I was impressed with the quality of the map. The big deal for me was this is a proper world map, it's pretty well detailed and has quite a lot of information on the map compared to the others I looked at. There are a lot of cities on the map plus it shows all the US states outline on the top layer and underneath. Extra detail like hill shading makes it quite a grown up map. It is lovely to look at and a real centerpiece.
I found the colors underneath the scratch material worked really well, they are fairly subtle but vibrant enough, which is a great balance. I'd done my homework before I bought this and saw some of these maps had problems when trying to scratch off places. I used a guitar pick which worked really well. When you scratch, my advice would be to start on the border lines first and work your way in. The scratch material on the top scratch's off pretty easy, so on that note take care when taking the map out of the tube. You don't want to accidentally scratch off places you haven't visited yet by being rough with it.
The size of the map is impressive too, making it easy to scratch off even the smallest countries of the world. It's large compared to others out there, and easy to find a frame for a good price. I just need to get around to putting it into the frame!
I've traveled across some parts of Europe and the US and this map will be a great way for me to document the places I've been. People have already started to notice the map in my hallway and it's so much fun talking about memories I've had and people I've met along the way. Now I've scratched most of the places off I've already been it's also making me think about booking trips to all the places I haven't been yet, which is still a lot by the looks of the unscratched bits!
For me with these concept maps it's all about the map itself, which is beautiful. It doesn't need the other gimmicky bits like magnifying glasses and stickers. If you want something that you're proud to keep in your own home and on your wall then this is the scratch map for you.
I'll probably buy this again but this time for a friend. I have buddies that travel so this would be the perfect gift for them.
The price was reasonable as well and it came really quickly, so on all counts really happy with my purchase.