Yoga Design Lab Combo vs B Mat Strong: Which One Should You Buy?

The b, halfmoon B Mat Strong is $144 for 6 mm of tacky rubber made in Spain, 71″ × 26″. The Yoga Design Lab Combo is $117 for 3.5 mm, a printed microfiber towel on a natural rubber base, 70″ × 24″.

By the brands’ own figures the Strong weighs 5 pounds and the Combo 4.9. The extra $27 buys 2.5 mm more padding and two more inches of width for a tenth of a pound. The Combo answers with a sweat-absorbing surface that goes in the washing machine.

In GearLab’s 2026 roundup the Combo finished two places from last, 52 points out of 100, with its dry and wet grip both marked 4.

GearLab hasn’t tested the Strong. Its separate 2023 review was of the 4 mm B Mat Everyday, made from the same rubber, which it named its top choice for sweaty hands. That review describes the surface you’d be standing on, not the Strong itself, and it came from a different round than the Combo’s score.

b, halfmoon bills the Strong as its thickest, most cushioned B Mat and recommends it when you want higher intensity or a bit more support. On the 4 mm Everyday, GearLab’s testers found the dense rubber hardly compresses and springs back under knees and elbows; the Strong adds another 2 mm. An owner on b, halfmoon’s site says it’s thick enough that their knees don’t hurt.

GearLab rated the Combo 6 for comfort and support. The thickest Combo, 5.5 mm at $131, weighs 7.1 pounds, so even that version is thinner than the Strong and about two pounds heavier.

Dry, the Combo struggles. A towel top wants a little dampness to work, and only one of GearLab’s 18 mats scored lower on dry grip. On the Strong, one owner with very dry hands says they can finally hold down dog without fear, and GearLab listed insane dry grip among the Everyday’s reasons to buy.

Yoga Design Lab lists hot yoga first among the styles the Combo suits and says its grip is activated by moisture. Even saturated in GearLab’s wet test it scored 4. A reviewer on Yoga Design Lab’s site finds it very grippy but says it can slip a little once it’s soaked.

The Strong absorbs nothing. On the 4 mm mat, GearLab found sweat pooled on the surface and grip still held with a palm sitting in it. One Strong owner calls it very efficient for hot yoga.

The Strong’s tack has a cost. One owner says you have to lift your feet completely when you jump or they catch, and another finds it a little hard to slide between positions. GearLab thought the Everyday could grip too hard for Ashtanga or vinyasa with lots of gliding, unless you sweat a lot.

The Combo has the opposite problem, and slippery grip, wet or dry, is the first con GearLab lists for it. A fast flow in a cool room suits neither surface well.

The Strong is two inches wider and an inch longer, and width is the one GearLab flagged: narrow is among the Combo’s cons. b, halfmoon also sells an 85″ × 26″ Strong Long, and Yoga Design Lab has an XL Combo listed at $146, though it was out of stock when we looked.

Only the Combo includes a carry strap; b, halfmoon’s page doesn’t mention one. Strong owners differ on the carry: one rolls it up and hauls it around in a bag without trouble, while another calls it heavy to lug to classes and ideal at home.

Yoga Design Lab’s care notes permit a gentle machine wash for the Combo, using mild soap in a washer without a center agitator, though hand washing is what it recommends. GearLab liked that it needs no scrubbing or hosing, but the towel collects lint.

b, halfmoon says to clean the Strong with plain water and neutral soap, or with its cleanser spray, and let it air dry. One owner says it needs cleaning after every use. Two owners of dark colorways say theirs gets dirty easily, one of them noting every cat hair and dusty footprint.

GearLab found the Everyday picked up dirt, hair and lint and showed water stains, and suggested a darker color to hide the stains. One of those Strong owners recommends a lighter color instead, to hide the dirt.

The Strong is PVC-free rubber, 100% rubber per its product page and a blend of natural and synthetic components per b, halfmoon’s FAQ, with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification. The Combo’s base is natural tree rubber under recycled PET. Neither suits a latex allergy.

b, halfmoon’s one-year warranty doesn’t cover sun damage, dirt, stains or ordinary wear, which includes marks where hands and feet land. Yoga Design Lab gives no warranty. Neither accepts a used mat back; both windows are 30 days, and b, halfmoon adds that the mat must never have left its packaging.

The Strong is $144 only from b, halfmoon in seven colorways at last count, where 254 reviews average 4.9 stars. The Combo is $117 from Yoga Design Lab, or compare the Combo on Amazon.

Our Combo vs B Mat Everyday page covers the 4 mm version, and Strong vs Everyday covers the choice between the two b, halfmoon thicknesses.

Get the B Mat Strong if you want more padding without more weight, your hands sweat or run very dry, and you don’t mind stepping rather than sliding between poses. It’s wider, thicker and warrantied. Expect lint, and a mat you can’t return once it’s unwrapped.

Get the Combo if machine washing matters, you like a fabric feel, or a print is the draw, and keep the $27. GearLab found it slippery wet and dry, so don’t count on the grip its listing promises.