Has anyone tried these Woodcraft Sale items?

[Wade Lippman]

Woodcraft has three things I need on sale. It is an hours drive, so I don't really want to bother unless you guys endorse them.

Floor mats
woodcraft.com/product/2004762/17425/antifatigue-floor-mat-2-x-5-pebble-beveled-edge.aspx
4" Hose
woodcraft.com/product/2082402/30973/4inch-diameter-x-10foot-length-lightduty-semiclear-dust-collection-hose.aspx
4" blast gates
woodcraft.com/product/2000899/2167/4-basic-blast-gate-dust-collection-fitting.aspx

Prices are great, but I suspect they might not represent good values.
Anyone used them?

[John Lifer]

Mat looks similar two some I hae used, probably ok for the price.... The hose is for sure cheap. I've got some from Rockler that is similar, and I won't buy any more of it. Buy smooth bore, that won't collapse. It won't spring a hole nearly as easy.
and the blast gates would probably be ok.....

[Steve Milito]

I like interlocking gym mats. They're inexpensive and you can make them the size you want. The downside is that the seams attract dirt.

[John McClanahan]

I have a few of the blast gates. I think they are worth the price.

John

[John Coloccia]

Mats are great. I have a bunch of them all over the place.

[Charles Wiggins]

Floor mats
woodcraft.com/product/2004762/17425/antifatigue-floor-mat-2-x-5-pebble-beveled-edge.aspx


Wade,

I cannot speak to these, but I did buy a similar mat at Big Lots last week for ~$18. It is ~46"x93", diamond plate pattern, and measures 1/4" thick in the valleys by my caliper. It was made in China and packaging did not say what the material is, but it is a whole lot better than standing on bare concrete.

[Ryan Baker]

I haven't used that particular floor mat, but they look decent. Those mats, in general, are really nice to have if you have concrete floors.

I would avoid the light-duty hose if you can afford the regular stuff, which is much more durable.

I would also avoid the plastic gates. I have used a lot of those, and they just jamb up with dust. Over the years I have used most every gate on the market. The only ones worth using are the aluminum, self-cleaning kind (or an equivalent home-made kind). Getting the cheaper ones just costs more down the road when you eventually replace them.

[Wade Lippman]

Wade,

I cannot speak to these, but I did buy a similar mat at Big Lots last week for ~$18. It is ~46"x93", diamond plate pattern, and measures 1/4" thick in the valleys by my caliper. It was made in China and packaging did not say what the material is, but it is a whole lot better than standing on bare concrete.
Thanks, I will stop by Big Lots tomorrow.
I actually tried to order 5, but they wouldn't give me the 3+ price.

[Bruce Wrenn]

If you have a Tractor Supply close by, stop in and look at horse stall mats. Several here brag on them

[Wade Lippman]

If you have a Tractor Supply close by, stop in and look at horse stall mats. Several here brag on them

I do, it is right near the Big Lots. They have 10% off in store today.
They are twice the price, but twice the size and 3 times the thickness.
So they represent a much better value, but I wonder if 3/4" isn't actually too thick.

BTW, I emailed Woodcraft about not getting the price break on 3 mats. They say the sale ended on 1/25, even though the circular arrived yesterday and said it started 1/26. Go figure.

[robert morrison]

I bought one of the 2' x 5' matts years ago for about $14 when we had a local woodcraft store and really liked it. It worked out to about $1.50 per square foot.

Since then I have bought a few packs of the harbor freight special 4 pice sets for around $ 7 a set, which works out to about $.50 per square foot. I have the HF matts all the way around my bench and in front of the table saw and RAS. The HF are slightly softer to stand/walk on. The HF has a tendancy to want to slide on a smooth floor much more than the woodcraft.

A couple of weeks ago I stoped into the woodcraft in W.Springfield MA before and after attending the New England woodworking show. They had a weekend show special price on the matts of $15 and I picked up one more that is now in front of my jointer. I really wished I had picked up another one. The sale price is triple the cost per square foot compared to the HF but well worth it. At their normal price of $ 35 = $3.50 per square foot probably not.

I started with plastic blast gates because they were less expensive. They seal slightly better than aluminum and clog badly with fine dust. You may be able to cut off the back corners of the plastic to facilitate cleaning the groove. I ended up replacing every plastic one with aluminum. Plastic ones were sold along with 4" pipe and a dust collector. I still use some 4" aluminum combined with 6" homemade ones.

Do you want to buy frustration that you will eventually end up replacing with aluminum ones ?

[William Payer]

The floor mats are very nice with a lot of cushioning for the legs and feet. I have one by my lathe and the big box versions of the interlocking grey mats everywhere else. The Woodcraft mat is the nicest to stand on for long periods of time.

[Matt Meiser]

I just got three of the mats. I like them and our store has had them by the registers for quite some time and they are holding up well.