Post by Christopher Roe on Sept 24, 2016 12:51:14 GMT -9
I ordered a couple of the 8x12 Light Hold cutting mats to see if they were any good, considering the normal mats start out way too tacky for paper. Like, I mean, I've seen permanent glue with less bite than a fresh Silhouette mat, and the one that came with my Cameo 3 ended up in the trash a couple days later.
I was pleased to discover that the Light Hold mats actually do have a light tack. I was able to lay a sheet of 24lb printer paper on one, burnish it down, hog out a few shapes, and then peel them off without destroying them, which is great.
The things I like about these mats are:
The things that bug me about the Light Hold mats are:
I was pleased to discover that the Light Hold mats actually do have a light tack. I was able to lay a sheet of 24lb printer paper on one, burnish it down, hog out a few shapes, and then peel them off without destroying them, which is great.
The things I like about these mats are:
- The tack, out of the wrapper, is gentle enough to use with paper.
- The adhesive is not edge-to-edge, which means it's easier to peel off paper because the edges aren't burnished down onto the glue layer.
- They're thin but just stiff enough not to bow or flex too much along the horizontal axis when in the machine.
- The protective cover is a plastic sheet with some substance to it, not a flimsy piece of release liner. Reusing it to protect the tacky layer is actually a practical option.
The things that bug me about the Light Hold mats are:
- They're a magnet for dust, fingerprints, and cat hair. 60 seconds after peeling off the protective cover, my fingerprints are everywhere and somehow every single stray cat hair within a 200 foot radius has decided to call it home. Granted, this is a problem with all sticky plastic mats in general, but is a point of concern considering the next 2 issues.
- They don't seem to stay tacky very long according to reviews.
- At something like 11 bucks a piece, they're not exactly what I would call cheap.
- I don't understand why they're almost perfectly transparent. This makes the markings very difficult to see when the mat is on top of a busy and dark surface, like my Fiskars hand cutting mat. I'd think a translucent or solid white would be better.