Originally Posted By: buckeye
Thanks everyone for the feedback so far.

I should have stated in my original post, that my main intention for use of a button compass was for quick general direction in big and/or unfamiliar cities (I used to travel 45-50 weeks per year) and woodlands (as backup).

In some of the larger cities, buildings will block and/or reflect the sun, making it difficult to tell direction quickly.


For urban travelling, I've tried a bunch of different types and I've settled on using those cheap carabiner type compasses that you can pick up for about a dollar. The more expensive name brand button compasses didn't seem last any longer, so I figured it's easier to just replace them regularly. They lose direction every so often, I have a bunch of them and just do a quick check before I leave on a trip.

When you're in an unfamiliar city, all you really need is to know is a very general direction when exiting a subway, or which direction to orient a street map. Even if the cheap compass fails, it's usually just a minor inconvenience, not a life threatening situation.

While hiking on established trails, the carabiner compass is usually enough to let me know which direction to head. Only when going off trail will I pull out a normal compass for better accuracy, but even that's rare because if it's a planned excursion I'll probably have a GPS.