I have been using the same blade for 5 months and I average 2-3 quilts per month. It is still rolling along perfectly. I couldn't be happier. They have to be made stronger than Olfa if they are to cut rugs. I will admit, I went to a friends to do some cutting for charity quilts and she had a white kind of see thru mat and my cutter was giving me fits. I used hers to do the rest of the cutting. When I got home I pulled it out to finish a piece I needed and it cut perfectly. It had to have been her cutting mat as I am still using that same blade an its working fine. Go figure!