I love this globe! I wanted a geographic reference tool that was larger than the 12-inch Replogle globe I had as a child -- and that also had the “gyromatic” mount so I could see places in the Southern Hemisphere without twisting my neck (e.g., seeing Antarctica all at once!). The 16-inch “Eureka” model does the job VERY nicely! Replogle also has a 16-inch “Nicollet” model with National Geographic cartography, but it costs over $100 more and has bright blue oceans that reminded me too much of my childhood globe. The “Eureka” is available with pale blue or “antique” color oceans, and I chose the latter for its aesthetic appeal. A few things to keep in mind if you choose this globe. It shows a lot more places than the NatGeo model, but the many names give it a very “busy” appearance in places, as opposed to the “cleaner” look of the NatGeo. In addition, the designer apparently had an aversion to too much empty space in the oceans, so there are ample “flourishes” to fill things in: three compass roses; an ornate “legend”; fancy labels for the globe series, the company, and the cartographer; and drawings of over a dozen antique sailing ships along with the names and dates of famous explorations. The globe also contains helpful notes, like an arrow pointing in the direction of the earth’s rotation, a brief explanation of the International Date Line, and notations on the significance of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. I was surprised to also find a QR code that links your smartphone to the PDF booklet on how to use the globe. Is there anything to dislike about this globe? As some reviewers have mentioned, there are several places where sections of my globe are misaligned. They’re very slight, but you need to be prepared for them if you’re expecting perfection. There are also a few tiny scuff marks where the map sections were joined as well as on a couple of the raised “mountains.” The time dial at the North Pole is a nice touch, but the numbers are transparent, making them difficult to read. There were frequent squeaks at the North Pole axis when turning the globe, but I remedied that with an *extremely tiny* amount of lubricant. And finally, remember that the surface of the globe is basically glossy paper, so don’t touch it (or let others touch it) with dirty, greasy, or wet hands -- and keep it out of direct sunlight. Replogle makes floor models of the 16-inch antique style globe, but the single-pedestal design looked pretty rickety, so I bought a table (Winsome Wood Sasha accent table) to display it. I keep a magnifying glass in the drawer so I can read the small print of the 4,000-plus place names. One last thing to mention – if your globe becomes outdated, Replogle has a program that lets you buy an updated version for half price. In sum, I give this globe a solid five-star rating. I consider the minor imperfections negligible compared to the globe’s value as a reference tool and the beauty it adds to my home office.
