Vinyl · 4 min read
Best DJ Slipmats: Felt vs. Acrylic (and How to Choose)
The mat between your record and the platter decides whether you can cue and scratch smoothly or whether the record fights you. There are two camps, for opposite jobs.
Felt slipmats — for DJs
Thin felt lets the record slip while the platter keeps spinning. That's the point: hold/cue a record, back-cue, and scratch without stopping the motor.
- Best for: DJs, scratching, beatmatching, turntablism.
- Feel: low friction, broken-in out of the sleeve.
- Bonus: felt is a canvas — custom prints are part of the culture.
Acrylic turntable mats — for listeners
Rigid acrylic grips the record and damps resonance for tighter bass and lower noise on a hi-fi setup. Great for playback, terrible for scratching.
Quick pick
| You want to… | Get |
|---|---|
| Scratch, cue, beatmatch, DJ | Felt slipmats |
| Cleaner playback / tighter bass | Acrylic mat |
| Rep a design / gift | Custom-printed felt slipmats |
What makes a good felt slipmat
- 12-inch / standard fit.
- Thin enough to slip, dense enough to last.
- Edge-to-edge dye-sublimation print that survives play.
- Sold as a pair — you have two decks.
Ours are cut and printed in-house with original artwork — shop thewav custom slipmats, or browse turntable accessories. Keep them dust-free with the brush from our record cleaning guide.
FAQ
What's the difference between felt and acrylic mats?
Felt lets the record slip (for cueing/scratching) — what DJs use. Acrylic grips the record and damps resonance for playback — for hi-fi listeners. Opposite jobs.
Do slipmats come as a pair?
You run two decks, so buy two. Our thewav slipmats are sold as a pair.
Can I scratch on an acrylic mat?
No — it grips the record so it won't slip. Use felt for any DJ/scratch work.
Will a slipmat fit my turntable?
Standard 12-inch slipmats fit all common turntables (Technics-style and most belt/direct-drive decks).