Do You Need a Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat? My Tests & Review 

I appreciate your honest review; it is very helpful to have someone really discuss the pros and cons!

I appreciate an honest review -- thank you!

Nice job with your review. I hadn’t planned to get one. You made me feel better about that decision!

Im glad I ordered it can't wait for it to come. you did a great review. This will replace my craft mat and glass mat so I have both but having it all in one piece will be great . I wont have to store it as it will be a dedicated work space and I don't RU-vid so no cons for me. Pro I can bless someone else with my old mats . Thank you.

I have worked on a Tonic glass mat for years and love it. I was so excited when I heard and saw Tim Holtz's mat. Tim's mat is larger than what I have, the cleanup is so easy, inking is smother, I like the idea that his larger and has the white pallet. I will be getting one, I'm just not sure when. I work with different medias as well as my card making.

Thank you so much ... we live / travel in our RV and I have been wanting one of these for my “craft” station ... because working on our table I’m always afraid of staining the wood. So thank you ... you’ve given me a lot to ponder .. be blessed

It was very useful. Thanks to your comments, I’m happy I pre-order.

thanks for this honest and extensive review!

Love your reviews!

Thank you for a very thorough review. I have been looking at this platform for a year and am now totally sold on it for 2 main reasons -- the 6 feet on the bottom keeping it just a little off the table/desk. No more creeping of the 'stuff' on my craft table to the media I am working on it. The other reason was how much cleaner it was to blend over the edges of the paper with the medium. That is one of the processes I have had a real problem doing this neatly. And from one of your skill showing the difference between using the craft mat and the glass mat it was a selling features.

I am so happy your very honest in your opinion. I have a Tonic Glass Craft Mat and that works fine. I thought I might get the Tim Holtz but when you said what you did at the end I am going to stick with what I have and get some Dioxide Inks which I haven't tried yet. I SUBSCRIBED and gave a THUMBS UP! I can't wait to see your other video's! Thank you!

I love you videos and your honest thoughts with this product! Nice job and very brave!

Thanks for your thorough review. I watched the TH video when he was debuting the glass mat. My big takeaway from his video was that this mat, because it's raised off the surface, could really help with "supply" creep..where all the various things you're using start moving in on your work area & project and then you can't find stuff and/or mess up your project by something sliding into it. That made sense to me because I have this problem. And some of the other features looked good & very helpful too. I will probably buy it one of these days, but now that it's 2019, I'm obviously not in a hurry.

I really like the easy cleanup & the fact that it is raised slitely off the work surface.

Thank you for the info. I have a We R Memory Keepers mat but I wanted something bigger. Your video was very helpful.

Thank you! I found your review really interesting and helpful. I do hope to get one of the glass media mats in future as I don't need to move it about and I keep changing from craft mat to glass mat. Once the TH Glass Media Mats become more widely stocked here in the UK, hopefully they will come down a little in price.

I didn’t think I would need this and I think you confirmed it. It’s something that would be nice to have but not necessary at all. you really could get a glass cutting mat at Target and use it and a plastic palette for mixing paints and you won’t have to worry about accidentally mixing alcohol inks on it.

Thanks for this great and honest review. I'm a traditional scrapbooker and so the fact that it won't hold two 12x12 pieces next to each other makes it a no-go for me, but I have had FOMO and now I feel much better with my decision. :)

Thank you so much 😊 you’re review was awesome. I still think 💭 this is an awesome and amazing product, and I would really love 💕 to own and use it.

I love your video! Great job! I also love listening to your voice! :) Thanks so very much for sharing!

It's a great idea there there are different measurement ...this looks like a pretty versatile product

I appreciate your balanced review. I resisted buying this for a long time for some of the reasons cited in your review, not the least of which was an existing stash of mats. Interestingly, now that I have bought it, I am loving most, some features that did not factor into my buying decision at all. What I like the best is that not only does it eliminate the need for multiple mats, but also it eliminates the need for other measuring tools such as a T-square and a positioning tool for finding the centre of cards/layouts and getting titles on straight if you also have the Add-on Media Tool Set. Additionally, I find that the little feet that raise the surface from my table do serve as a little barrier, and keep the "clutter" a little further away. I used to end up trying to work in an area that was about 6 X 6 as the supplies I was using closed in on me. Tim mentioned this in one of his videos, but I only realized what he was saying when I started to use the mat myself.

Hi Elen, Great review. I am a freak about being fully and properly equipped for any kind of work and I will eventually buy the T. H. glass mat because my work room for all that I do is in a basement and I often enjoy staying outside for fresh air, so the glass mat would be perfect for those moments in which I can enjoy both my crafting and my garden. However, I do agree with you about the colour. Thank you for your review and most certainly will be looking forward to seeing other videos and work.

Thank you for your honest opinion.

I had just bought it, but I did enjoy your review. It was balanced and fair. Good job.

Just bought this today for $26 at Joann's online with free shipping today only. Came here to see if I should have bought it ;) Loved your honest review. I probably don't need it, but it was on sale and I kinda like it.

I got excited when I saw Tim Holtz demonstrate this mat and pre-ordered this mat along with the resist spray and some of the new distress oxide ink pads. I’m not sure I need it now but I’m hoping it will help me get my work space more clear. I’m a messy crafter and usually have multiple things going on at once so we will see. I am sorry I pre-ordered this together. I thought I would have it by now but it may be April. Thanks for the review.

Just found your website and youtube channel. I thought this was a very thoughtful, honest review. I'll definitely check out your other reviews.

Thank you! I was going to get one. The reflection bothers me. After I saw him reveal this I looked at my shelf. I kept a tempered glass refrigerator shelf when the plastic part broke and it was no longer usable. I had no idea why I kept it. I LOVED the look of the white side of the mat! I thought I would purchase this later in the year when my niece moves out and I get a craft room. Now, I think I need to put a piece of white craft paper under my piece of tempered glass. Its a great surface for ink smooshing and sprays. Recollections water color crayons didn't work well on my tempered glass. I definitely feel like distress ink stays wet on it longer.

Thank you for the great, honest review. Since I saw Tim demo this mat, I have been using a nice large clear glass cutting board that I bought at the thrift store for around two or three dollars. It has texture on one side, so I just put those clear bumper-type feet on the other side and use it smooth side up. So far I have mostly used it for Gelli printing, but have done some mixed media on it, too. The only drawback is not having the measuring grid. As far as your glare problem goes, maybe changing the angle of your lighting would help. Jennifer McGuire uses this mat in videos and I have not noticed any glare in her videos at all.

Thank you! I decided to get one

Awesome review!! thank you so much!!

Thank you for this fab review, it will help me make up my mind! Fab video. xxx

Thank so much for posting this. Lots of useful information - including the fact that there are 4 feet and not just 2 as I thought at first. Thanks to your video I knew to shine a torch into the box to find the 2 renegades! Lol!

Great review, thank you for it 👍🏼😊

I think I would like the new mat.But not till I need a new one.Great review!New subbie.

WOW, I'm glad someone else thought about the color. I just couldn't imagine trying to paint on this color. I have several different craft mats and still enjoy working on freezer paper (it's cheap and doesn't need to be cleaned, just trashed). I do have a large glass mat by tonic which I love and a smaller one. I would never remember to change the little side mats and probable destroy it. That creates another expense.

Thanks for the honest review. I wish we could buy the palette side as I already have a couple glass mats. But as Tim said it does keep your workspace clutterfree since it is raised up. I have tendency to bury my tools as I craft.

I have the WHITE WRMK 14x14 tempered glass mat. Love it. Love the size. It is raised like the TH version, has metric and inches marked on under side in green so you can't scrape them off. No separate blending area. The WRMK is usually less than $24 and the size works fine in my space. Thanks for your review. After listening to you I'll stick with the one I have for now. By the way, these are great for hot glue too. I WILL be buying TH glass mat scraper and I want to know more about his mat accessory ruler...may have to get that.

Thanks for the review. This is an item I didn't think I would need and it looks like I was right :D I bought a light weight glass cutting board (non dimpled) and a silicon baking mat, which I tuck under the board to use as I need - total cost was around $20 - the glass media mat would cost me anywhere from $52 to $60 and is still on pre-order in a lot of places around here (Australia and it's mid June already). I also think it's too big.

Hi Elena: Great review. I just bought this mat and I'm glad I did. I am a serious card crafter. This tool provides me with a dedicated space for creating cards and I love having the media area immediately to the right of me . Easy to clean, easy to use. It is slightly heavy but I don't plan on picking it up and moving it around very often. Wishing it had an area to the side with a piercing spot for adding holes for brads. The size is great for making cards of all sizes. If it were smaller, I think it would be easy to have something to slide under it. The extra size lets me keep some of my die cuts close at hand. The sidekick can adhere to the glass surface which is a nice addition since it will not always adhere to a wood surface. This is one of those tools where the more I use it, the more uses I will come up with and probably find it a foundation piece for my crafting area. Works so well with distress inks so you don't waste ink on scratch paper as you bring the blender onto your paper piece.Area is very easy to clean afterward. Do you need to buy this tool as a beginner? No. If you don't use a lot of different medias, you probably won't use the media area but I think having the tempered glass surface is a real plus. Also easy to remove adhesives from the surface. Crafting "mats" work well but they can crease, can be difficult to find in your craft area and they sometimes slip when I work with them. Nice to be able to use embossing gun on top of the glass. Made for right handed people but for my left-handed friends...just turn it around. :)

I got a huge glass cutting board from my friends estate. I find that it works probably just as well as this and it does not reflect the light. All I bought was a replacement mat (the lift off white mat) it will be here in April. So I saved over 40 dollars and I think it works just as well. But again, for video makers, it probably works better as it doesn't reflect even my OTT light.

Very helpful, Elena, thanks. Constantly switching out surfaces in my small craft room is a minor irritation, but it's one I wouldn't mind eliminating. Plus, well, it's Tim, so it's cool, ha ha. Have a great weekend. :o)

I have Tonic's white A3 glass cutting mat and it's great. A white background seems much more sensible than a black one since all colours show and there's no problem with being right or left handed either and no fingerprints showing.

Very interesting. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the review. I am in the market for some type of mat but I'm not sure which one. I just got an IKEA white adjustable standing desk so a glass mat might be what I'm looking for but want to look at my options. Thanks for mentioning the measurements because it would fit my area. I've never used the rolled up Kraft mat paper either. I want to protect my surface so thanks for sharing!

I do find myself changing to different surfaces quite a bit, and it can be a little annoying I will consider it. Probably won't buy it immediately, but might buy it later.

I think this is a great tutorial for reviewing this mat. I have been waiting for my mat since Dec. 26th 2017. I live in Canada, yet I didn't expect to wait this long. hahaha I also create on RU-vid, so the overhead camera may present a problem for sure. I have a glass mat I purchased without the grid. In my video tutorial showing this item, my head was the main feature. LOL If one isn't creating on RU-vid, it is a fantastic deal. I will have to make sure I do my makeup each time I create on it for RU-vid tutorials. Thanks for the review. LOL

I still like this and will probably purchase it in the future. I do understand your reasons for not liking it.

great review. The only problem I have with my regular craft mat is that the corners are constantly curling up and the mat is constantly moving,,,,,,hence, I end up taping the corners down. This would solve that problem for me, so I really appreciate the review! I also notice that EK success has 2 sizes of glass craft mat, both less expensive, and both white in case the black isn't working for you.

Great honest review thanks so much. I always wait for a bit before buying things us crafters want it all right lol

Your review was really detailed! I came to a different conclusion, but I didn't have a good work surface yet. Since I needed a work surface I got this one and I'm in love with it. You're right, the reflection is BAD. :-)

Awesome review. Mine is on back order. Can hardly wait to get it. And yes I’m a frequent flyer on your usual crafty RU-vid channel. Hugs.

Nice review, thanks you. Lots of youtube/blog videos show the mat without a glare - I assume lights were adjusted. Certainly no glare for me when using it, but I don’t make videos. Also, I haven’t used the white mat at all so far, just the entire mat, even for messy stuff.

I bought a clearish, not fully, though ,thick office matt to use under my chair that has casters on it , just to protect the carpet in my art room. But it fitted my craft table , didn’t move and was tough and durable.i got it from an office store half the price of these purpose made matts. Also, in Australia, postage from U.S ,is expensive, so check this option out .

Thanks for a great honest review. I was thinking about ordering but now on the fence. It being heavy...I have artificial knuckles, elbows and shoulders. Storage an issue too. So have some contemplating. I do need some watercolors instead. Thanks again

Muchas gracias pensaba en comprarlo pero su video me ayudo a decidir que mejor invierto en otras cosas.

Great solid review and love your forthright opinion. I already ordered one and according to your review, I'm glad I did. I do not like to change out my work surface. The only negative for me is the fingerprint issue. Yep, you nailed it on the head when you mentioned fingerprints on stainless steel appliances...drives me crazy but I'm so that particular when it comes to crafting...inky fingers all the way LOL! Thank YOU!

It helped alot. Thank you.

Thanks for this review 😘👍

I have a tempered glass just like this in white. minus the palette on the right. Mine was found in the quilting section. If you are left handed you can use the replacement white Matt.

I thought about it quite a bit. Needed new mat cuze I wear them out bout every 2 yrs. wanted nonslip surface. Ken Oliver’s mat had good reviews except I heard from many about it being a pet hair magnet. I couldn’t handle having to take it daily to sink to wash it. So I bought Tim’s mat at Scrapbooking Expo earlier this month. It’s heavy but I won’t be moving it. I don’t film videos. I don’t notice a glare. Only con I had was having to remember to move off the mat when using my eyelet setter. Yes, I still use those. LOL. Will be nice to have good surface for alcohol inks and Gelli plate crafts. I’m pleased thus far.

Good review, now you've confirmed I don't have a real need for it. It's just another con to make you spend money. You can just use an empty 8x10 photo frame for distressing. As far as the grid, we all know how to use a ruler to measure. You can find cĺear rulers at your local store very inexpensively. Thank you for sharing. GOD Bless

I wouldn’t be in a hurry to buy it, but if I saw it half price or something like that I might buy it.

That reflection is why I won’t be getting one. It would drive me crazy to keep seeing it... that is the main reason why I don’t even use my stamp positioner!

Great review! I have a white and aqua 14 x 14 inch glass matte made by weRmemory keepers! I think it's great for gluing,comes off great with a razor. Also is fine for ink smooshing and ink watercoloring (smooshing the ink pad down). I see no reason to invest in the new TH model.

I would like to see a comparison between this and the WRMK glass mat. I am debating about getting a glass mat for cutting, and want to know what you think of that one. Another detail that I like about the TH one is the white on black measurement lines. I have eye problems and i like stuff with better visibility. That, and WRMK is kind of known for inaccurate measurements.

I was ready to pick one of these up at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupons, still pricey. But I think I will stick with my $2 white porcelin tiles, 6x6”, 8x8” or evening 12x12”or approx 80 cents to $2 at Lowe’s. They work great for paint blending and don’t stain, clean easily and always in stock. I put self adhesive feet on the undersides so they make great glass surface. Been using these for years for manicuring.

Thank you. I appreciate this a lot...I'm on the fence still....I have a glass 12x12 and barely use it...ugh...I want it but I know I don't need it...So I'll wait a bit to get it.

Thanks for your review. I've ordered this mat. I think I need it cos I'm very messy. Lol.

I am blessed to have been given 4 commercial glass cutting boards. One is in the kitchen and 3 are in my craft room. The one on my craft desk is there all the time and I love it! My razor scraper gets up anything too tough for alcohol hand sanitizer to remove (a tip from Tim, by the way). The other two boards? Well, I tried making a grid on black poster board with a white gell pen and ruler, and sealing it between the cutting boards with silicone. The grid wasn't all that accurate and it turned out to be too thick for my liking. It serves as a table top on a plastic drawer unit next to my computer desk. I agree with your evaluation and would rather buy more consumables. I often find very affordable alternatives in stores other than craft stores. Once an item is branded for crafting the price seems to go up.

Great review. Curious, being that it is glass.. would stamping an image be affected? Normally, I will use a padded surface to free hand stamp on.

I am just an average crafter and there is NO GLARE to worry about and the "fabric" to the right is EPIC for using to dip color off of, and Tim did remind that if we don't want it to look stained then "don't use Alcohol based products on it" I am super pleased at it's functionality and the fact that it is raised is wonderful!!! Makes it easier to move if I need to move it. The color of it is great too because I don't lose my light colored items on it!!

Now that you have had your Tim Holtz glass media mat for almost a year, do you still have the same pros and cons list? I have resisted making the purchase for pretty much the same reasons you’ve stated in your video, but now do you feel differently? Has it become your go-to work surface? I am still sitting on the fence! Thanks for putting out your awesome review.

Thanks for the honest review. My only issue is the black surface, but not from the lighting/ reflective point of view. I believe colors will look more true if the surface was white. Why limit the "true-color-space" to the right side? Anyway, that's my opinion. I think I'll wait and see if Tim and Tonic come out with 2.0 version that is all white.

Great review. I wish i heard this before i pre ordered. Everything sounds great except the reflective background, i think i will be having a problem...oh well. I love all your videos and i llove the fact you here in Denver. Your alcohol ink video where you mentioned how fast they dried was helpful, I thought it was me, it’s not, it CO 😊

Thanks for sharing, I'll stick with the craft mat

Very well done and I value an honest opinion above all else. I too think Tim is a genius but I came to the same conclusion that you did. Yes, I desperately covet this glass mat but I know I don’t need it. I could use something like the Inksentials mat, though. Now, of course, I could kick myself for NOT getting the Memory Keepers glass mat for $10 at Tuesday Morning about 18 mos. ago because I planned to eventually get this mat. I knew I would only need one and figured it would be a waste of resources and money to ultimately buy both however, I’m now thinking I could’ve been using it all this time to determine if I really needed a $40 one and if I did decide I wanted to replace it with Tim’s, I could’ve donated the WRMK one. UGH! 🤦🏾‍♀️

I work on two glass desks from IKEA and my husband made a massive grid system that I have taped under one of them. Works great and one less thing in my house.

I have one of these and watched to see if you mentioned how you were taking going to handle the glare issue. I have a channel also and have had to stop using my glass mat for this reason. How did you solve this problem?

The glare would only be a problem for you tube videos. Or does the black color cause any issues while crafting normally?

Interesting video, thanks. I own the weRmemorykeepers glass mat. Cutting with a rotary cutter on it made the blade unsharp. It was a reason (one out of a few) to buy that mat to cut on it. But that doesnt work well when it makes the blades unsharp. Did you test that?

I have this mat and accidently got glitter glue on the glass part.I've tried everything including sanitizer and no go.could you tell me what I can do?thanks

I just ended up making my own media mat. I went out and bought tempered glass from my local glass shop and I was good to go, It only cost my around $14 dollars

I don't have room for it. I already have the WeRMemory Keepers ? glass mat which I love. I got that to replace the Ken Oliver craft mat which I hated. I think if you have room this would be worth it.

I use craft knives a lot; Would the TH glass media mat be a benefit over a traditional mat?

Have 2 old glass craft mats I leave on a table in my craft room. The only issue is the weight and not mobile enough. I use an inksentials on a clipboard over a foam mat for much of my work it is mobile and light enough to carry any where, dont see any reason to change over to this at this time other than it looks neater.

I thought of getting one, just because but it is not highly important. I would like to get the mini stamp positioner from Tim. Do you have that, and what do you think of that, versus the misti?

I would like to see a review on TH stamp platform too :)

As for the reflection of the lighting for creating RU-vids.....change the position of the light. As a user, the reflection isn't any bother. It does keep the work area easier to maintain with less clutter.

What do you use the white cover with the silicon back for?

Tim is a genius and as always, makes the best stuff!!!! However....... I think you absolutely need the background to be white so you know there is no residual ink hiding as it would on a black surface. Nothing like spending a lot of time on a card and smearing an unintended blob of ink where you didn't want it! I bought it so I could use the other benefits ( slide on straight edge, white silicone / telflon mat), but I also bought a couple of white background glass mats (to mimic his clean / messy work areas) and so I can put a white one on top of the black one ( it is about half of the size of the black one) to eliminate ink mistakes, plus can see true color on white glass instead of black. But he liked the black cuz it's cool! Who are we to tell the master of distress what to do, lol! We don't have a gigantic line of products, do we?

I love mine

I have the 'old' tonic glass mat, and I LOVE it. It's a bit bigger, havde all the international measurements but also ". Which living in Europe I do prefere. And I prefere it White . I can buy the silicone mat if I want it and put it on the left side. (I'm a proud lefty😉). So no Tim Holtz glas mat for me. Glas mat, yes please, but not his.

Good afternoon, how big is this glass mat? Thank you

I bought it because I was tired of trying to keep my craft desk clean. I think the measurements are a plus...some of us like to center things or measure them. OTOH, I didn't buy the special little tin for my Distress Inks. I use a Plano box. If you're a lefty and can't read the numbers upside down, you could put a piece of tape across with the numbers the right way for you.

I don’t need one until they come out with a nice bright light box attached to it.

you could just use a tempered glass baking mat, you can buy them in big sizes and they are clear

I don’t think I need it. I have so many mats that I’m set for a long time. Will spend the money elsewhere 😉 great honest video, thank you.

Hi Elena thorough review. One additional con is that this product is made for right-handed people. Not sure why tonic would do that!