Jade Level One vs 42 Birds The Robin: Which One Should You Buy?

Both of these suit someone who wants out of PVC without spending $150. The Jade Level One is 4 mm of open-cell natural rubber from a US factory, 68″ × 24″, for $66.50. The 42 Birds Robin is a cork top on a latex-free foam base, 5 mm and 72″ × 26″, for $92. 42 Birds calls it its top-selling mat.

Neither has been through GearLab’s test or any other we rely on, so there are no scores to settle this. What separates them is size, weight, latex and the way each surface grips, and on the first three the pricier mat comes out ahead.

The Robin is four inches longer and two wider. Length is the one to check: Jade makes the Level One in one 68 inch size, and if your head and heels don’t both fit when you lie flat on a mat that long, the Robin’s extra four inches fix it. The width helps in wide-legged standing poses and when your hands land a little off center.

Jade’s cheapest 74″ mat is the thinner Travel Long at $93.75. Closer to the Level One’s thickness, the step up is a 74″ Harmony at $109.95, which costs more than the Robin. 42 Birds goes further with its 85″ × 26″ Extra Long for $108.

42 Birds lists the Robin at 1.9 pounds and says it rolls to about 4″ across. We have the Level One at 4 pounds; Jade’s page doesn’t give a weight, and the number in Jade’s own store data is closer to 5. Either way, the Robin is the bigger mat at less than half the weight.

For a mat that rides a bus, a bike or a plane, that counts for a lot. At home it hardly matters, and the heavier mat has one small edge: very light mats can creep on a slick floor, and the Robin relies on its slip-resistant foam base, not mass, to stay put.

The Level One grips the moment you unroll it. Open-cell rubber has a porous surface, so light sweat sinks in instead of sitting under your palms. That’s the property Jade sells its whole line on, though nobody has published a grip test of this particular mat.

Cork works differently. 42 Birds says moisture makes it grippier and suggests a fine spray of water on the mat for extra hold. It also calls the Robin ideal for sweaty or hot yoga, which is the brand’s claim rather than a test result. What cork doesn’t do is absorb, so in a very sweaty class water can pool on the surface.

Heavy sweat eventually beats open-cell rubber too, once it’s soaked through. For a heated room, bring a towel whichever mat you buy.

The Robin is a millimeter thicker, and its give comes from the foam under the cork rather than the cork itself. The Level One is dense rubber all the way through, firm with a little rebound. Both sit in the 3 to 5 mm range GearLab recommends for most people, which favors steady footing over padding.

Neither is the mat for sore knees on a stone or tile floor. Doubling a blanket under the knee handles that on either one.

42 Birds lists the base foam as containing no PVC, plasticizers or latex, and the top is cork, so there’s no natural rubber anywhere in the Robin.

The Level One is natural rubber. Jade describes its rubber as 99% latex free and still recommends that people with latex allergies avoid contact with its mats. If someone in your home reacts to latex, buy the Robin and skip the rest of this page.

42 Birds keeps the routine short: a damp cloth after practice, no harsh cleaners, a complete air dry, and storage rolled cork side out somewhere cool and dry. A new Robin should lie flat for a few hours before its first session, and 42 Birds says cork keeps mold, mildew and smells at bay without help.

The Level One asks for more. The rubber takes in sweat, so it needs a proper wash from time to time with a mild cleaner, and a full dry before it’s rolled. Jade warns against using its rubber mats outdoors or leaving them in sunlight, and a new one smells of rubber until it has aired for a week or two.

42 Birds’ refund policy lets you return the Robin free within 30 days, even after you’ve practiced and sweated on it. Most brands we cover take back only unused mats. Once that month is over there’s no warranty.

Jade’s warranty on the Level One lasts a year and excludes sun damage and harsh cleaners, and it covers defects rather than a change of heart. Jade doesn’t advertise a trial period on the Level One’s page, so don’t plan on sending a used one back. If you aren’t sure yoga will stick, the Robin is the lower-risk purchase despite the higher price.

The Level One is $66.50 from jadeyoga.com, in blue or purple, and Jade doesn’t sell it through Amazon.

Buy the Robin at $92 from 42birds.com. Amazon has a listing under the Robin name, but the 24 inch width and 2.5 pound weight on it describe an older mat, not the current 26 inch, 1.9 pound Robin, so we’d skip it. There’s one finish, plain cork from Spain and Portugal; 42 Birds doesn’t say where the mat itself is made.

Buy the Robin if the mat travels, if 68 inches runs short for you, if latex is an issue, or if you want the option of returning it after a few weeks of real use. It costs $25.50 more and gets you a bigger mat at less than half the weight.

Buy the Level One if the mat mostly stays home, you want rubber’s tack with no misting routine, and you’d rather keep the money. It’s made in the USA and carries a written year of cover. For Jade rubber in a mat that folds for travel, see our Level One vs Jade Travel comparison.