All to often we have to share information about what doesn't work more than what does.

My 30 year + Silva Ranger was the last aluminum bezel unit at
my backpacking store.

This was the compass I bought with my G.I. Bill check along with a 4 season down bag after freezing in the desert.

Lately the needle swings a bit longer before settling, there is debri floating around- probably from the seal and the 3 rubber map pads are close to falling apart.

So,I emailed Silva asking if the rubber pads were available.

Instead, without proof of purchase I was sent a current Silva
Expedition 15!

Now, do not abuse their goodwill claiming failed compasses!
But if you want a 30+ year product ( and my old unit still points true) without performance concerns ( by product or customer support)- get a SWEDISH SILVA.

Nice to see old-fashioned service in the age of disposables.

I haven't had dealings with Silva, but I can tell you that Leatherman has stepped up more than once, no questions asked.

After Dad passed, I found his old Zippo lighter -- it must have been 50 or so years old at the time. The striker wheel was stuck, so I sent it off to Zippo for repair. They repaired the old lighter insert (fixed the stuck wheel) AND sent me a new lighter insert: cost was zero. They are serious when they say "never charged for repair, never will."

That's a great story. My dad has a metal-bezel compass too. I suspect it's similar to your, but can't verify the brand right now, being in 2 different states.

Nice to see that, if it's a Silva, they'll last as long as he will!

I've had the same experience with Silva.
Seven years after the warranty had expired the luminous glow in the dark stuff inside seemed to be dissolving, or so I thought.
The fluid started to become -ever so slightly- cloudy. Otherwise, the compass performed flawlessly. Concerned, I sent them an email describing things.

They asked me to send them the compass on their expense so they could examine the matter.
Shortly after, my compass was returned to me with a brand new capsule installed AND they returned the old one as well, with as said was working fine.

Now hold on. Upon receiving the repaired compass back I noticed the capsule was different than what I had. I had degrees, and it came back with Mills....
Another email and off it went back to Silva again.
Compass was returned very quickly with the correct new degrees capsule plus a friendly note apologizing for the inconveinience!
It didn't cost me one cent.
Actually, I felt a bit ashamed afterward complaining about such a minor thing.

Bottom line... I was entitled to abosolutely nothing warranty-wise but Silva decided to go the extra 10! miles and replace a perfectly good compass because I complained about the fluid not being crystal clear anymore. Customer satisfaction is not just something they talk about, it's what they live by. All I can say is if you need a compass get a Silva, it's a sure bet.
Pharaoh.

Once again, just to be clear, there are two different "Silva" companies out there.

In the U.S., if the label says "Silva", its is sold by Johnson Outdoors and made by, uh, somone other than Silva of Sweden (the original Silva).

Outside the U.S., if the label says "Silva", it is most likely made and sold by Silva of Sweden, though ever since Silva bought Brunton in 1996 -(also when they "lost" the U.S. trademark), they also sell some compasses designed/built by Brunton (the green ones & the Eclipse models).

Chris' original Silva (30 years old makes it pre-1996) was made by Silva of Sweden http://www.silva.se.

Silva of Sweden makes the Expedition 15 that Chris described, so he must have contacted Silva of Sweden, OR Brunton in the U.S., which is owned by Silva of Sweden.

The other Silva is really just a U.S. trademark for Silva held by Johnson Outdoors. Their mirrored sighting compass is the Ranger 515.

The version of the Expedition 15 that is sold in the U.S. is the Brunton 15TDCL. If you compare the Silva SE Expedition 15 with the Brunton 15TDCL you'll see they are identical - except the Expedition's dial is black - the Brunton's is red.

Chris: (1) I'm glad Silva SE kept you as a happy customer. All companies need to back their products. (2) Is the dial on your new compass black or red?

Ken

My compass has a black dial, shipped directly from Sweden.

Sweet!!

The biggist problem I've had is storing my compasses too close. It will not take long before they are no longer accurate. I still see the following storage packs, and wander if they are too close:

http://www.silva.se/sv/Produkter/Compasses/Utbildningspaket/?productId=%7b3D859035-CF48-4A53-BCF7-FB3B29AEB4EF%7d

++ On leatherman. I once sent them a tool where I had - as a result of my own idiocy - snapped the blade. I sent it in with a letter stating I'd be willing to pay whatever the cost of a repair was - they simply refused to accept payment and sent be back a full rehabbed tool.

Martin--same here..snapped the blade trying to get a blob of hardened pine sap for a fire starter.it was my old first model Leatherman.sent it in like you,willing to pay-ect..got it back rehabbed.which is of course why they are doing so well in a market swamped with junky copys..

I'm not sure if this is a compass thread or a kudos to good service thread. Don't want to hijack it.
But, I have an old, original gerber multi-plier that over the years became loose, the spring don't snap, and finally the can opener broke. I sent it to Gerber, seeking repair of the can opener.
They sent me a nice letter with my multi-plier saying they no longer make that model and could not repair it. They also sent me a brand new latest design locking multi-plier! I'm impressed.

This is a 'lets talk about something besides pandemic flu' thread.

Ed, you got it right.

OK, I am the guy that lets these companies offer you such great service.
I buy the best I can and I never seem to get to send it in for repair because it usually gets lost before it breaks.
This means I have to buy replacements often and they are able to use their profits from dealing with me to defray the cost of service to all you guys.

Well, more seriously, if you sell a great product that lasts, then you are able to give a serious guarantee and back it up 100%. Returns are likely to be very low compared to your sales if your quality is high.
Also for the cost of fixing or replacing they bought your loyalty and good will.
It is basically good business.
Just look at the advertising testimonials happening in this thread (quite justified) and count that it continues in the real world around you. If I was wondering what compass to buy I would certainly think Silva after what I read here. The same for the other products.
You can not buy this kind of advertising from any PR company.

On the other hand a garbage product would wreck you if you offered the same guarantee on it.
You would be shipping a dozen items free for every one you sold. The people repeatedly returning it would not be talking nice either.

Thanks Chris. I am sick of the flu just from talking about it so much.

Thanks, Scaf. Very generous of you. Keep up the good work. :-)

I can't resist adding two companies to the list of those with outstanding customer service:

Wiley-X sunglasses(which are also balistic/shooting glasses) - For some reason I manege to break even the most rugged sunglasses made, and I've received at least 2 brand new pairs of sunglasses from them, completely free, when the originals broke(mainly my fault). I've also received replacement parts such as arms, and they even sent me an extra set of arms when I asked them to, again completely free. Most of the time the products had been purchased years earlier and were probably beyond the warranty period.

Streamlight flashlights - A while back I was using their penlights a lot, and for some reason had a number of issues with them(I forget the specifics), but they repaired or replaced my items multiple times. Other than that one product I haven't managed to break any of their other products, despite heavy use and abuse.

Thanks for the info Ken, I sent an e-mail to Silva of Sweden last night about 2 broken Ranger 15T compasses. I have a 3rd broken Silva around the house somewhere but cannot find it!

We will see what the response from Silva is?

Mike

A company I have dealt with that provides outstanding customer service is Leupold the optics/riflescope manufacturer.

I have sent them broken scopes, explained that I dropped them and the damage was 100% my fault. Within 2 weeks a new scope arrives at my door, no charge! Nice.

Mike

You may want to send the same message to Brunton too - telling them you'd already sent e-mails to Silva SE. They are the same company.

Brunton might provide faster response since there isn't much to do in Wyoming anyway - just kidding.

+1 on the Thank You, scaf. I always wondered who was out there being so benevolent. Keep up the good work, there are so many of us who appreciate your efforts in our behalf.

I received a reply from Silva of Sweden concerning my 2 damaged Ranger 15T compasses.

In summary they do not repair 25 year old compasses and directed me to by a new one from Brunton?

Ken and Chris, do you think it is worth sending a repair letter to Brunton direct, I am confused which layer of the company actually does the Noirth American repairs?

Thanks,

Mike

I would suggest you contact Brunton. They're e-mail address is on Brunton.com. If they say no too, well, at least you tried.

Ken

Thanks Ken, I may just ship them and see what happens, I have nothing to lose?

Mike

I have had similar experiences with REI. Great CS and stand behind what they sell.

My advice is to contact them first. When I needed to return mine they gave me a return authorization number first.

I hope they say yes. The people I've dealt with - via e-mail - have been very helpful.

Ken

I had an original Gerber multi-plier as well. Mine wouldn't open because the allen screws fell out. I emailed them and they said to send it to them for repair. Instead of repair I was given a new Gerber multi-plier! I am happy with the service, and am not complaining, but I liked my old one better.

I had a similar thing with MSR. My Whisperlight stove heat reflector was bad and I needed to replace it. I emailed them about where to buy one and they sent me a new one at no charge.

We just returned from the La Costa Spa and Resort. My girls were so excited to get to go to Legoland. Well, we figured Wednesday was the day since we had the most time on that day for them to linger and play. I purchased our tickets from the hotel concierge and caught a cab with the family. As we drove in, the cabbie said, "I am sooo sorry, but it looks like they are closed."

Great service #1, the cabbie stopped and called all around trying to find stuff for the kids to do and a place that we could go. Once we decided on the destination and were on our way, he called the hotel on his own to tell them that Legoland was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and we were not able to go.

Great service #2, we went shopping instead. What do you expect? I was with my wife and two daughters. When we got back to the hotel, we found a note from the concierge apologizing for selling us the tickets and saying that we were credited for the cost of the tickets plus a hotel credit for the cost of the cab fare. We didn't tell them and I don't recall the cabbie telling them. And we had some cookies and milk on ice waiting for us when we got back.

Great service #3, one of the stores we went to was Borders. My daughter had finished reading all of the books she brought and wanted more books to read on the plane. When I travel, I empty out my wallet so I didn't bring my corporate card. The cashier took a bunch of time checking his system to find it so I could get a discount. I was fully expecting to pay full price since I left my card at home and was also glad there was no one waiting in line. Heck, he even wore an aloha shirt!