One of the most common question that gets sent into Unsharpen.com is: What is on your desk?
The surface on the desk on Unsharpen’s Youtube videos is a distinctive black with white grid system on it. The material has a slightly grainy surface and some lines that interrupt the grid. It also has markings, so you can more easily count off the lines in the grid.
But what exactly is on the desk? Where do you buy one? And how much does it cost?
Unsharpen’s Black Desk Mat
If you are asking about the black mat found on most Unsharpen videos, the exact product on the desktop is an Alvin GBM2436 Professional Self-Healing Cutting Mat.
The size used in Unsharpen is 24 by 36 inches and it retails for about $60. The same mat is available in smaller and larger sizes, down to 3.5 x 5.5 inches and up to a giant 48 x 96 inches.
The mat uses a 0.5 inch grid system, so it’s handy for reference, but not ideal if you prefer metric measurements.
Unsharpen’s Clear Desk Mat
Many of the newer Unsharpen videos clear a translucent desk mat. This one is slightly different, it’s the Dahle Vantage 10682 Self-Healing Cutting Mat. The size is 18 x 24 and it sells for about $40.
The two mats are largely similar and we wouldn’t recommend one over the other, so you should buy whichever is available for a better price and in the size you’d prefer.
Self-Healing Desk Pads Video
And if you want to learn more about these “self-healing” desk pads, this video should help you out.