I am very confused by the other reviews. Let's talk about texture, progress, and size. Pictures show an old ProLite in green, new Pro in black.Texture - I did nothing to my mat. It's beautiful and sticky and I flew my crow right away. I plan on washing it regardless, because it feels almost like a film of stickiness put there for people who are concerned about the breaking in period. Out of the box, this mat is already stickier than my old prolite mat, which I find to have more than sufficient grip. For most practices, including a nice fast vinyasa / power flow, all I need is a hand (mat) towel in case my hands are slick. I do use a mat towel for hot yoga for grip and because it feels better against my skin. The striations of the embedded fabric top have changed somewhat over the years - I've attached a photo so that you can compare. I'd say the variance in the texture has also increased - I don't mind, but it is slightly less perfect. Of course, this comes from someone who did exchange her first Manduka because the texture lines were misaligned to the mat, which was included in the warranty. (Side note: Manduka has been a fantastic company for me, and they sent me another one which was perfectly aligned.) This one deviates by maybe 4mm at most, and I have the extra long. All in all, still a beautiful finish. The weight of this thing almost feels wet and heavy; it drops to the floor like a soaked towel and becomes one with the ground.Progress - I've owned my Manduka Prolite for 10+ years. I watched them transition from logo stickers to fabric tags to this iteration of printed on frog. This one is even stickier out of the box than my first one, which I did indeed have to break in. I noticed them making them less slick out of the box a few years after I bought my first one - and this one is even stickier than that! If anything, I think it's almost as sticky as a Jade Harmony, but less dry feeling and much more solid. This upgrade (and stay at home mat) is totally unnecessary for me - my old mat shows zero signs of wear, and I'll be hard put to justify buying another mat ever again after this one. However, as much of an indulgence as this is, I am so enthusiastic about it - it feels just different enough, like the top of the line model of a car compared to its middle sporty model, all smooth, heavy, and finished.Size - My new mat is extra long at 85" and 26" wide. I'm what, 65 inches? I don't really need it, but it is amazing to stretch my arms up and still have mat. Those extra inches on every side oddly give me more confidence to try balancing poses. I seriously thought this would be too long and pointless, but as soon as I laid on it, I knew it was never going back. It feels different enough that I wouldn't bring it to a super crowded yoga class because I don't need to be the person who thinks they need more space than the rest (since I am not larger), but at home, oh man. The freedom, the sprawl. To my fellow average height females, do it. Splurge. You're already getting the Pro, there's no going back.All in all, this reinvigorates my home practice and gives me more (unexpected) confidence to fly / fall. It's perfectly usable the moment you get it, and will completely outlast you. The only shame is that I'll never be able to justify getting another mat.