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-   -   Peeling Olfa mat (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/peeling-olfa-mat-t33840.html)

Debra Mc 01-11-2010 05:48 PM

I have a Fiskars that has cracks all over it from lots of cutting, 1st my mom then me. I duct taped it on the back & marked the grid where the cuts are & guess what. It ain't peeled yet. That can't be true. The only reason I quit using it is because I had put the ironing pad on it & pressed something & it kinda warpped it. But it still hasn't peeled.

sewnsewer2 01-11-2010 07:44 PM

Being rough, does that dull your rotary blade faster with the June Taylor mat?

Shadow Dancer 01-11-2010 07:49 PM

I wonder if it froze, which would make the surface brittle? I've never seen a mat do that.

BellaBoo 01-11-2010 07:56 PM

It peels off in strips like scotch tape when the end is stuck to the roll. The green is very thin. Beats all. I guess I could peel all the green off and have a very white mat. LOL.

Debra Mc 01-11-2010 08:32 PM

It is defintly poor workmanship. May have been a bad batch.

Debra Mc 01-11-2010 08:42 PM

BelaBoo, you said they wanted you to send them the mat. Since it is defective, can't you roll it up & put it in one of those mailing tubes. I don't think it cost a lot to mail.

charmpacksplus 01-11-2010 08:44 PM

I've never had a mat peel like that. Just wondering, were you using a rotary cutter or an exacto knife? Some cutting mats are for rotary cutting only.

Barb_MO 01-11-2010 09:23 PM

I have had my Olfa mat for about 15 years and have done tons of cutting on it. It has lots of cut marks but has never peeled. I just assumed that it was the same material all the way through. I have a crack on the edge where I lifted it up whild it was cold and it bend where I had hold of it. I taped over the edge with scotch tape.

I would email Olfa back, send them the image you posted here and ask if you could send a small piece of the mat back instead of the complete mat.

Tiffany 01-11-2010 09:26 PM


Originally Posted by Debra Mc
Can you take it back to the store where you bought it? I would rattle the pillars of hell if they didn't do something about it. I think there are well over 3000 members on this site. Do they really want to screw with us. Maybe we should all send them emails & complain about their customer service to our friend.

I'd be willing to write a letter to them! My first Olfa mat lasted just about forever. I finally bought a second one and my sister, who was learning to quilt, used it and cut these long furrows in it with the rotary cutter. It was only a few weeks old at that point and I could have cried. Instead I turned it over and made sure not to let her use my mat ever again. (We live in different states so it isn't like it's a big issue, but still!) After using it for many years I bought a third one and that one just didn't seem to last long at all. I turned it over and the back worked so much better than the front. Now I wonder if it wore out quickly due to their not making their product as well as they used to. I now need another mat and I'm just going to buy the biggest one I can find at Joann's with my 40% coupon and not worry about the brand label. If Olfa won't stand behind their products, I'm not interested in handing them my money. PBBBTT on them!!

And of course they don't want us to turn the mat over and use it. That would extend the lifetime of the mat and they'd make less money. Duh! I've never had a single issue with using the back of my mat and it doesn't dull my rotary blades any faster either. I say if the front is getting too worn, turn it over and use it that way for a few more years. Fie on them!

MistyMarie 01-12-2010 05:29 AM

I was just in JoAnns on Sunday and the lady at the cutting counter was telling another customer to buy an Olfa cutting mat. She said she wasn't a quilter, but she heard they were great. I told her that pretty much all the mats at JoAnns were going to give her about the same performance. It was the rotary cutter that would matter most.

I actually bought a fiskar mat two months ago because it fit my table better. I liked the color better as well. :)

I bought a small Olfa one a few months ago and it warped. I have it sitting flat on my table by a window (that is always shut), but it is winter and there is no way it got hot or cold enough to do that. My Olfa (which is about 15 yrs. old) was sitting there too and did not. I figured it was something I did, or didn't do, not the mat's fault, but now I am not so sure.


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