I ordered two of these at Christmas. One for my 13 year old son as something fun for him to have to remember his travels and one for myself. I REALLY wanted and expected to love this map! I researched tons of them on this site! I was wanting a larger one that was easier to see the countries. One that looked nice under the scratched parts. One that wasn’t super cheap looking. Most importantly- one that didn’t have the dang flags from the countries at the bottom! Most of the ones that looked to be the nicer scratch off maps would have the flags taking up so much room on the bottom. That is great for some people but I wanted bigger countries, not a third of the space being taken up by flags.
The maps are a thick and glossy paper. They arrived rolled up in a tube so you have to be very careful when unrolling so you do not crease the paper. I used coffee mugs on each corner to help the paper to lay flat while I was scratching off states and countries. For the scratching, I gently used a butter knife for the larger areas that I was scratching and I used a toothpick for the smaller areas and countries or states that bordered something. I would highly recommend using a toothpick because it really helps with having control over small areas and keeps you from scratching too deep on the paper. Speaking of, if you push too hard when you are scratching then you will actually scratch too far and scratch off the coloring that should remain. See my photo that shows El’ Paso in Texas. I accidentally scratched that one area too hard and the color scratched right off. Not a huge deal but it let me know that I really needed to slow down, take my time, and not press too hard.
I bought very inexpensive frames from Michael’s that are a close fit. I did have to trim the bottom and top of the maps just a little and the frame is just a smidge too wide on each side but overall, it isn’t anything too noticeable and this was a much cheaper option than custom framing. I think I paid $15.00 for each frame. The frame itself is cheap but doesn’t feel as cheap as it could. Didn’t fall apart when I started putting the map inside the frame like some cheaper frames that I have bought. It’s a thick plastic for the glass so nothing that you will have to worry about shattering if the frame managed to fall from the wall.
As much as I wanted to give this 5 stars, I just can’t. Not because of the issue with scratching the color off the map, that isn’t a huge issue if you are careful. My biggest issue is that the map isn’t accurate. All over the map you can find some very tiny and obscure islands. Some that I have never even heard of. Some are so small that you can’t actually scratch them off but at least they are noted. My family and I scuba dive so imagine my surprise when I realized that many of the islands that we have been to for diving are nowhere to be found on this map! So just to make this easy to see: DO NOT BUY THIS MAP IF YOU ARE AN AVID SCUBA DIVER. Because you will be less than thrilled when you get this map and excitedly go to scratch off some of your past diving spots, only to find that they do not exist on this map. So, so disappointing. Not even so much as a tiny dot with the name! Nothing. Some of the islands that I have been to but do not have on my map: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten/ St. Martin, and St. Thomas. I’m sure there are other places missing on this map but these are the ones I have noticed so far. Yes, these islands are very small but they are major touristy islands. Most are very well known in the scuba diving communities since Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are known as the “ABC islands for diving”. So disappointing for me.
As much as I want to recommend this map, I am just not able to because although it worked for what my main goals were when I was researching, I should have paid more attention and also added “accuracy” to my list of priorities.
Hopefully this will review will help someone. I tried to read over so many reviews but never saw anything that mentioned so many Caribbean islands being omitted from this.
| Manufacturer | Maps International |
|---|---|
| Brand | Maps International |
| Item Weight | 8.4 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 34.61 x 2.01 x 20.51 inches |
| Item model number | WM1174-884-FBM |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Gold |
| Shape | Heart |
| Material Type | Silk art paper |
| Size | 23 x 33 Scratch the World Map |
| Paper Finish | Glossy |
| Manufacturer Part Number | WM1174-884-FBM |
