BalanceFrom All Purpose Anti Tear Exercise Carrying Reviews Summary

Comfort and Thickness

Pros:

• "The 1/2 inch thickness makes all the difference. This mat protects elbows knees and other body parts from the hard floor."
• "It’s thick, soft and comfortable."
• "This yoga mat is easy on my back when I do ab workouts."
• "The mat feels like a cushion and the material bounces back after use, so it doesn't look like there are indentations."
• "I love the thickness of the mat. I have bad knees and back and the cushion really helps me be more comfortable as I am exercising!"
• "This mat is sooooo comfortable on hard surfaces."
• "The foam is deep enough to not feel the hard floor and firm enough to support a workout without getting a feeling of soft surface."

Cons:

• "This yoga mat is thick but way too soft. When you press on it, it moves. Very hard to balance on it."
• "A bit squishy."
• "The yoga mat and blocks arrived with permanent indentations, material quality doesn't seem durable."
• "The surface can be easily damaged since it’s spongy throughout."
• "It’s mostly foam material so it’s soft, but it doesn’t have any weight to it and doesn’t lay flat because it bends easily."
• "The material stretches under you. As you try to downward dog your feet and hands slowly get farther away."
• "The padding is nice and it does not slide around at all."

Grip and Stability

Pros:

• "The surface is ribbed and helps prevent slipping."
• "I love that it stays put on my wood flooring."
• "Hands and feet don't slip."
• "The mat offers a strong grip on the floor allowing for consistent workouts."
• "It doesn’t slip which is good."
• "Seems to give good grip and is comfortable on the knees and back."
• "It stays in place after a few uses."

Cons:

• "This particular yoga mat just moves too much, not expecting a mat to non-moving when I do my HIITs but its reposition itself easily unfortunately comparing my other two yoga mats which were more affordable and similar dimensions."
• "It does not have much grip on smooth floors though."
• "The ribbed side is too sticky (feet get stuck) and damages easily from basic yoga use - already has damage after a few weeks."
• "If using on smooth floors fast movements and sliding is not recommended."
• "This mat is nice and thick, but it slides on my wood floors."
• "It slides horribly on a hardwood floor."
• "The flat side is too slippery for yoga!"

Smell and Chemical Concerns

Pros:

• "The smell was minor and cleared within a few days."
• "I noticed that this did not have a strong smell like my other mat had when it arrived."
• "No strong chemical smell."
• "It has no chemical smell."

Cons:

• "Btw, still smells horrible after 6 mos"
• "It’s a sulfuric smell which is basically like a fat fart."
• "The mat smells very strongly of chemicals."
• "But the bad thing about it is, I've had it airing out for a month and the off-gassing of 'mystery material' it's made of has not resolved."
• "It has been several months since I have bought this mat but the strong disturbing plastic odor is still bothering me."
• "This mat still smells after airing it out - icky plastic smell."
• "Wiping it down and using soap and water but the smell won’t go away."

Durability and Quality

Pros:

• "It seems to be durable which is another plus since I anticipate using it nearly daily for several months."
• "Its durability is impressive, showing no signs of wear and tear despite regular use."
• "The yoga mat was just as described and after having used it for a few months, it still holds up shape."
• "I have had this for a year now, and it has held up very well!"
• "No rips or tears yet."
• "This mat has a nice cushion and has held up very well."
• "I haven't noticed any wear and tear after the months of use so far!"

Cons:

• "Right away the mat started to tear and rip."
• "The mat has developed multiple tearing spots towards the end after about five months of use (2 times a week use average)."
• "The ribbed side is too sticky (feet get stuck) and damages easily from basic yoga use - already has damage after a few weeks."
• "As far as, durability? A little weak."
• "The material rips and wears from where you make contact."
• "The areas from my knees feet and hands are very worn and ripped after utilizing the mat for yoga for just one week."
• "When I looked closer, there were micro tears that were not going to be fixed by time."

Additional Features

Pros:

• "Also super nice touch that the carry handle is velcro and therefore super easy to wrap back up and store!"
• "It easily rolls up with the provided velcro straps and sits behind a chair out of site until I need it."
• "It also came with a small knee pad! That's excellent to use if I only need to support my knees without rolling out the entire mat."
• "This has a knee pad which will be helpful when working around the house r laying flooring."
• "The extra little mat is very handy as well!"
• "The extra knee pad has really helped me during my sessions."
• "I also love how the set easily told up and comes with a handy Velcro carrying strap."

Cons:

• "Purchased this yoga mat for added thickness. Unfortunately, the carrying strap that comes with it was wrapped tightly around the mat for shipping/packaging, leaving several deep permanent indentations from the strap on the surface of the mat."
• "I had relocated this mat on two different carpets and it had not improved at all when I was hoping to reduce its shifting."
• "See uploaded photo regarding the dangerous chemicals (to your health and the environment) which include 'Chlorine gas, mercury, and vinyl chloride, all are toxic chemicals used in making yoga mats which are released in the air during manufacturing."
• "I did love this mat, but it has permanent damage where the straps were."
• "The straps leave marks on the surface."
• "The yoga mat is thinner than the knee mat."
• "The one from balance is definitely made to last."