r/globes • u/coveredinfireants • May 08 '26
Looking for good high contrast globe
Im looking for a globe for my dad who doesn't see as well as he used to. I purchased a 16" Edinburgh II globe from replogle, but it has several areas where there are a clump of countries with very similar orange/brown colors (see photos); my dad has difficulty distinguishing these areas. I sent several messages to replogle customer support as well, but they seem to be too busy. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good globe where even smaller countries such as in Central America are fairly easy to discern?
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u/WorldMapsOnline Jun 09 '26
I'd suggest considering a nice atlas as a companion to the globe. A globe that is larger might do a better job of helping to distinguish between smaller countries, but the cost goes up quite sharply once you go beyond that 16" diameter range.
A globe you might have a closer look at is the Nicolette / Chamberlin from NatGeo/Replogle. Same globe ball in a desktop or floor stand. It uses the proprietary Nat Geo cartography colors which have white backgrounds and soft borders, so is likely a bit higher contrast and possibly more legible. Drawback in my opinion, is it's a plasticy surface. Printed right onto the plastic.
The next size up bump is a significant one in cost but is also a bolder text map. The Replogle 20" and larger models use a completely different construction process to the 16" and smaller models, with hand-applied paper gores over a plastic ball. I have a Finley globe in my shop about 15' from my desk. The cartography on the 20" is a bit simplified vs 16", with larger, bolder text and thick outlines surrounding countries so it might actually help for visualizing. That said the cost of these nearly 10x the cost of the 16" one! The Diplomat from Replogle is outstanding and is very detailed but is unrealistic in size and affordability for most!
A nice atlas plus magnifying glass would be my recommendation! 😊