VPI felt mat vs aftermarket

Mats are hit and miss and are very subjective.  You will get a lot of VPI owners stating that no mat is the best, but that’s just one perspective.  If you can find a local dealer that will lend you some prior to purchase, that would be the best course of action.  

I have a VPI Classic and i am using the Origin Live mat.  My main table is an Origin Live and I ended up with two of their mats.  I tried it after a few others including an older VPI mat, cork, acrylic, Herbies, and a few others.  It continues to remain in use.  As @testpilot stated mats are very subjective.

I was in the camp of preferring no mat with my VPI Classic when I owned one years back, especially if using the periphery ring and center weight. Most mats are not designed to have any weights added down to them, and doing so can deaden the sound / affect the dynamics.