At $3, you're buying a cutting mat for as much as it takes to buy a cup of coffee. The surface's texture is a hard plastic finish. Also, only one side of the mat has markings on it (likely because the rest of the world doesn't use the imperial system--ha!). My knife leaves deep groves in it when I press down hard to cut decals, but the tip remains undamaged and the mat in one piece. Overall, I wouldn't get this if you expect it to have "self-healing" properties, but for $3, it's a small, convenient surface to have lying around when you need something done quick.