Eri

I've been using a large white cutting mat--one of the ones that dulls rotary blades quickly. I just this morning discovered the existence of a 70-inch long, 3-piece Olfa mat (it didn't exist, as far as I know, when I got my white mat years ago), and hope that someone reading this has experience with it.

The URL for it is: http://www.olfa.com/35%22-x-70%22-co....html#start=49

Before I ask for this mat for Christmas, I'm hoping someone can tell me how well it stays together and how it behaves if you run the blade across the seam between mat sections. I have a low tolerance for poor functionality in expensive products, and really, really, want to be happy with this mat that seems to be the answer to a major storage problem with the white one!

Thanks for any advice.

tessagin

What kind of mat do you have right now that dulls a rotary blade quickly? Just curious because I want to make sure I don't consider it for my next purchase. I have had my Fiskars mat for over 10 years and will probably stick with it. Not ready to buy new yet since I have a couple smaller ones that I use for smaller projects. Just curious!!

Onebyone

I have a 'white' large cutting mat, the one that covers my whole cutting surface. It has never dulled my blade any more then any of the other mats I use. I have Fiskars, Olfa, Omnigrid, Martelli, Polar, June Taylor, and a few no name ones. I have cutting mats on top of every flat surface in my sewing room. Honestly I like the June Taylor one the best.

selm

I just googled the mat and found that Joann's has it on sale right now for 97.99.

Eri

Selm: Wow! I'll check that out, thanks!

Tessagin: I'm not sure what the brand is, I'm not home right now to inspect it in person, but I asked my son to look at it and he says there is no apparent branding on it. I bought it at JoAnn's a while back. After purchasing it and noticing that my blades dulled more quickly on it than on my Olfa mats, I read (here, I think) that others were having similar issues with "white mats." The mat is very "plasticky" compared to green mats and is not self-healing, as far as I can tell.

Onebyone

Mine has the name Sullivan's Cutting Edge. It's 34 x 56. I paid $39.99 at Tuesday Mornings.

imsewnso

My girl friend has these mats put together with clips. The clips always get in the way. and sometimes you need to cut where the join is....not friendly. The reason she got these mats was because she hosted a group of girls every month and we all chipped in to purchase these for her. Now that we don't go anymore she took the mats apart. Much friendlier. Not often one needs this long a mat IMHO I have a skinny mat I purchased a long time ago that I can add to my mat if I really need it. Don't use clips just put it there and move the mat down to where I need to cut.

ManiacQuilter2

I had one years ago. It was handy to trim customer's quilt. I find that Omnigrid mats last longer then the Olfa mat do.

Daylesewblessed

Those clips look like a real pain, but I don't know how else to get an extra big mat. I do lots of fleece and cuts are long.

quiltsRfun

I have two Olfa mats which at one timeI connected together with a strip of packing tape down the back. They covered my whole table top and I could fold them to store under the bed. I also have the whit mat and only use it for crafts to protect my table top. Not good for cutting as they aren't self healing.