I have tried many different equipment mats and have always been disappointed. Mats like this offer very little protection for your equipment or floor. These mats rip very easily.

A much better alternative is a 4' x 6' x 3/4" thick rubber mat that you can buy from a farm supply store such as Blain's Farm and Fleet or Tractor Supply Co. I can't take credit for this idea. I discovered this when searching the web for a durable mat. This was suggested by many bodybuilders on the bodybuilding dot com website/forum. These rubber mats are called "Horse Stall Mats" or "Cow Stall Mats". These mats are made to last for years of abuse from cows and horses stomping, urinating, and other shtuff. Therefore, they will certainly hold up to exercise equipment, dumbbells/weights being dropped, and human sweat without a problem. I purchased two of these Cow Stall Mats from Farm and Fleet for $39 each.

UPDATE: January 22, 2010 - We have been using our two cow stall mats for almost 3 years. I have an elliptical machine, an iron master "superbench", and dumbbell set on these mats. Both mats still look like brand new. I moved several months ago. The floor underneath the mats did not show any signs of damage or wear. I was not surprised.

I could see some people being turned off by the name "cow stall" or "horse stall" mats. You really have to see them to appreciate them. When in the home with exercise equipment on top of them they look like professional exercise equipment mats. If you have a dedicated exercise room, these would be ideal to cover the entire floor. That's my plan when the basement gets finished.

Only con I can think of is mine smelled like rubber/new tires for several months. It went away on its own. Must not have been too bad though because my wife didn't complain (and she would have if it was that bad).

I bought this equipment mat to go under my new Horizon CFS Upright Bike and protect the hardwood floors in my apartment. It is perhaps the thinnest equipment mat I've ever seen. Also, I assembled the bike on top of the mat and have a small tear in the mat as a result (from when one of the metal parts scraped the mat). Mat is definitely long enough, but barely wide enough for my bike (which isn't very bulky). If you're looking for true heavy duty protection for your floors, I would choose another product. But if you only need some basic protection for your floor this is good enough.

The mat works fine for my rowing machine. The price is better than many I have seen.

Excellent mat. Perfect size. Reduces noise from treadmill. Saves a lot of wear on flooring and helps cushion any bounce you may have from treadmill. Recommend

I purchased this mat to place under my treadmill to protect the floor underneath and prevent any slippage. The mat is well constructed and large enough for just about any treadmill. This one is a larger than most would need, but I thought I needed the extra length (I don't). It is strong enough for light to medium use. If you were especially rough on this mat you could wear it or tear it fairly easily. But it does what it's supposed to and you get what you pay for. I'm very satisfied with it.