Amazon Basics 1 Inch vs Retrospec Solana 1/2": Which One Should You Buy?

This pairing crosses over: Amazon Basics’ thicker pad against Retrospec’s thinner one. The Amazon Basics 1 Inch is 25.4 mm of foam at a list price of $38.40. The Solana 1/2″ is 12.7 mm at $24.99. Both brands sell the other thickness too, so the depth of foam you pick matters far more than the name on the strap.

The thicker mat is also the bigger one on every spec. The Amazon Basics is longer, heavier and more cushioned, and it costs about $13.40 more. The Solana is the smaller, lighter, cheaper pad and the steadier one to stand on. Work out which thickness your body wants and most of this decision is made.

Fewer people than buy one. An inch of NBR is for bodies and floors that half an inch can’t cover: kneeling-heavy rehab on concrete, knees that ache in tabletop on anything thinner, a garage or basement floor with no give, or a long physio routine done mostly on your back. For those, the Amazon Basics 1 Inch is plainly the more comfortable mat.

For stretching on a wood floor or a rug, general core work and mat Pilates, half an inch already does the job. Retrospec pitches the Solana for yoga flows, mat Pilates and somatic stretching, and at 12.7 mm it’s still more than twice as thick as a typical studio mat.

Retrospec describes the Solana 1/2″ as balancing cushioning and stability, and its Amazon listing calls the mat firm. By the standards of thick exercise foam, both claims hold up. By yoga-mat standards, half an inch of NBR still gives under a loaded foot, and tree pose on it takes more ankle work than on a 5 mm studio mat.

The Amazon Basics 1 Inch is a lot less steady. A full inch of soft foam keeps compressing as your weight rolls from heel to toe, so single-leg poses feel shaky even for steady people, and your palms press deep into it in plank.

If standing poses are part of your routine, the Solana is the only one of these two worth considering, and a thinner, firmer mat would suit you better still.

The first bullet on the Amazon Basics 1 Inch listing calls it memory foam. A few lines later the same listing describes high-density NBR foam, and the half-inch version is listed as 100% NBR. Memory foam in the mattress sense is a different, slow-rebounding material, and nothing else on the listing suggests this pad is that.

We treat it as NBR, the same family of foam as the Solana. The listing does make one specific claim worth having: the mat is described as free of phthalates, heavy metals and latex. Retrospec says the same about the Solana, so neither brand’s mat should be an issue for a latex allergy.

The Amazon Basics measures 74″ × 24″ and weighs 4.6 pounds. The Solana is 72″ × 24″ at 3. The extra length helps anyone around six feet tall who wants their whole body on the pad for floor work.

The weight matters less than the roll. An inch of foam makes a bundle that won’t fit a mat bag or a studio cubby and claims real closet space. The Solana rolls smaller and comes with a nylon strap. The Amazon Basics ships with a strap too, and at that diameter you’ll use it.

The 1 inch Amazon Basics comes in aqua, black and rose, a different three from the half-inch version. Retrospec sells the Solana in 13 colorways at last count, one palette across both thicknesses, including Graphite, Blue Ridge and Violet Haze.

If the mat lives in a room whose look you care about, that’s a real point for the Solana. We wouldn’t let it override the thickness decision, though.

Amazon’s listing for the 1 inch says to unwrap it, unroll it flat and air it in a ventilated space for at least 48 hours. Retrospec asks for a day or two. Amazon’s own summary of Solana reviews singles out a strong smell as a recurring complaint, and at least one owner says no amount of airing fixed it, so give it longer than the minimum.

Cleaning is the same on both. The foam is closed-cell, so sweat sits on top and wipes off. Retrospec recommends gentle soap and water, hanging the mat to dry, and never submerging it, and that routine suits the Amazon Basics just as well.

Keep shoes and pet claws off both. Soft NBR tears when something catches it, and owners of each report rips and punctures that started exactly that way.

The Amazon Basics 1 Inch shows 4.6 stars from more than 70,000 ratings and ranks #2 in Amazon’s yoga mat category, but both numbers belong to the whole listing family. Amazon pools the half-inch and 1 inch versions, so there’s no way to see how the thicker one rates on its own. The Solana 1/2″ has its own listing: 4.4 stars from about 9,300 ratings, #6 in the category.

Coverage favors the Amazon Basics at 1 year, against 6 months on defects from Retrospec, which adds a 30 day return window. Neither covers foam that compresses with use, which is the usual way these pads wear out.

List prices are $38.40 and $24.99, and colorway discounts move both. Check the Amazon Basics 1 Inch at Amazon and the Solana 1/2″ at Amazon before you order. Retrospec also sells the Solana at retrospec.com.

Settled on half an inch? Compare the Solana with the half-inch Amazon Basics, which lists at $22.48. Settled on a full inch? The Amazon Basics 1 Inch against the Solana 1″ is close to even at $38.40 and $39.99.

Buy the Retrospec Solana 1/2″ if the mat has to handle any yoga, or if you want the lighter roll, the lower price and more color choice. It’s the steadier pad and it still cushions hardwood well.

Buy the Amazon Basics 1 Inch if your knees or your floor need the full inch, you can use the extra two inches of length, and the mat can stay in one room. It’s the far better cushion and a poor choice for standing work.