Yeah, I tried both the vinyl and the mousepad boards. I liked the vinyl better, because the colors were brighter than the mousepad board, but what sealed the deal for me was that you can easily slide pieces over the vinyl, whereas the mousepad is spongy and not as slick for sliding pieces on the board. But I know what you mean about seeing them in person and really getting a feel for the product.
But I can't answer you as far as are all mousepads created equal....just that the one I had I didn't care for, as opposed to the vinyl. Unfortunately, vinyl does curl at the edges. Still, I prefer it. BTW, it was green/white.
I own a mousepad board that's fairly thick, and it lays completely flat even if I've had it rolled up for a while. It doesn't stink and it doesn't wrinkle. Even after many years of use, it hasn't frayed. I've never washed it, but the ink doesn't look like it would smudge if the board got wet.
However, people complain about mousepad boards because their boards have issues while mine doesn't.
Are there thinner, cheaper boards I haven't seen? Because mine is literally just like a thick, fat, old school mousepad. So, I don't understand why people complain so much. Those vinyl boards are thin plastic, like playing on a sandwich baggy. I'd take my mousepad board over vinyl anytime. I wish I could see these mousepad boards for sale and hold them in my hands.