Replogle Globes Inflatable Political Globe, Light Blue Ocean, 16-Inch Diameter

I originally wanted to buy a globe for my sons to teach them geography. A decent one starts around $50. The inflatable globe does the same job, and we can even play hot potato with it. We have had it for years, and it seems to be very sturdy. The ball did not start to leak under the weight of my three year old.

The globe is constructed by gluing together six 60-degree longitude sectors. Although the material appears to be durable, care was not exercised to ensure that the sectors aligned properly. Consequently, as you rotate the globe you become aware of 1 or 2 degrees of shift in latitude at some seams. Obviously, not a problem for casual use but attention to detail could have been better. On the positive side, order processing and shipping were extremely prompt.

My son likes it! He uses it to practice dribbling (without looking at the ball like the NBA / NCAA stars on TV). Kidding aside, I also get to ask him about the locations of various geographical entities - continents through specific towns. He enjoys playing "What's the capital of <country>"? From my perspective, it's also improving his reading - He can quickly identify syllables corresponding to a spoken word - like the name of a country or city. Spelling's also improved as a result. The size of the ball is perfect for his playing needs. It does lose air every few days, but it's quite easy to blow it back up due to the fairly effective one-way nozzle. The print is quite clear. Most of all, it makes me appreciate just how BIG the Pacific Ocean is!

This is a great globe. It is an excellent learning tool. It is down right practical, too. It can be hung from the ceiling (for learning, or for storage). It takes a lot of punishment so kids can learn "hands on". If younger siblings get ahold of this, they can't break it or its stand like with the table top globes. It is a good investment.

A primary purpose of any globe is to at least depict countries which exist, and not draw new countries which do not even exist. This product fails on this simple part. Countries and their borders are drawn as per suiting fantasies of Chinese workers (where this product is made). Some huge mistakes (incomplete list): 1. Kashmir is a country according this globe. (It is part of India according to UN.org or CIA factsheet on countries) 2. Tibet is never mentioned 3. Taiwan is part of China on globe. If you wish to teach your kids geography as is taught in China, this is an excellent buy. For a kid of a free democratic world, this a poor product. Another thing, irrespective of how much air you pressurize in this ball, it never attains shape close to a sphere. I would never buy replogle product again.

The design of the globe is really nice. However the construction is poor. While blowing up the ball the valve stem came off the globe creating an air leak. Returned for refund.

This is more or less a globe printed on a beach ball. I purchased it for my 3 year old after a trip to India to show where the US and India are on the globe, and to show why the times are so different (day in US is night in India). I've had it for 15 months now, and it's lost a little air but not enough that I feel I need to add more.

My twenty-something son, who admittedly knows little about geography, was delighted to get this as a fun present. Now when we are talking about current events, we can refer to it instead of looking at each other blankly and saying, "Where exactly is Libya?" A globe is so much better at representing where countries are in relation to each other and how far away they are from us. (In Alaska, EVERYTHING is far away from us.) And a blow-up is perfect for someone who doesn't have a nice formal library with a grand piano for a big fancy globe to sit on. My only complaint is the city names jump out at you, because they are in black, but the more important country names are hard to see because they are written in different colors.