Owning both of these mats and getting questions about them all the time I thought I would update where I am today with these mats in reference to my post last year. I now practice at 2 locations that my studio has here in Dallas and I have the Manduka at one Studio and the Jade at the other. The Manduka is, in my opinion, the best mat on the market. I have constantly used it for the better part of a year and it has held up flawlessly. It is a heavier more ” industrial mat” that I think is ideal for a really serious yoga practitioner. It has held its shape, has not blistered and does a very nice job of not absorbing the massive amounts of sweat I drench it with on a regular basis. I have only bothered to wipe it down with vinegar one time to remove a little stickiness. For me it is the best mat on the market. Do be aware it is not a soft giving mat. Part of its durability is the hard surface it has.
The Jade on the the other hand has really not held up terribly well. I demoted this mat to back up mat until Febuary when my studio opened up a second location. I then started using it there. While the bizarre stretching seems to have disappeared the mat is now blistering on one side. I can only assume the stretching was sweat related and giving the mat 8 months of hiatus was enough to dry it back out.
I am planning on swapping out the mat soon and purchasing another Manduka.