The lensatic compass is really an "engineering" compass. It was designed for survey work rather than land navigation. You can use them in preferance to a Silva 1-2-3 type baseplate, but they do require a much higher standard of navigational skill. That, in and of itself is a good reason for buying a basic model and learning how to use it.
One issue you will have is the need to orientate a map before obtaining a bearing and you will need a notepad and pencil to note the infomation.
You will have to be very careful to ensure that there are no metal objects near the map & compass when working out your rout.
As a practical matter, you are better using a silva compass card to derive bearing from the map. Which brings us back to the 1-2-3 system.

I do. But I also cheat and use the Boy Scout method of drawing mag north lines on many of my maps, then you can use a compass withour messing with the declination...

For my equipped freinds in the United States, keep in mind that the compass sold in the U.S. as the Silva Ranger is NOT the real Silva ranger made by Silva of Sweden.

A number of years back Silva of Sweden bought Brunton. Up until then Johnson Outdoors (owners of fine brands like Eureka! tents and Old Town canoes) sold Silva compasses and much to Silva of Sweden's dismay, Johnson Outdoors owned the U.S. trademark for "Silva" -- and they would not give it up. So now compasses designed by Silva of Sweden are sold in the U.S. under the trademark "Brunton" or sometimes "Nexus". In the U.S., compasses sold under the trademark "Silva" are made by a mix of other companies.

The compass known around the world (except the U.S.) as the Silva Ranger is sold in the U.S. as the Brunton 15DTCL.

I have quite a few different compasses (much to my wife's dismay):
Brunton 15DTCL
Brunton Eclipse 8099
Brunton Eclipse GPS 8096
Brunton 8010G
Brunton 9020G
Suunto M-3 Leader w/ Global Needle
Suunto M-3 Leader w/ Standard Needle
"Real" Silva Starters, including my original from back in the Scouting days
Cammenga lensatic compass

All of the Brunton's and the Suunto have adjustable declination, which is VERY important to me.

My favorite baseplate compass is the Suunto M-3 Leader with the standard needle (I don't like the coloring of the global needle), followed closely by the Brunton 8010G. I really like the Brunton Eclipse GPS 8096, but it is kind of large. I suspect the Brunton Eclipse 8097 would be a very nice compass, but it is still pretty expensive ($33 on Amazon.com) compared to the Suunto M3 ($20 on forestry-suppliers.com).

My favorite mirrored sighting compass is the Brunton Eclipse 8099, but it is kind of expensive ($65). As much as others like the Brunton 15TDCL (the Ranger), I just don't like it as much as the 8099.

I bought the lensatic compass to see what the hype was about. I figured I'd buy a good one, but I really don't like it nearly as much as the others. Its really kind of a pain to use, especially compared to the 8099 (which, by the way, also is housed in its own built-in case).

If you want to spend some cash on a nice compass, I really recommend you buy the Brunton Eclipse 8099 ($65-$70) or the Brunton 15TDCL ($45-$50) instead.

Besides a regular compass I carry one that is a ball with a pin that I keep pinned to my coat on the flap of my upper pocket. The internal ball with the arrow pointing north floats inside an external transparent ball.This is not very accurate but if you only need to keep walking in a certain direction, it is easier to use because you don't have to use any hands to use it and also you can keep looking at it almost constantly. You can buy them at Wal Mart for about $3.

Bee,

I use the Brunton 3DLU Expedition compass. I have taken several map and compass classes so I know how to use it. I tend to miss the marks sometimes and wonder if the mirrored compasses are more accurate. They taught us to hold the compass in both hands against our chest, rotate our body as needed, box the needle and then look up. The Brunton 3DLU Expedition works great on the map!

I bought some pace beads at an Army Surpluss store to help keep track of my pace. I think my biggest problem is when there are hills. I loose sight of the target I was walking toward. For me it could be more of a problem of not walking straight and the correct distance than not getting a good barreing.

Thanks for all the info eveyone. I guess I should have figured on finding some knowledgeable compass folks around here! Looks like I'm probably better just sticking with the baseplate compasses I currently have (or maybe upgrade a bit). Sounds like the lensatic I was originally looking towards might be a more specialized model and not quite so good for general navigation compared to other types (I think I already knew that - and everyone here just reinforced it). I still may try one someday.

Post deleted by Leigh_Ratcliffe

But ... the mirrored baseplate compass (Brunton 15TDCL, Brunton Eclipse 8099, Silva Ranger, Suunto MC-2) and I suppose the Cammenga lensatic compass can do BOTH map work and sighting bearings.

Mirrored baseplate compasses are VERY accurate sighting compasses - much more accurate than a simple baseplate compass. I'd venture to say that because of its magnified dial that the Brunton Eclipse 8099 is a bit more accurate than most other sighting compasses. The Cammenga lensatic compass is marked in 5 degree increments and the Ranger-type compasses are marked in 2 degree increments, while the Brunton Eclipse 8099 is marked in 1 degree increments, and with the 8099's dial magnification it is pretty easy to read to the nearest half a degree. The 5 degree increment on the lensatic compass really limits its accuracy unless you start working in the mils scale (ugh!).

The 8099's dial magnification is also better for those of us older folks who have problems reading the tiny numbers on some compasses.

Here is a good comparison of the Ranger-type compass versus the Cammenga lensatic, though I think the Ranger-type compass does better than the aritcle suggests. http://www.cammenga.com/uploaded_images/1147706028-TonyWilks_CAMMENGA_LENSATIC_UK.pdf

Mirrored compasses such as the Brunton 8099 & 15TDCL, Silva Ranger, and Suunto MC-2 and the Cammenga lensatic compass are as good as or better than a simple baseplate compass when working with maps because the mirror/sighting door actually extends the straight edge length of the compass when fully extended. Also, most of the mirrored baseplate compasses have 7.5 minute (1:24,000) topo UTM scales right on the baseplate. The 8099 also has 7.5 minute distance scales in feet and miles.

I noticed that Brunton has started putting an ugly red ring on the Silva compasses. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> I bought a couple of the old style while they are still available. Take a look:

I have just ordered a cammedia compass. I will post a review when I get it.
Thus far, I am impressed with their service. I expect the compass to be as good. Watch this space....