Camping Angel

I have never seen an Olfa mat that came rolled up. Mine came in 3 sections that clip together. They were in cardboard packaging. I once bought one of the white ones that Joanns sells. It was rolled up but did not take long to lay flat once I had it on my table. Also, I never close down my sewing table. I have a protective table cover that I put over it when I need to use the table for something else.

jollyquilting

Mine is al Olfa too and about 35 x 24 and use it constantly. It is still in good shape but I hear you can turn it over and use it without the lines and make the mat extend the life of it.

gailinva

I prefer Olfa. I recently replaced my large mat after 12 years. I have a smaller Martelli, was very pricey and wasn't that impressed (too expensive).

CajunQuilter2

I have both the 36x24 Olfa mat and the larger Martelli mat. I use the Olfa at home and when I am traveling with DH I use the Martelli because it can be rolled up and does not warp. I really like them both but if I had to pick one over the other it would be the Martelli.....expensive but worth it for me. I have used the others that you can buy from Wal-Mart and they work well just don't last long.

Maureen

I just bought a new large matt. Its the green one, Olaf. I got a 50% coupon at JoAnn and then went on Senior day so I got an extra 20% BESIDES. The self healing are the best. Once a year I soak it in the bathtub and it revives it quite a bit. I cut uo the warped one(ironing mistake) and use the pieces for stabelizers in the bottom of swimming bags etc.

Rumbols

I have tried them all and I prefer the Olfa mat. They last longer and you can use both sides.

gramarraine

Love my olfa. I have three different sizes. I really like my 18" rotating one. It works great when trimming blocks.

Lori S

I prefer the Olfa mat. Over the years I have had several sizes . The one I find the most useful is the 24 X36. I do have a few smaller 6X8 inch mats that I used in small area , rather than take the big one to a different table.

Do note that really new fresh out of the box Olfa mats SMELL! They need to have time to "breathe" to get rid of the odor. If its been out of the box in the store for awhile , there won't be quite so much. I must have gotten a particularly "fresh" one , cause I thought I skunk let loose in or near my car when I was driving home. It stayed in the garage for a month or two to complety air it out.

EagarBeez

I have a self healing Olfa. I have a large one. I put it on a bath towel on my dining room table and wash it, using a vegetable brush. I use distilled water and a squirt of dawn dish soap, then follow up with a rinsing. Let it sit till dry and then I use a Quilt board sanding disc. It's like new

Camping Angel

I have read before that some smell really bad. I have never had that problem. Each section marked on the large mats is identified with a letter. Someone had the theory that the ones that are marked with numbers instead of letters are manufactured at a different plant and they contain a slightly different materiel that creates the smell.