just an idea..

[RehKal]

I'm all for a larger size as well. Several of my mags have stocks on them which would make them difficult to fit on a smaller mat. That being said I would probably actually buy two mats, one of each size. Mostly because I will have a tailor made space for working and tinkering on my markers so space is not an issue for me. It would be nice to have the option of two different size mats with similar layouts, price is not that much of a concern for me either. The 18x36 may be a tad bit of overkill as has been said, I think the 12x36 and 11x24 would be the two sizes to go with.

Mole, if you want to take lead go ahead and do so. You've already been in touch with tekmat and know what they have to offer. Start up a officail AGD/AO techmat thread so it gets some more attention. We'll need to find someone that can do the layout, maybe TK would have some old hard copies (that can be scanned) or higher res digital copies of the valve layouts? Also we'll need the oring chart to be laid out as well. Get a list started of people interested in pre-ordering and what sizes they would want.

[Cokrkilr]

The 11x 24 size you mentioned would end up where the grip is on my marker. I think being that narrow and short would run into the problems of the 11x17, not being able to blow up the valves any and still being fairly pressed for space for a good layout that "flows".

I like the idea of a long mat for people that have the space, and a more squared up mat for the people that dont. Plus both sizes (12x36 & 18x24) would have the same real estate space, so youd only have to make one image of each to fill the space on each mat. Instead of possibly having to do a 1:1 on the smaller mat and a 1:1.5 or whatever it ends up on the larger mat (less expensive and time consuming).

Just thoughts not trying to get under anyones skin or anything

[harleywrench001]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

[Cokrkilr]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

In over here

[Mole1119]

Made a couple calls today.
Checked in with tekmats to see what other die sizes they have and associated pricing. I inquired so see if they had something in the 18 x 24 or near that.
Tracked down a graphic designer that may be able to help me with this. Hopefully I will get a chance to talk to her about how the best way to build quality graphics in the next week.
I have CAD knowledge and access to some software, if it comes down to doing a bunch of modeling to get the graphics done right, I will do it. It may take me some time though, I do have a full time job.

Here is some stuff i was messing around with, the concept isn't finished but at least something to start a conversation with a graphic designer.

[Mole1119]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

This sounds great, reducing the minimum order would do wonders for pricing. I also ordered one of the tekmats today because I want to take a look at how they are made and compare them to what a mouse pad looks/feels like.
If you are willing to pass along the company name I would be happy to dig into it and try and get the cost per mat down.

I hope know one takes my earlier $30 estimate as set in stone that was just what I guesstimated when I looked into it earlier. I need to nail down a lot more info before I have a clear price in mind.

[RehKal]

Personally I would rather have something more durable than a plastic topped mousepad. To me it would just seem cheesy and cheap. If it has AGD logo on it, I'd rather have a quality feel to it. just my opinion on that.

As for the measurements I've been quoting, those are the two standard sizes tekmat offers. Hopefully they offer other sizes but as with anything nonstandard... The price will go up.

[Cokrkilr]

This sounds great, reducing the minimum order would do wonders for pricing. I also ordered one of the tekmats today because I want to take a look at how they are made and compare them to what a mouse pad looks/feels like.
If you are willing to pass along the company name I would be happy to dig into it and try and get the cost per mat down.

I hope know one takes my earlier $30 estimate as set in stone that was just what I guesstimated when I looked into it earlier. I need to nail down a lot more info before I have a clear price in mind.

I would suspect them to be around double for the sizes we have thought of. I was a bar manager for 4 years and ordered many bar mats that were 18x18, most we got for free but specialty ones were around $45 depending on the company. And they were pretty basic mats with just booze logos on them.

[Freedy500]

Personally I would rather have something more durable than a plastic topped mousepad. To me it would just seem cheesy and cheap. If it has AGD logo on it, I'd rather have a quality feel to it. just my opinion on that.

As for the measurements I've been quoting, those are the two standard sizes tekmat offers. Hopefully they offer other sizes but as with anything nonstandard... The price will go up.

This, agreed. I would want something to last and not tear for sure. I agree that 18x36 is huge and we wont need it. I would prefer to keep it with the long gun size. If we can get it done as an option for either size that would be perfect for me.

[Justus]

My vote would be for the mat that's more durable. We don't hit them with hammers or pour brake cleaner on them, but we do work with grease and oil when working on our valves. I also find myself using wrenches, o-ring picks, screwdrivers, etc.

I would also vote for a mat that is 36" wide. That doesn't seem awkward or weird at all to me. It actually seems more natural to be able to roll out something wide like that. First, chances are if you need a gun mat you're working on more than just one gun. Maybe a tank, loader, etc. And you're going to need to spread things out a little bit. Getting a gun mat that's the exact same size as your assembled 'Mag doesn't give you any room to actually work. For me to be interested in a gun mat, it's got to have a bigger footprint than my laptop. Also, the 18"x18" size that's been mentioned actually seems weird to me. Our 'Mags are not square. That layout doesn't allow things to really flow very well.

Just my $.02. I'm interested, depending on the usefulness of the final product.

[knownothingmags]

i would talk to RC remote control car tech mats companies.
they make theirs outa rummber pretty much.

but im down for 2 for sure, if they are durable, and not just plastic toped foam.

[TimmyJay]

I would be interested in one. Not in a rush for it so I can save up some money. It would need to have the X and classic. I would like to have a semi transparent honeycomb backdrop.

[knownothingmags]

i would do a mat and try and get as much reference design and oring sizes on the mat as possible.
big help while teching

[barkingspider]

I have a few rifle mats that have exploded views of various weapons and have learned to love the durability of the rubber mats with a slightly higher edge than the mouse pad type. The wear and tear really shows with the mouse pad type of mat from my experience.

I can't wait for this idea to become a reality.

I also vote for the 36" long size similar to a traditional rifle maintenance mat. They fit great on my work bench

[Freedy500]

Yay! Now I have some people who seem to follow the same train of thought as I do! I totally agree with the above 5 posts.

Also, at this point it seems we will have the classic and X-valve both on the same mat. Most likely including the ULT. Not sure about decorations. So for us it seems like we also have an equivalent amount of interest for the 12x36? If we get this size I imagine that we could have everything easily put on there. I will contact TK again regarding higher resolution photos of the technicals. Also we are not in a huge hurry. I want to make sure that the final product is very well laid out as neatly as possible with a good looking decoration or two. The logo I mentioned above with "Quality Always Shoots Straight" will most likely be our first "Go-To" for an add on for looks. Next will be put up for a vote. I personally like the AO color scheme honeycomb design and could see it as a nice backround color for the left over room. I say once we get a perfect lay out of the mat we move on to the more time consuming part of what and where to put additional add on's for looks. This will be a great time killer. Lets get this moving people!

Also, all input will be greatly appreciated and will be crucial for coming out with a final, appealing product that we all agree on. So please participate in this discussion as we move along. All suggestions and ideas are welcome.