I'm an Olfa girl myself. I have a Fiskar's mat that was given to me as a gift but have never used it. It just doesn't look like a 'self healing' mat to me. I agree w/Jan in VA that as long as you are varying where you cut and don't cut too deeply, the Olfa's 'heal' quite nicely. I've purchased mine from both JoAnn's and another LQS with equal success. I also flip mine to the plain side to extend life. I rarely use the lines on the mat for measuring/cutting except when I have to make very wide cuts for which I do not have an appropriate ruler. Then I do a 'gross' cut - over measuring by a bit and then trimming if at all possible.

I also have an Olfa rotating mat. I find that simply because of what it is and the purpose I use it, it does tend to have more repeated cut lines than my normal, larger mat. But I'm still happy that I have it and tend to be more aware of where I am cutting when using it.

The Fiskar's mats are a much harder material and no I don't think they are self healing like they claim. I recently switched to Olfa and it is much nicer, seems softer and doesn't get cut marks in it like the Fiskar's will.

That reminds me of a story...I gave an extra Fiskar's mat and a rotary cutter I had to a friend that wanted to make a log cabin quilt. She lived in a different state. Anyway, the next time I saw her, and the mostly completed quilt, she needed some help w/it so we drug out the mat and I could not believe the trench she and her DH had cut in that mat! They had cut all the strips in the same spot on the mat and must have been bearing down very hard. Thankfully it was towards one end so we were still able to use the mat, but I was still shocked at what they had done to it, lol.

Another Olfa girl here! :)

I have both an Olfa and Fiskars. Like the Olfa better cause it's more self healing. The Fiskars I have actually sanded down with a super fine sandpaper--like 2000 grade. That does work.

Another Olfa girl here too. I still have the first one I bought back in the mid 80's. It's great for traveling now. But I put them in the shower from time to time and let them recoup some moisture. I very rarely use the lines to measure - usually it is to get the fabric straight. I have one of those super large white mats they sell at Joann's. A friend gave it to me, and it is used so rarely, but it works when needing a very large cutting area.

I totally agree with Jan. I got rid of my Fiskers mat and my Olfa blades last much longer. Actually, I cut my Fiskers mat up and used it for bottoms in my bag making!

I second the opinion of the Quilters Select mat. I bought one and will not buy another brand.

I there a possibility that you have two blades in the cutter? Sometimes they stick together due to the oil on them.

I have seen gouges/ruts in Olfa mats, too. (Like at a LQS when the same lines are used over and over.)

It does help to change where one cuts on the mat to attempt to get more even wear on a mat.

It also helps to use a sharp blade that requires little pressure to cut as compared to using a dull blade and heavy pressure to prolong mat life.

It is not reasonable to expect a mat to last forever if it is used a lot.

PS: The edges on rulers can also become worn down with a lot of use. Then one gets a curved cut instead of a straight cut. This become noticeable when one is cutting strips. You know the fabric did not move - and you notice that the cut edge is not lining up nicely on a line when you move the ruler. I finally become aware of this "erosion" when I had worn down almost an eighth of an inch in the middle of a ruler. (blush)

Have you changed your blade to a sharp one? Sounds like you are using an old blade and bearing down way too hard. When using a sharp blade, you don't have to bear down that hard and the fabric cuts beautifully.