I am looking to purchase some mats or rollers and wonder which do you prefer? Do you have more versitility with one or the other?
Also which designs do you use the most? Which do you use the least?

This is a difficult question because they each have different uses. What do you plan on making with the mats or rolling pins? Alan

The only advantage I can think of with the mats is that you can use them once the fondant is on the cake, and they can go around corners. I'm talking about the small mats which fit in your hands. I've only done one cake with a large impression mat, and I rolled the impression mat onto the fondant, then transferred the fondant to the cake. This caused a bit of stretching of the pattern, and makes it harder to smooth it out without destroying the pattern.

The only advantage I can think of with the mats is that you can use them once the fondant is on the cake, and they can go around corners. I'm talking about the small mats which fit in your hands. I've only done one cake with a large impression mat, and I rolled the impression mat onto the fondant, then transferred the fondant to the cake. This caused a bit of stretching of the pattern, and makes it harder to smooth it out without destroying the pattern.

Very good question. I am fairly new at cake decorating -- especially with fondant -- and am curious as to the difference between the two as well. I've covered a cake board with fondant that I used an impression mat on before covering the board, but Zespri brings up a good point about the pattern on the cake. How does using the mat first, then covering a cake, affect the presentation on the cake? But by the same token, how would a rolling pin work on the sides of a cake, especially since most of the time the cake would be on a board? I'm probably not asking this right, either!

But since we have Alan here, he has a lot of experience and expertise in the area of cake decorating and could possibly enlighten us on the correct uses for both, if he'd be so kind. And by the way Alan, I love, love, GSA....spend too much money there!!

Oh Gerle, you sure know how to make me write a reply . I use the small mats, like Earlene's or Sweet Expressions for embossing fondant that is already on the cake. There are dozens of great patterns that are fun to work with. If you want a pattern on the entire cake, you can use the large mats or Geraldine's mats but you cannot use a smoother on the cake. You also have to be very careful of not stretching the fondant when applying to the cake. These definitely have learning curve to them. The rolling pins are great for rolling a piece to cover your board, or to wrap around the sides of a cake or for doing "piece work" like a skirt or blanket or bow. You can also use the large 16 or 24 inch pins to emboss a large piece of fondant and then drape over the whole cake. Again, you have to be very careful not to stretch or smooth out the design. I hope this helps a little in your choosing! Alan

I think both. The impression mats are great for covering a large area. The roller pin is great for strips bows etc. I've seen patterns that are on the roller pins that are not on the mats and vice versa. So I guess it would depend on what you'll be using it for.

Alan, thanks for your reply. I know it was useful to me, and I'm sure to others as well. There are so many toys and gadgets out there that we'd all like to have and this information helps us to choose the proper tool for the proper job. Thanks to mi_patisserie for posing the question and to Alan for providing very useful information. Thanks to the other posters as well for their input. I always gain a lot of information from the more experienced cakers on CC!