Best Cutting Mats in the UK

Are you involved in quilting, sewing, making wood or paper crafts? If you answered "yes", then you should definitely consider buying the Cricut 2002217, a special cutting pad which will let you achieve high precision and accuracy in the work you do. What makes this set of cutting mats beneficial over many others is that it contains three mats instead of one so you can use a different one depending on the texture of material you're currently working with. Each mat is big enough to allow you to work with the majority of DIY craft projects without having to use a table and each mat is thick enough to let you slice your projects comfortably not having to worry that the blade of the knife might go through it. With the dimensions of 12 by 12 inches and 1/5" thickness, the cutting mats are just great. And it's not surprising why so many professional craftsmen and quilters choose this set. However, the feature we like most about this set of mats is its expression machine. It is with the help of this small accessory that you can make all your projects so precise and nice without putting a lot of effort. 

Overall, the Cricut 2002217 is, without a doubt, one of the best models of cutting mats available on the market and it indeed will fit most quilting, sewing and crafting needs. The mat has very clear and durable markings allowing you to achieve precision in your work and is large enough to fit the majority of projects, even some big ones.

The Olfa engineers have been working hard to ensure their cutting boards deliver efficient performance. You only need to choose the right size to match your working surface and cutting out various shapes on it will be a breeze. Those people who have once tried using it for work cannot but give high value to the quality of the material and board itself. Due to the rotating feature, working with it requires minimum effort and strength, the mat can be angled in any position to enable more precise cut. There are inch grid lines and 30°, 45°, 60°, 90° angle markings. This wonderful self-healing mat allows making the most accurate measurements. Owing to the non-slip bottom layer, the cutting mat does not skid off the table. Restful green mat color prevents the item from glaring in the desk lamp light and reduces an eye strain caused by sustained work.

Naturally, you want all your craft projects to be good, right? Which is why it's necessary to use auxiliary products that can help you master your skills and reach perfection. One of such products, which has got hundreds of rave reviews and never failed consumers down, is the ANSIO A1 Cutting Mat, a solid product for anyone involved in handcrafting. What makes this mat so peculiar and special is a wide variety of markings comprising circles, squares, grids, and protractors that serve as pre-made patterns for your future crafts. What this means is that you won't need to waste any of your time to make preliminary measurements and will be able to get down to work almost instantaneously, boosting your productivity several times. In addition to the markings and availability of both metric and imperial systems of units, this cutting mat stands out for its quality build. It is made of a dense 1/5” five-layer PVC that isn't easy to cut.

The ANSIO A1 Cutting Mat is quite big in size measuring 45 by 33 inches. It may actually turn out to be too big for some consumers who mostly deal with small projects and use a smaller table for that. The good news is, it will certainly be of great use for anyone producing oversize DIY crafts and there are several versions of mats to choose from, so you can get a mat of the needed size. 

Of course, like any product out there, the ANSIO A1 Cutting Mat isn't completely flawless. Though it is quite thick overall, it's still recommended not to give it hard time and not to press cutting tools too hard to its surface as this may cause the appearance of small grooves which you'll not be able to remove. That's the thing to remember. Other than that, the mat is really good and will be a worthy purchase for anyone doing crafts. With the help of this only thing, you'll be able to refine your DIY projects and achieve surgical precision with ease.

The best way to save money when buying a cutting mat for DIY crafts and arts is to buy one that heals itself so you won't ever need to buy it again. Sounds too good to be true? Well, that's exactly what you'll get on buying the Helix Q52010, a self-healing cutting mat designed for quilting, sewing, and paper/wood crafting.

Thanks to its self-healing properties, the surface of the mat will always look as new, self-repairing small scratches and more severe grooves left by sharp blades of rollers and knives in a short while after their appearance. Because of these unique properties of the mat, you will be able to work with more comfort and worry not about digging a knife too deep into the mat. The Helix Q52010 will endure all that and more, no matter how hard you cut.

Similar to other cutting mats, the Helix Q52010 has a grid allowing you to make accurate and precise cuts. Now speaking of the grid, it could've been improved, as it uses only one measurement system - metric one - and this could cause inconvenience to people who've used the imperial one all their life. But if you constantly learn new things and aren't afraid of challenges, you should quickly get the hang of it, because it's really worth it, given that we're talking now about a thing that can heal itself.

The Helix Q52010 cutting mat has a double-sided surface with the dimensions of 24 x 17 inches, which is just big enough for most average-size projects. The advantage of the surface being double-sided is that once one side of it is scratched and healing, you can use the other one, and vice versa.

Of course, the Helix Q52010 isn't the only cutting mat on the market which can heal itself. There are many other models available. But in our opinion, this mat is one of the better options out there, which is why we've decided to bring it to the review.

If you've got a skill in handcrafting, be it quilting, sewing, paper or wood crafts, buying a cutting mat is what can help you become more proficient and achieve better results. With the cutting mat, you won't need to measure thrice as all your cuts will appear precise on the first try. The Pretex SC-114 is a good mat to consider. Featuring a variety of angle guides and printer markings, it will lend you a helping hand in all your projects allowing your creativity to unfold.

By size, the Pretex SC-114 is average. Its size is A3. At 1/8", the thickness of surface could seem not enough at first, and that would be true if it wasn't for the self-healing properties which reinforce the mat. So even though the mat looks seemingly thin you can be sure it will not tear out after several uses. All grooves left after a craft knife or rolling cuter will cure themselves in a short while and your pad will look as good as new.

What else we liked about the Pretex SC-114 cutting mat is that it's got a kind of surface that prevents markings from fading and preserves their original look for a long time. Even if you used this mat for several years on a daily basis they wouldn't get worn off and you would still be able to see them clearly. Another feature unique for this mat is that all squares from the grid come with marks in the centre. Thanks to this, it's quite easy to work on even the most complicated schemes and DIY projects.

Made in a pleasant muted green colour, the Pretex SC-114 A3 cutting mat is a wonderful choice for anybody doing serious DIY projects. Whether you need to make a large quilt or cut a piece of wood with incredible precision, this mat is for you.