Why do the Olfa cutting mats smell so bad?
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,165
The older ones didn't smell. I have two that I've kept for paper crafts and the other half to cut stuff on. They never smelled, but cleaning them took the lines off and I had coffee, glue and other craft stuff all over them.
It must be a new chemical in mfg if Fiskars is smelling, too.
I now use Martelli and they don't smell. I bought the Roundabout one which is NOT made by them and I didn't smell anything. That doesn't mean they won't have an odor in the future, though.
It must be a new chemical in mfg if Fiskars is smelling, too.
I now use Martelli and they don't smell. I bought the Roundabout one which is NOT made by them and I didn't smell anything. That doesn't mean they won't have an odor in the future, though.
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,813
I have a couple of these: http://calibreart.com/ They are thicker, do not warp like the Olfa and do not smell. (Don't know if they can warp, but they are thicker. My Olfa warped in a not that hot car in a parking garage.)
Last edited by yngldy; 05-13-2017 at 07:38 AM.
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 9,299
The factories in China, where most of the mats are made, are heavy on the use of chemicals. The odor penetrates the mats and remains for a long time.
I had to replace my 1990s Fiskars (no odor ever back then) a few years ago and asked on here first for recommendations, and kept reading about the heavy odor. So when I finally decided I wanted an Olfa mat, I ventured to JoAnn and went to the very back mat hanging on the peg. I figured it had been there the longest. I smelled it and it was okay (although I was put off by the ones hanging on the front end. I took off the 7 or 8 in front (must've looked funny to anyone around, but who cares?) --which isn't exactly easy--but then put the mat in my cart, replaced the others on the peg, and drove around the store to test the mat for odor. It was only faint. I brought it home, poured vinegar on it, set ii out in the sunshine for a day or two, and it was fine.
That said, if I had to replace it again, I would certainly look into what yngldy suggested--the Calibre Art ones. Never heard of them, but I trust what I read. It'd be worth the extra money to me, considering you have a mat for a LONG time, so the price difference over years is negligible for the price of your lungs.
I had to replace my 1990s Fiskars (no odor ever back then) a few years ago and asked on here first for recommendations, and kept reading about the heavy odor. So when I finally decided I wanted an Olfa mat, I ventured to JoAnn and went to the very back mat hanging on the peg. I figured it had been there the longest. I smelled it and it was okay (although I was put off by the ones hanging on the front end. I took off the 7 or 8 in front (must've looked funny to anyone around, but who cares?) --which isn't exactly easy--but then put the mat in my cart, replaced the others on the peg, and drove around the store to test the mat for odor. It was only faint. I brought it home, poured vinegar on it, set ii out in the sunshine for a day or two, and it was fine.
That said, if I had to replace it again, I would certainly look into what yngldy suggested--the Calibre Art ones. Never heard of them, but I trust what I read. It'd be worth the extra money to me, considering you have a mat for a LONG time, so the price difference over years is negligible for the price of your lungs.
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: in the sticks of PA
Posts: 2,312
I bought my current cutting mat at Walmart a couple of years ago no smell and I believe it cost me 29.99. I really like it because it is 2 sided and has a square up area in the center of it. I have never had a problem with the Olfa cutting mats that I bought in the past with odor, must be something new since I switched brands.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Southern United States
Posts: 481
You will never meet anyone more sensitive to smells than me. Something as small as burnt toast makes me nauseous and headachy. I have 4 Olfa mats and 2 Fiskar's mats purchased as long ago as 15 years ago to as recently as last Christmas and none had/have slightest smell. All my mats came from Walmart so I wonder if the fact that they are hung in a large open space for who knows how long helps to get ride of any smell the mat may have.
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,402
My DH ordered 2 large Olfa mats for me for Christmas, he got them on Amazon, and neither one had a smell. They were shipped in large thin flat boxes (I know since he wrapped them in the shipping boxes.) I'm another one that can't be around perfume and other chemical type combinations.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post