Leatherworker & Designer, Norwich UK

THE CHALLENGE

Bobby is a discerning craftsman designing and creating intricate leather goods using traditional techniques. Cutting out leather every day, it was essential he had a reliable and long-lasting cutting surface. He uses knives all day every day, and the performance was really critical to him.
 

There were a number of requirements for the ideal cutting surface, and one of these was for it to be anti-glare. As with most cutting tasks, strong task lighting is essential, and if the mat was too shiny it would cause operator glare issues. Glare quickly reduces the abililty to see fine details, as well as increasing the risk of eye strain and fatigue. Another requirement was for a product that gripped the workbench and work item reasonably well, not too hard and not too soft. And of course, a surface that self-heals, and has a low blade friction.

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THE SOLUTION

Arriving at the solution took months of testing. Starting with the Rhino Sample Pack, Bobby tested all the options, and finally settled with the Rhino Heavy-Duty Cutting Mat. One test was the smoothness of the product – he worked with colleagues to compare the very smooth surface of the Rhino Supaseal – this does create a slightly smoother knife motion, but the enhanced grip of the light texture with the Rhino Heavy Duty mat was an important factor.

THE RESULT

A very satisfied customer. He says “it’s great. The price, quality, sustainability. Its all there.” And for more detail, he added “It’s anti-glare which is a bonus for long time use especially when lighting up your projects. Easy-clean and stands up to chemicals such as solvents and even some dyes and paints. It’s super grippy both to the table and the material. Offers Low co-efficient of friction allowing smooth blade use. Perfect level of hardness, not too gummy not too hard.”

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FREE Cutting Mat Sample Pack

PLEASE NOTE: We only send FREE samples to business addresses within the UK. Please email [email protected] if you are outside the UK and are interested in specific samples of our cutting mats