Filed under: Yoga Stuff
I finally received my Eko mat from Manduka, and have been practicing with it for about a week. Now that I’ve taken it out for a test spin, I feel that I can write a more informed review about this new mat. (These were my initial thoughts about the Eko after noodling around with a demo mat at my studio.)
A lot of people were perplexed as to why Manduka felt the need to introduce a new mat. After all, the Black Mat has reached legendary status among yogis, especially among Astangis and Flow practitioners. It seems to last forever, obviating the need to buy a new mat every six months or so, which is the case with most other mats. Also, it’s easily the sturdiest mat out there, just thick/dense enough to provide support, but supple enough to provide a little bit of protection to the joints.
Probably the primary motivation for introducing a new mat was to make more money. People who buy the Black Mat really don’t need to buy a new one for years. One of my yoga teachers has been using her mat for six years, almost on a daily basis, and it’s in mint condition. This means that there are tons of people out there who love Manduka, but who are not buying any of their products anymore. In essence, Manduka made the Black Mat too well. If you sell a product that lasts a lifetime, you’re eventually going to need to find some other way to get people buying stuff from you again.
The other main reason Manduka introduced this new mat is that many people were unhappy with the fact that the old Black Mat is not an “eco-friendly” mat. The new Eko, as the name suggests, is much better for the environment. It’s fully biodegradable, which is something that a lot of yogis are very concerned with. In fact, I know many yogis who refused to buy a Manduka Black Mat, and instead went with Hugger Mugger or Jade mats, simply because they are better for the environment, even if they aren’t better mats.
So what’s the new Eko like? It is a little squishier than the Black Mat, but not so squishy that you lose the feeling of being in contact with the ground. This is really important for lots of yogis, especially for anyone who does lots of arm balances and handstands. Also, despite what a lot of people think, the Eko has almost the same exact dimensions/specs as the Black Mat. They are both 71 inches long. The Eko is 5mm thick (0.19685 inches), whereas the Black Mat is 1/4 inch thick, so the Eko is slightly thinner, by about 25%. Although it’s thinner, the Eko weighs exactly the same as the old Black Mat. I don’t think they (yet) have a longer version of the Eko, but I imagine that if the standard one sells well, Manduka will soon introduce a longer version for the taller yogis out there.
The thing that struck me the most about the Eko mat is how amazingly sticky it is. It’s almost too sticky! I’m curious to see how well the stickiness holds up over time, but so far the Eko seems to be noticeably stickier than the Black Mat. This is good for me, because I’ve actually had a problem with sliding on the Black Mat. I have very dry hands, and when my dry hands come into contact with the dry Black Mat, they can start sliding out from under me, especially in Down-Dog early in the practice. The Eko mat, in comparison, is so sticky that sometimes I find my foot or hand getting caught. This isn’t really a problem, and, in fact, I think it’s helping me to stop being lazy since I can no longer drag my limbs along the mat as I transition between poses.
One final consideration, especially important for Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga practitioners, is how slippery the Eko gets when you sweat on it. In my limited experience so far, it does get pretty slippery, but not any more than the Black Mat. So if you do a very sweaty yoga practice, you will probably still need to use something like Yogi Toes with the Eko.
Overall: A+
Even better than the old Black Mat. The only possible downside is that it might not last as long. The obvious comparison to the new Eko is the Jade Harmony Mat. I think the Eko is better. It’s thicker, longer, more substantial, and stickier. It also doesn’t smell as bad, which may sound like a silly point, until you’re in Dog-Down inhaling the noxious smell of rubber into your nose.
14 Comments so far
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Thanks for your candid review! I’ve been hesitant on getting my EKO, but now I’m going to give it a try!! Cheers, AM
Comment by Ann da Silva November 19, 2007 @ 12:48 pmI appreciate the review. Your comment about the Eko for Ashtanga practitioners is interesting to me (and will likely keep me from getting an Eko when I need a new mat), because one of the reasons I ADORE my Jade Harmony mat is that I sweat *a lot*, but since it is quite absorbent, it never gets really slippery.
Comment by Kim February 7, 2008 @ 5:07 pmI just bought the eko lite mat last week and so far I am not very happy. I practice 3 x per week vinyasa ashtanga and find tha I am constantly slipping while in downward dog. Very distracting while practicing
Comment by diane June 2, 2008 @ 10:12 amI’m planning to get an eKO mat and Kim’s and Diane’s comments made me a bit concerned about slippery and performance. Although I don’t do Ashtanga, I sweat a lot.
If eKO can be better than all ordinary mats (such as the one I have now), it’s ok for me.
Unfortunately I can’t afford both Jade and eKO (I live in Brazil and importing mats is very expensive, as good mats are rare here). So, I think I will choose eKO.
If you have any other advice or suggestion, please let me know. Thanks in advance.
Thanks for your review.
Comment by Christian Rocha July 9, 2008 @ 1:29 pmHi Christian,
This recent post on slippery yoga mats should address your questions/concerns: http://yogaisforlovers.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/slippery-yoga-mats/
Comment by ekachakra July 9, 2008 @ 1:47 pmI am very seriously considering the Eko and am curious as to how it is holding up and what you think after having it for some time now. I now use a prana natural rubber mat. I loved it at first and it had great grip, but began get stretchier with use and time. Now even though my hands don’t slip in down dog, the mat stretches inches. Have you notice this with the Eko?
Comment by andrew September 23, 2008 @ 6:40 pmI haven’t noticed any stretching with the Eko mat. It’s also not falling apart like some of the other natural rubber mats I’ve had in the past. Overall, I’m still very happy with it.
Comment by ekachakra September 30, 2008 @ 11:33 amI love that you not only compared the Eko to the Black Mat, but also to the Jade mat. I currently own a Jade mat but it is starting to flake. I love the grip of it though, so was curious as to how it compared to the Eko. Thanks for sharing!
Comment by tryingtowake June 10, 2009 @ 10:12 amI’ve been trying to find a blog site that actually gives decent review of yoga mats and accessories, and I’d like to thank you for solving my problems especially the slippery hands problem. I’m an Ashtanga practitioner and I sweat like crazy; I’ll make to sure to get Yogitoes for myself this week.
Comment by Aldous Wright May 16, 2010 @ 10:27 amWas your mat this sticky when you first got it? I just bought an Ekolite, and I find it super slippery.
Comment by Debbie July 24, 2010 @ 6:27 pmI have had the eko for over a year and LOVE it! It had no break in period at all and was so grippy if I wasn’t careful it could rip my hair out, and it’s just as sticky today! But, it started to develop bubbles between the layers. I notified Manduka and after seeing pictures they promptly sent me a replacement. The replacement, however, I am not happy with. It is very slippery. They recommend washing it in equal parts cider vinegar and water with no need to rinse. Did it…twice. Still way slippery.
Comment by Kim July 25, 2010 @ 3:26 pmMy Eko mat was great — for the first couple of weeks. But then it started becoming more and more slippery. I’ve tried cleaning it with vinegar, which resulted in the surface becoming MORE slippery, now with a slimy unpleasant feel. I’ve tried rinsing the entire mat (in clean rainwater) and letting it dry. That helped a bit, but the active side is still slippery. Now I use the reverse side, which has a rougher surface and provides more grip. Still slippery though — I have to use gloves in downward facing dog.
I’m pretty disappointed in the mat, which cost a lot more than other mats I looked at.
Some days, I don’t even bother with the mat (for some poses) and just use my Vibram 5-fingers and the gloves.
Comment by Grumpy Customer September 17, 2010 @ 4:03 pmAfter a while the eko will pretty much disintegrate. I always loved Jade mats because of their stickiness and comfort (didn’t mind the smell) but since they wore out within a year I was looking for something more durable and had heard good things about manduka in general. I was talked into buying the eko, which felt great during a test run, but I was quickly disappointed – it fell apart way more quickly than my Jades. I do understand you’re not supposed to leave them in direct sunlight and it may be problematic that I leave my mat in my car most of the time (esp in the hot socal sun) but I found that if I took the mat out of my car when I got home I often forgot to take it with me to yoga.
Anyway, jade >> manduka eco IMO, but I’m going to try the manduka prolite next, so we’ll see!
Comment by Jessica April 1, 2011 @ 6:18 pmI’m not happy with my eKo mat. Its withering at the seams and has bubbles throughout. I practice regularly with a towl or rug. I’m really not sure what is causing the bubbles but hopefully Manduka will send me a replacement. I haven’t had it a year yet. Definitely not worth 70+ dollars.
Comment by Jennifer October 31, 2011 @ 11:46 am