I have a book on how to use a compass thanks to "martinfocazio" it is kind of old but good. I just need to a good compass now. Here is what I want a quallity compass for less than $100 and suggestions from you all about want makes a good compass. Thanks

Oh, I'm looking forward to this thread! I too have been thinking of purchasing a good compass. I own several of the cheaper ones, but have never owned a better one. On another post here at ETS, the Brunton 8099 Eclipse was talked about favorably, as was the Brunton 15TDCL. This is not the first time I have heard positive talk about the 15TDCL.
I looked at the Eclipse and from what I can tell, this would be a very good overall compass to have.
I may have to just breakdown and get me one of the 8099's. I don't think a person could go wrong with it.

smitty

There are more opinions on compasses than there are compasses ... maybe.

Here is my two cents worth ...

I much prefer so-called baseplate or orienteering style compasses over the lensatic compass. Lensatics do fine sighting bearings, but I just don't think they work with a map as well.

The most important feature is adjustable declination, where you can pre-adjust a compass so that the compass set at 0 degrees points to true north rather than magnetic north.

Baseplate compasses tend to be broken down into mirrored aqnd non-mirrored. Those where a mirror are usually held at chest level or higher while lining up the compass with the target while "boxing" the needle using a reflection of the capsule in the mirror. Those without a mirror are typically held near the waist while pointing the compass in the target's direction and then boxing the needle while looking down on the compass.

My favorite non-mirrored compass is the Suunto M-3 Leader with the non-Global needle. It is a high quality compass for a very low price, though the Brunton 8010G and 8097 are also very nice compasses.

My favorite mirrored compass is the Brunton 8099. I also have the Brunton 15TDCL, which is the "original" Ranger compass by Silva (Silva owns Brunton), but I find I llke the 8099 better. My son got a Brunton 8084G for Christmas - it is nice, but not nearly as nice as the others.

Like I mentioned in another ETS thread, I keep comparing the 8099 with the 15TDCL essentially trying to convince myself that the legendary 15TDCL is better than the 8099, but the 8099 just works better for me.

I would have thought that Suunto's mirrored compass is similar in quality to the M-2 Leader - which is good, but I've read it is not. I don't own one though, so I just don't know.

The Compass Store

good luck

20

My wife just got me one of those 8099's for Christmas. I really like it so far, but have only been practicing/playing with it indoors. No realworld outdoor experience yet. I expect that to all be positive once I get out and try it out while hiking. If you happen to have a "Sportsman's Warehouse" in your area, my wife found the 8099 for $56 there. That's a really good price for this compass. It blows away online prices that I found (which are typically around $75). It comes with a lanyard attached to the compass, that threads through a stack of informational cards, that then threads through a rubber boot that protects the bottom. I found I like it better if I unthread that lanyard from all the paraphenalia (sp?) and just put the cards in the boot and attach the boot to the compass (with the lanyard still attached to the compass). It's not like that boot is going to slip off or the cards are going to fall out- it stretches into place very snugly.

Another one I researched that really intrigued me was the "Brunton Nexus 54LU Combi". Finding one locally (Denver area) to handle in person was impossible though. It's intriguing because it's a baseplate compass - good for map work - and also a direct sighting compass - good for getting bearings. Here's a webpage that gives you an idea of how it operates:

http://www.silva.se/outdoor/products/prof_com54.htm

Note that this compass is actually made by Silva over in Europe. Much different than Silva in the USA. Brunton markets it under their Nexus line of compasses. Someday I would like to see one of these compasses in person to judge if it's as nice in-hand as it appears on paper. The best online price I found for this model ($60) is about halfway down the following webpage:

http://kooters.com/reccomp.html

Kooter's also carries the 8099 (for $75) and the 15tdcl (for $41). S&H is included in that price.

Does anyone have an opinion on Suunto and the MC-2G Global Compass? Is there any disadvantage to a global compass?

I used to have an old silva. When I took it over seas, it developed a bubble inside the liquid. It still worked ok, but the bubble would interfere with the needle a little and it made me less confident in it's accuracy. My thought is that if bubbles forming inside a compass is normal when traveling on an airplane, then buying a global compass might not be worth it.

I like the Suunto MC-2G. Even if you don't travel, it's nice because the needle seems to settle quicker and seems steadier when walking. I don't know of any disadvantages.

THese are the ones talked about so far. Thanks for all the input!
Suunto MC-2G
Suunto M-3 Leader
Brunton 15TDCL
Brunton 8099 Eclipse
Brunton 8010G and 8097
Brunton 8084G

What is the Brunton 8084G? Not familiar with that compass.

The only real disadvantage of the global needle is its coloring. It doesn't have has good a contrast as the non-global needle. The global needle is red (north) and white, but the red end has a sizable patch of whitish glow-in-the-dark material, which could be confusing under stressful conditions - but not too bad. The non-global needle is red (north) and black, and the red end has a much smaller patch of whitiish glow-in-the-dark material.

As I don't do much world traveling with a compass these days I don't need one. If you might need the compass elsewhere in the world then by all means, get a global needle.

I haven't mentioned the compasses sold under the Silva trademark in the U.S. I don't buy them because they aren't really made by Silva. Instead they are made by someone else (don't know who) and then sold under the Silva trademark by Johnson Outdoors (the same people who market Eureka tents and Old Town canoes.). Johnson Outdoors used to sell compasses for the real Silva in the U.S. and the the filing for the U.S. trademark, but when Silva bought Brunton in 1996 or so Silva wanted to sell their compasses through Brunton instead of Johnson Outdoors, but JO wouldn't give up the trademark. It bugs me that Johnson Outdoors wouldn't allow the real Silva to have their own trademark. That's just me.

Navigation with a GPS has changed things a lot for me. Rather than getting bearings off of a map I tend to use waypoints on a GPS and let the GPS to calculate the bearings, and then I use a compass to sight/follow the bearing. The map is still critical for visualizing landmarks (after orienting the map to north with the compass) and tracking waypoints. I use a UTM grid from http://www.maptools.com to convert waypoint UTM coordinates to and from the maps. So my primary use of compass is orienting the map and sighting bearings taken from the GPS. As much as possible I try to pre-load the GPS with key waypoints using ExpertGPS on the PC before heading out.

Of course if the GPS stops functioning I can just use the map and compass the "old fashioned" way, but the GPS just makes it much easier and more accurate.

Ken