Not the prettiest, but maybe the most functional
I've had this mat for several weeks, and I feel like that's a decent amount of time in which to get an accurate impression of how this will function over time because at this point, I feel like I'm some kind of dish drying mat expert. I've done the fabric mats (got moldy and mildewy super fast in my humid house, but it was nice that they were washable), diatomaceous earth mats (was always concerned that they would scratch my dishes so it was short-lived in my house), and most recently, those mats that look like PU leather, but somehow magically absorb water. Those seemed like the best, but eventually, they would get saturated and because you can't see it through the PU leather top, they just stay wet forever. And they still seem to get mildewy somehow. I've also done plain 'ol dishtowels on my counter, the old school plastic drainboards with the mat underneath, etc., etc.Of all of the drying solutions, this one may be the best, low-profile dish drying solution. Is it pretty? No. Is it less ugly than the old school plastic abominations that had the draining mat underneath? Oh, absolutely.Pros:- Sits nice and flat, so it's not obtrusive in your kitchen.- Ridges hold dishes above any standing water so that they can actually dry.- Silicone doesn't absorb water, so the mat is never saturated.- Silicone is dish-washable and heat safe; you can throw this into your dishwasher to clean and sanitize it.Cons (some are very subjective):- This mat in particular is a bit small for the number of dishes we do sometimes. Not a deal-breaker, but something to note if you have a large family or do most of your dishes by hand (we use the dishwasher for most things and this is still a tad small).- There's nowhere on this mat that allows the water to drain. It just has to eventually evaporate, get tipped over to be dumped, or manually wiped up. Again, not a huge deal, but a lip to go towards the sink may have been helpful. To be fair, in order for a lip to be really helpful, the mat would need to be slightly elevated on one side, making delicate dishes prone to tipping over. I'm far from an engineer, so who knows how that would all work.- It's a little floppy. That's ok... it sits on my kitchen counter, but for cleaning purposes, a bit more rigidity would've been nice.- The color isn't ideal. Most everything in my house is neutral or warm earth-toned, so gray doesn't really fit into my decor, but it gets the job done and doesn't show every little speck of dust.All in all, I can see myself keeping this mat longer than I've held onto any of the other solutions. If it lasts more than a year, I'll consider it a win because nothing else has, as this point!