I am looking for a good quality compass as small as possible. I dream of owning a 10mm compass some day. If anyone knows of a source let me know please.

16mm, but close. http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/compasses%20main/sas_compass.htm



Mine crapped out on me after about a year though. Neat novelty item, but the first qualifier for a compass is reliability, IMO.

You'd be surprised at how accurate the button compasses are at Wally World and other places. When I buy like a combo compass, whistle, thermometer, and magnifying glass, I check it against a good compass on the same shelf. If they both line up I buy it. I still use a good Silva for my main compass though.

Charles

I have to agree. I have yet to find a better compass than these that is in the same size range. I keep one in the handle of my CRK Shadow III which I never venture in to the woods without. Not even on the shortest most familiar trails. I have tested these compasses using a high quality compass as a benchmark and I have been very impressed with their accuracy!

How do you expect to use the compass? The type of compass you need depends on the answer to that question.

>>To figure out which way is N/S/E/W: then a simple button compass will do just fine. Others have given recommendations for those.

>>To follow a bearing and/or use with a map: the a button compass is simply too primitive. Suunto makes a very nice little liquid-filled compass called the Suunto Gem. It is 30mmx54mm and has a rotating bezel and a straight edge for using with a map.

One way to test a compass is to let it point north, then turn it on its edge and twist it round 180 degrees, then make it flat again so that it is now pointing south. It should swing around back to north. The speed and confidence with which it does so is supposed to be a good indication of the quality of the compass (faster is better).

(Of course, for an accurate bearing you need something physically big.)

I don't know if this is kosher here or not, but I am only answering a request.

I have several Brunton 10mm and 15mm compasses. They are liquid filled, which some people don't like, but they point towards N. I couldn't find any a few years back so I called Brunton and got the minimum order amount, which was a bit more than I needed. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Contact me at

alloyaddict@gmail.com

if interested. I really don't know what to ask for them, and I have to dig up my papers to see what I paid for them. Less than the SAS compass, that is a given.

Mine also went south after less than a year. The needle would properly attract to any magnet; but, it seems that the pin bearing (or whatever it's called) had soooo much frictrion that the needle could not overcome that friction in seeking magnetic north.

I am not sure how small you mean other than the target of 10mm but you might want to check out the ones that Tru-Nord makes at www.trunord.com I found them by accident when I was looking to buy one of the compasses made by the Marble Knife Company. The Marbles had just switched to liquid filled and even though I’ve handled them several times I’ve yet to lay down the cash for one because they do not feel as good as the old ones. I’ve read about the Tru-Nord and heard good things about them. When I send money it will probably be to them. I have a thing for well-made American items that come from mom and pop shops that are small enough to care about their customers. Anyway enjoy the hunt!!

hmmm, here is an idea maybe. I have some little survival cards made by Brunton that have a removable disk that if placed in a pool of water or a cup of water will float and point North. About as effective as a button compass and as flat as a piece of thin plastic can get, Other than that there is a US military SERE compass if you can find one, they are tiny, work well and when new actually glow in the dark, tritium markers. One model has a lanyard and one has no lanyard hole. I have one from the military days, trit is dead though <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />