jamison
Brown Belt
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2002
- Messages
- 2,519
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I think one of the most sought after items on the boards has to be a home mat. It seems that everyone offers two options, Zebra and Swain, both quite expensive. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Matsmatsmats.com(how's that for a name to remember?). I emailed a few questions back and forth and spoke with a gentleman named Mark Carmer. Basically,what I found, is that Matsmatsmats.com makes two kind's of wrestling mats, Remnant and new. A new remnant mat is made using extra pieces of other new mats. Surprisingly, this is what Mark recomended to me. The reason is that you cant tell it is a remnant and it is the same exact quality and warranty. New, is obviously created from scratch, and you can pick your color and create your exact specifications. All mats come with a 3 year warranty.
There are different sizes to choose from but a 10 x 10 is more than enough for any persons home. It's more than enough for two people to roll as hard as they want. I want to also add that the mat comes out closer to an 11 by 11, and I wont complain. You can order in either 1" thick or 1.25. I chose 1.25 since it's the standard wrestling mat size. Click this link to see all that goes into the mats, quite interesting: http://www.matsmatsmats.com/wrestling/home_mats_remnant.html
Well, next was recieving the mat. It was a 10 x 10 and they ship it in two pieces of 10 x 5 and each mat is shipped with a roll of wrestling mat tape. If it is cold outside (or inside) they instruct you to let the mat sit for 24 hrs before unrolling. After 24 hrs, I unrolled the mat. The first impression is a strange chemical smell, which is harmless (use proper ventilation) and the next impression is that your mat is coated in white dust, which needs to be cleaned off. The dust is actually corn starch which the mat is coated with to protect the new finish. The smell goes away after a couple weeks.
After unrolling and cleaning the mat, you start to realize what a great mat this is. I actually like it much better than the zebra's and swain's. It is much softer. It is basically like the new wrestling mats in high school, just a little smaller. When you walk on the mat, your foot leave an impression for a couple seconds, which really says how soft the mats are. the quality is very impressive.
I put the mat downstairs in my basement where I have bags and pads and such. I taped it together and I basically have a training center in my basement now.
We've rolled on the mats now for a couple weeks and each time I am more an more impressed with the quality. We have done takedowns and the mat is great for them, actually better than the wresling mats at my school. There is omething about a new wrestling mat. I can not recomend this mat enough. The price for the 10x10 mat is $575 fo 1" thick and $650 for 1.25". I would say get the 1.25 if you can. Either way the price is so good that it is stupid. This has to be the best buy for the money of anything I have ever reviewed. I would have expected to pay 3 times this much, honestly, and I thinl they are worlds better than any other competition. It's awsome to just be able to have your friends come over and roll as hard as you want in your own house (which is the best way to improve your game). The service, quality, and value are all an A+. I will post pics tonite when I get home.
There are different sizes to choose from but a 10 x 10 is more than enough for any persons home. It's more than enough for two people to roll as hard as they want. I want to also add that the mat comes out closer to an 11 by 11, and I wont complain. You can order in either 1" thick or 1.25. I chose 1.25 since it's the standard wrestling mat size. Click this link to see all that goes into the mats, quite interesting: http://www.matsmatsmats.com/wrestling/home_mats_remnant.html
Well, next was recieving the mat. It was a 10 x 10 and they ship it in two pieces of 10 x 5 and each mat is shipped with a roll of wrestling mat tape. If it is cold outside (or inside) they instruct you to let the mat sit for 24 hrs before unrolling. After 24 hrs, I unrolled the mat. The first impression is a strange chemical smell, which is harmless (use proper ventilation) and the next impression is that your mat is coated in white dust, which needs to be cleaned off. The dust is actually corn starch which the mat is coated with to protect the new finish. The smell goes away after a couple weeks.
After unrolling and cleaning the mat, you start to realize what a great mat this is. I actually like it much better than the zebra's and swain's. It is much softer. It is basically like the new wrestling mats in high school, just a little smaller. When you walk on the mat, your foot leave an impression for a couple seconds, which really says how soft the mats are. the quality is very impressive.
I put the mat downstairs in my basement where I have bags and pads and such. I taped it together and I basically have a training center in my basement now.
We've rolled on the mats now for a couple weeks and each time I am more an more impressed with the quality. We have done takedowns and the mat is great for them, actually better than the wresling mats at my school. There is omething about a new wrestling mat. I can not recomend this mat enough. The price for the 10x10 mat is $575 fo 1" thick and $650 for 1.25". I would say get the 1.25 if you can. Either way the price is so good that it is stupid. This has to be the best buy for the money of anything I have ever reviewed. I would have expected to pay 3 times this much, honestly, and I thinl they are worlds better than any other competition. It's awsome to just be able to have your friends come over and roll as hard as you want in your own house (which is the best way to improve your game). The service, quality, and value are all an A+. I will post pics tonite when I get home.
Best mats around!
