I admit to being very old school in several ways. Technology is one of them. Even with something as simple and routine as cleaning my firearms. For years, even decades, I’ve just kept a ratty old towel that I spread on the table to clean my guns. That towel is so oil-impregnated that I’m afraid to even wash it, lest the years of solvent and gun oil somehow harm my washing machine. I would never throw it in the dryer for fear of it catching fire. I don’t even know if that’s a thing, but that’s me. But the fine folks at Tekmat have finally brought me a bit further into the modern age of cleaning guns.
Oil-Resistant and Durable
Now, I have a couple of other cleaning mats that I’ve used, but I’ve never stuck with them. Mainly because they absorb oil and become greasy. I’ve always ended up going back to my towel. But I recently picked up a Tekmat for my Walther PPQ, partially because the company says the mat is oil and water-resistant. The other reason is that they have one for my PPQ M1, which I prefer for the trigger guard-mounted mag release. And I have to admit that my old towel is often a source of unwanted lint.
The first thing I did was put that to the test. I squeezed out several drops from one of my many oil bottles and left it to sit. I went back several hours later, and the pool of oil was just as I had left it. The mat didn’t absorb it at all. I wiped it up with a shop rag and it was like the oil had never been there at all. The mat didn’t feel slick or oily. Now, that’s just one test, but I’ve used the mat several times over the last couple of months, and I have no reason to believe it will perform any differently. It still looks and feels brand new.
The mat seems very durable all the way around. Tekmat even has a video in which they wrap a mat around two pounds of Tannerite and shoot it with an AR-15. The explosion is satisfying, as Tannerite always is, but the mat came through seemingly unscathed, except for being covered in dirt and sporting a new bullet hole. Now, I doubt any of us will do that to our mats, but it was cool and demonstrates how sturdy the product is.
Tekmat Features
Tekmat offers different-sized mats, so here are the features for the variety to which my PPQ mat belongs:
- Soft polyester top to protect your gun’s finish. No loose fibers that might get into your gun. That takes care of my lint problem.
- 1/8-inch-thick vulcanized rubber.
- 11×17 inches on the surface. Mine actually measures 16.5 inches long, but close enough.
- Oil and solvent resistant, as noted.
- Waterproof.
- Printed firearm parts list and exploded diagram.
- Dye sublimation printing. Tekmat says this process “uses heat to bond the ink with the fabric surface. This ensures the printing will not scratch off or fade.” They also note that this process is far superior to the screen printing used by some other mats.
- Non-slip backing.
Simple, Convenient, and Cool
I like the Tekmat for several reasons. One is its simplicity. I just unroll it, do my thing, wipe it off, and roll it back up. If I want to rinse it, the water doesn’t penetrate, so I easily get rid of any residual debris, wipe it dry, and stow it. No waiting for it to dry off. But the only residual stuff is anything I might introduce, like the dog hair that is the one constant in my house. Nothing comes from the mat itself. It even takes up less space, in storage and on the table, than my old towel with no lint.
The Tekmat also looks cool. I don’t really use the parts list and exploded view because I don’t tear my guns down past the normal field strip. That’s why God created gunsmiths. But it sure looks good and other folks may find it very useful. The 11×16.5 surface area is more than enough to clean my PPQ, or any other pistol, with room to spare and not worry about spilling oil on the table.
A Superior Product
As I said before, I have a couple of other mats that I just haven’t stuck with. I don’t foresee my discarding the Tekmat. It has all the upside I want with no real negatives. I can see perhaps wanting it to be a bit thicker, but that’s a minor thing for a handgun. For me, anyway. It’s not like I’m cleaning heirloom-grade revolvers on it.
The Tekmat is a great product, and the price is right too. I think it’s worth every penny and probably more. Tekmat offers many different handgun models like my mat, or you can get one with various designs and slogans that may strike your fancy. The company also offers larger mats for long guns. If you’re interested in a Tekmat, or maybe more than one, you’re in luck. GunMag Warehouse offers many varieties of these fine products.
I expect I’ll be getting a couple more, though I’ll also probably hang onto my old towel. I’m sentimental like that, plus, throwing it away might bring the EPA down on me. They might be worse than even the ATF. Maybe.
