Our HF had then on sale for $1.49 plus I had a 20% off coupon plus a free gift. I just didn't need anymore right now. If the blade doesn't cut as good as you think it should, put a drop of sewing machine oil on it and take a Q tip to move it around the edge. This helps some of the time. On cleaning the mats, I use a white board erasier after each cutting and never had any problems. Once a year, I take dish soap and a damp rag and wipe it clean as I don't want to lose my lines.