carslo

I have an assortment of cutting mats

a) a Martinelli that is reversable yellow or purple - very expensive
b) a Fons and Porter - won at the guild rarley use as it doesn't have a grid on it
c) an Olfa - the orginal one I brought from Canada
d) a huge white plastic one that came with my Horn table - I use it to cut large pieces and it is true if you cut in the same place it gets a groove ( a newer quilter came over and christened this one at the 15 inch line )
e) a rotating 11.5 or 13 inch pad - I use this beside my sewing machine a lot - most likely gets the most use and an Olfa I brought from Canada

It is nice to have a variety of mats to utilize from different projects. It would be perfect if my sewing table had a recess area for my mat to sit in and be flush with the table!

quilttiger

I just use the scrapper on a regular basis or when I am in the mood, smile.

peaceandjoy

My favorite is a Martelli. Yes, pricey, but if you go to their website and sign up for redline specials, they have very good sales (Jan was 50% off one item). It's yellow on one side, purple on the other, and the numbers extend outside of the grid. No smell, and it can be bent/rolled and doesn't crack or break.

Second favorite is Olfa. Hated June Taylor, and my Fiskars didn't last long.

luce321

I have had a Friskars for approximately eight years and it has served me well until I cut fringe on fleece to make throws. It really cut into the mat and left fuzz in all the cuts. Do you think there is any hope of salvaging it? I always thought Friskars was self-healing.

mike'sgirl

I love my Alvin mat. It is thicker than Olfa and Omnigrid and is self healing. It also cost about 20.00 for an 18x24 size. It is green on one side and black on the other.

chips88

thank you for all the advise. i think my pick is the alvin mat...let me go and do some homework pricing in them...

SherriB

I have 2 Olfa's and love them. They have been used for several years and are just now showing signs of wear. I have a yellow Fiskar's mat and it started peeling apart not long after I bought it.

I have been wanting a rotating mat and found one on Amazon for $19.96, free shipping with Prime. It just came today and I can't wait to try it out.

PlanoDebbie

After 12 years my Olfa cutting mat finally got retired. Initially I replaced it with a Fiskars. Took that one back after about 2 weeks. I'm not real heavy-handed with my rotary wheel, but every time I cut, layers of the mat would peel off. JoAnn's took it back without my receipt and allowed me to put the money towards another Olfa mat. I like the 24 X 36 size.

If you're not in a big hurry to buy one, wait until you have a 50% off coupon for JoAnn's or they put all of their cutting mats and rotary cutting stuff on sale for 50% off. I hardly ever pay full price there.