I think the Olfa self healing are the softer ones and are lovely to use and kinder on blades too.

I've had my 35" x 70" Olfa self healing mat for years now and I've had no problems with it at all. However, I bought a 12" rotating Olfa self healing mat and it got small gouges in it as soon as I started using it. I've used the same rotaty cutting blades on both mats. So, I think the larger mat is made of a better material even though they look the same. You might want to ask an Olfa mat dealer.

Mats do wear out - I just replaced my old olfa mats with new ones - they are my favorites.

I'm looking to buy a new LARGE (like 40 x 60) cutting mat for a table my sweet hubby is building me. I've had the self-sealing (hard surface) kind for a few years and have cut grooves in it. I have smaller mats of the self-healing (softer surface) variety, but haven't used any of them consistently enough to know how well they hold up. In this large size, the prices are very comparable. If you had a choice, which would you get, and why? Thanks!