the green color it doesn't bother me!

I got a Donna Dewberry one at Joann's...much cheaper than the Olfa. I love it.

I like the June Taylor "Cut andPress". It is so handy just to be able to cut on one side, and then turn it over and press. My first one wore out and the second one is well used. I get the press side soiled with the spray starch and I haven't found a way to clean them. I rarely get out my ironing board any more except to press a finished quilt top or iron clothes.

I have a Salem mat that I bought in 1980 - still going strongly.
It cost $60 way back then, so I would expect it to last. Probably cheaper in the 'States.

Not too fussy about them. Although did use my turntable one for a gift I was making and love it when I need it.

I like Olfa best

I have never had anything but an Olfa mat, and have owned one for many years, and I love it. I am now however curious about the Alvin mat mentioned here. I had never heard of it before now.

good grief, do NOT buy a mat based on the color...buy it for the value...JT mats are of NO value! They will dull your blades so fast you will go broke replacing them...they are also known for being slick and causing slippage when you cut!

OLFA is the best mat.

The other ones to stay away from are the WHITE rubbery kind you always see at the quilt shows! They do not hold up to a lot of cutting!

My first mat was a Dritz. Then I ran across a 50% off sale at Joanns on their 24-36 Olfa. I love it. I have been using it for about 4 or 5 years.

i can speak only for myself, of course, but a mat's color is a factor i consider when deciding whether or not i think a mat offers value for the price. after all, i'll be staring at it for hours at a time while i work. maybe it's strictly a "me thing" but there you have it, for better or for worse. :lol:

let's all remember, please, that we should be sharing our opinions based on mats we own now, have owned in the past, or have seen reliably demonstrated. let's not throw judgements around. if i've learned nothing else in my years here at the board, i've learned that not everybody is going to feel the same way about everything.

if you can't be with the mat you love ... then love the mat you're with. ;-)

I have olfa green,gray fiskars(old one),Fiskars large 24x36 pale yellow & pale green(reversible)
I like them all for cutting..but the color does matter if you use the mat for measuring from time to time. The light colored Fiskars was difficult to get used to.

me three...make sure it's self healing which ever brand you buy. i have olfa mats as old as 13 yrs and still in great shape!

That happened to me--it was a Fiskers. I wrote them to ask what to do and they sent me another one--it smelled the same!

That's the one I have and I'd prefer a darker color. Neither pink nor yellow are my favorite colors either. :lol: I'll have to wait for it to wear out. :roll:

i just bought the fiskars green on one side/yellow on the other side. I do like the color - the light green side is easier for me to read. I've only done one project on it and it was fine.

I have a June Taylor I got at Walmart...........no good! Then I got the Olfa and man what a difference. Waited till Joann's had them half price.

My first June Taylor Cut & Press warped the cutting mat horribly when I used the pressing side to ..duh...press! I took it back & Joann's gave me a new one. I use it to cut, but only press on it with that tiny little clover iron, not a 'real' iron.

My first mat was a Dritz white colored one...I wore that one right thru to the other side!

and I double checked...my 2nd one is not a June Tailor...it's also a Fiskars...self-healing, 2-sided cutting mat. It's just the prettiest color (that's why I bought it!)...it's a pinkish color on one side and a blueish/violet color on the other side.

Olfa all the way! :). I always use my 40% coupon if they aren't on sale.

I have Olfa and Fiskars and ???

The one I absolutely love is the Martelli that I bought at our Quilt, Sew, & Craft Show put on by Rusty Barn the end of January every year here in Phoenix. Mine is about 10 years old now and still going strong. The newer style is even better but the cost is kinda high for me right now. Martelli also makes the ergonomic rotary cutter which many of my friends love but it hard for me to use because I can't use my fingers well due to arthritis.

ali

I like my Fiskars better than my Donna Dewberry. The lines on Donna's are harder for me to see. Maybe that's where the color issue comes in. More contrast between the lines and the mat seems to be important to me.

I have 2 Olfa's and a Duraheal. The Olfa's have faired much better than the Duraheal. I've had mine for over 7 yrs. and they look brand new. The green color doesn't bother me.

I bought one of those gigantic shiney white ones at a quilt festival --it is same size as the top of my 'banquet table' cutting table. it's ok, but it dulls my blades much faster--and i've heard the same complaint from others (after I bought mine, of course.) They have a surface sort of like PVC--and they do get cuts in them. So I do keep it on the table for quick measurement of large pieces, and it looks clean, but then place my good old smaller greenies (olfas, i think) on top of it for doing actual cutting. My conclusion: don't spend your money on those big shiney white ones! :XD:

I don't like those hard plastic white ones. You see women walking out in groves with them at quilt shows & I don't feel that I get a good cut with them. (Maybe it's just me but....) I've used Fiskars for many moons but have also found color is important too. If you use the measuring lines on them (which I don't) the color is so, so important. I have thought about buying a pink colored mat ( :o) it would match my room decor!) but haven't ventured off in that direction yet! Good luck on choosing on

I have been advised by the teachers in classes I have taken not to use the lines on the mats to cut by. They are not accurate. They have always said to use the lines on the rulers instead as they are accurate, and use only one brand of ruler on a project, as the lines vary with different brands of rulers.

I found an Alvin mat on Amazon, 24x 36 for only $24... that is a great price..... cheaper than the Olfa.... just checking again to make sure everyone that has them love them... Thanks... Quilter 1234

I love my mat byMartelli. It is double sided. When you go to large quilt shows they are usually there and you can get a fairly good price. They are a bit pricey but well worth it.

I looked them up too--did you notice the 30x42 one was more than the 36 by 48 one??? Weird. I put it on a wish list. Mine isn't worn out enough to warrant buying a new one yet. I do need a new quilting calendar though. I'll have to start asking for one for Christmas! My daughter or new d-i-l would have fun picking one out every year.