Customer Reviews

Cricut 29-0386 12-by-12-Inch Tacky Cutting Mats with Measurement Grids, Set of 2

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

One of the mats cracked within 20 minutes of opening. The other one works well.

How to save yourself some dough and reuse your old mats: purchase Aleene's TACK-IT Over & Over (Not to be confused with Aleene's Tacky Glue) at a craft store and make a solution of 60% water and %40 glue. Paint it on the mat with a foam brush taking care to avoid the non-sticky edges. Let dry completely (about 30 minutes), then walk your hands all over the mat several times to keep it from being TOO sticky. Ta-da! I have tried this and it works GREAT!!! If your mat gets too much built up glue, simply remove it with acetone nailpolish remover, rinse with water, and start fresh. <3

I always have backup Cricut products on hand and Amazon has the best selection of items, in stock & the best prices. These mats are sometimes hard to find in stores and I received mine in a few days (I have the Prime membership though).
You can wash and dry the ones you have and alternate using 2-3 mats to keep them in use alot longer. You can also make them less sticky by placing a clean white t-shirt over them to reduce some of the stick that can tear lightweight paper or vellum.

I've seen these listed on amazon for insane prices too ($50 or $60) Right now though they are reasonable at $12.00 per set of 2 (this is the same price walmart charges minus the tax) plus they are having a buy 3 get 4 sale right now! I am paying $4.50 per mat or $9.00 for the set (I've just purchased 20 sets) This price is better then any I've seen anywhere online and considering Joann and Michaels won't accept 40% coupons for them it's better then any price I've found elsewhere. Please comment/respond to my review if you can find a better deal or if amazon is offering a better special or base price :-)

Personal log of Noticed Price Fluctuations:
08-30-10 -- 4-for-3 promotion & price of $11.33
12-29-10 -- 4-for-3 promotion & price of $9.69
05-14-11 -- NO!! (4-for-3 promotion) & price of $9.32

When the mats are new they can be TOO sticky. Be sure to remove what you're cutting as soon as it's cut or it seems to be more likely to tear when you try to remove it.

Then, later the stickiness wears off and isn't sticky enough, or at all!

Seems costly for something that is either too sticky or not sticky enough. What I was told (not sure yet if it saves any money) is when the stickiness wears off use a repositional spray adhesive on the mat before you put your paper on it. I have done this many times, but the spray can be messy.

Not much you can do if want to use the Cricut or Expressions. I just look for good sales on the mats.

When you buy the machine - it only comes with 1 (yes, one) mat! I wasn't surprised when I bought the machine, I'm just surprised NOW after I've used the machine and seen how fast I've going through the mat.

Couple of things to keep in mind -
Make sure you adjust the blade depth that's appropriate for the material you're cutting - example, don't use a 6 for vellum. This will cut into your mat, and will ruin your mat. It seems like that is the quickest cause of mat destruction.
Don't leave your material on the mat for ages - it may actually keep your material STUCK on the mat (oops)
Keep the plastic protector on the mat when you're not using it
You can flip the mat around to use it - (the arrow doesn't have to point at the machine, when your mat is not sticky, flip the arrow to face you.
Another tip i've heard - wipe the mat with some water to make it tacky again

LASTLY!!!! These mats are kinda pricy, because you NEED it to use the machine - so keep checking your local ads for their 40% (or 50% if you're lucky) coupons to get these mats.

I bought this just because I wanted a second mat, my other one was losing it's stick, but I washed it with soap and water and it worked fine again once it dried.

This mat was actually a bit TOO sticky when I got it, but I just rubbed it face down on the carpet a few times and that fixed it for me. I figure if it starts to lose it's sticky, I can just wash that carpet fuzz back off! :)

The mats received are not as pictured. Anyone familiar to Cricut knows the difference between the original mat and the new which has bad reviews for stickiness. I was disappointed not to receive what was pictured as I have been happy with those. Shipping was expensive too.

I heard Provocraft had stopped manufacturing the old green mats and instead were manufacturing mats where most people had stickiness issues. I saw this listing on Amazon and, based on the picture, I ordered a set. The shipping was fast. That's the only good thing I can say about this transaction. When I received the mats and realized they were the wrong ones, I revisited the listing to make sure I didn't miss something. I didn't think so, so I requested a refund through Amazon which was forwarded to Cricut Direct, since they are the seller. Cricut Direct asked me what I'd received if not the 12 x 12 mats, and I responded that they were 12 x 12, just not the ones pictured. They responded that they don't have control over the picture Amazon displays and that the listing indicateed the change in packaging. I responded with the link to THIS product asking where I missed that. They responded that it's an "old" listing and then *graciously* (insert sarcasm) offered to *let* me return *at my expense* the mats and they would waive the restocking fee (gee, thanks) and refund my money, less shipping. Yeah, that's fair. Because as a consumer, it's clear to me that this is an old listing. Not. And if they truly don't have control over what's displayed, it seems to me that it's a risk they take of doing business via Amazon.

So now I have mats that sure, I can use, but they won't last nearly as long as the original green mats. And will likely cause me the same frustration as others have recorded here. And elsewhere.

This kind of customer service won't make me a repeat customer of Cricut Direct. I did nothing wrong. There's NO WAY a customer coming to this page would know it's no longer an active listing. Yet I'm the one who suffers.

When I ordered these mats, I specifically ordered them because they had the green edge, and were not the white edged mats that I have seen lately in some stores. When I opened the package, I was disappointed to see that the mats were the same white edged ones I had been trying to avoid. Since I was in a bind, I had to use them anyway, and I am very unhappy with these mats. There was very little "tackiness" on the mats from the moment I took them out of the package, I could not even get a lightweight piece of scrapbook paper to stick to the mat without shifting around. My old mat (with the green edge) had been so tacky in the beginning I was able to cut fabric with my cricut without any problem, and this mat will not even hold a piece of paper still. If provocraft is changing the design of the mats to this, I hope they reconsider. Like many others, I too have been checking out ways to "re-sticky" the mats, hopefully this will make the mats usable, because as they are right now, they are not.

The online process of this purchase was great - my complaint is directed at Cricut. I always have issues with these mats, at first they are so sticky you actually ruin projects, then you have a few days where the stickiness is great, then very quickly (too quickly) you go right to not sticky enough. Not sure of a solution, very frustrating. Come on Cricut, there must be a solution - everything else you do is awesome!!