I was getting tired of using a towel and found these to be really nice. The color contrasts good with all gun components, the top surface is perfect - not too fuzzy, not too slick. The bottom surface is also nice, good grip but not damaging to table top. The small one is fine for pistol work, while the larger one suffices for all rifle work. You could also use these in a garage for small craft or motor work.

Pros: It is big and thick enough that it does not seem it will rip too easily.
Cons: it seems more like a giant "chamWow" than a mat. not really rubbery like a mat - more like felt.

Fuzzy Lint was my immediate first impression of this pad; as I took it out of the cardboard sleeve, a dry spot on my thumb caught the felt and tufted it up. Firearms have parts with sharp edges--all I could think of was the lint that would get caught on every screw, spring, and small part of my guns if I were to use this pad. The backing is like thin trash bag plastic glued to cheap felt. I should have read more than the first few reviews. I trusted the high percentage of 5-star ratings and figured it MUST be a great pad. Maybe it's better than bare concrete or gravel to lay your gun on, but I am better off using an old bath towel washed 100 times than this $10.00 POS. Thank God I am an Amazon PRIME member and can send mistakes like this back for free--UPS picks up from my work everyday, which makes it super easy. I was really expecting a it to be like a giant mousepad, not something that would lint-up my guns. 1 star for "Made in the USA". Can't understand why all the glowing reviews...

I got this cleaning pad for my husband because...
1). He really loves his guns and does his best to take care of them.
2). He cleans them either on the kitchen counter or on the carpet and I was like, "Nah, not happening. "
3). It soaks up cleaning lubricant and oil spills very well. No fuss, no muss and everyone is happy. Including this wife :) Everyone wins!

Just a piece of thin felt with a very thin plastic backing. My biggest gripe with it was that when I was doing a trigger job on a rifle, the springs, or pretty much anything would get snagged in the felt. The felt is picked very easily. I bought a 1/8" thick black yoga mat to replace it. Works like a charm, was larger and was cheaper than any gun mat available.