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#199037 - 03/27/10 02:17 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: Byrd_Huntr]
Teslinhiker Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/14/09
Posts: 1418
Loc: Nothern Ontario
Byrd_Huntr, let me know if you ever tire of owning the Taylor...

The Brunton 7DNL is a good little compass for the price and is the one I will be getting my nephew for his first compass.
_________________________
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

John Lubbock

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#199044 - 03/27/10 04:08 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: MostlyHarmless]
EMPnotImplyNuclear Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 09/10/08
Posts: 382
Originally Posted By: MostlyHarmless
Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Anyone use Solar Powered Digital Compass Altimeter + Barometer + Thermometer?


AVOID, AVOID, AVOID, AVOID... sorry you just set of my AVOID alarm. It is very sensitive to such word compositions. I associate them with a much simpler word: Junk.

Yes, the marketing does set of junk alarms, but it can't be all that bad. I'm a little surprised no one has any experience at all to contribute.

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#199047 - 03/27/10 04:37 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: jzmtl]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
Originally Posted By: jzmtl
Originally Posted By: thseng
Originally Posted By: Yuccahead
If your daughter cannot provide, County Comm sells a 'training version' of the GI lensatic compass for $11.50 plus the gig for shipping. Standard disclaimer and I have no experience with this particular model.
http://www.countycomm.com/trainingcompass.htm

The difference with that one is that it is liquid damped rather than induction damped like the real one. Should be fine to test the lens arrangement, though.


That's just a Brunton 9077 without marking, no need to go through county comm to get one.

Edit actually it's not, but but close enough you can get a brunton from local store to play with.

Thanks for the ideas. I never thought about buying a cheaper "trainer" just to test if the real deal might work with my eyes.

I also found where you can get a pair of these trainers for $13.47 (member price) at SportsmansGuide:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=459641

I previously had written these off as junk imitations, but they might well be useful to test for eyesight issues and to play around with.

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#199049 - 03/27/10 09:35 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: EMPnotImplyNuclear]
MostlyHarmless Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/03/09
Posts: 982
Loc: Norway
Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Originally Posted By: MostlyHarmless
Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Anyone use Solar Powered Digital Compass Altimeter + Barometer + Thermometer?


AVOID, AVOID, AVOID, AVOID... sorry you just set of my AVOID alarm. It is very sensitive to such word compositions. I associate them with a much simpler word: Junk.

Yes, the marketing does set of junk alarms, but it can't be all that bad. I'm a little surprised no one has any experience at all to contribute.


I'm not.

This crowd is above average when it comes to optimizing the gear they use and bring with them, I am not at all surprised that no one here has tested this particular gadget. Too many gadgets, too little time... don't waste time on the gadgets that trip your junk-o-meter.

Quality scepticism aside, there are some objective reasons not to choose this particular combination of instruments. Here's why:

1) It violates the KISS principle. Big time. (Keep It Simple Stupid).

2) Base plate compasses (the transparent ones you can place on a map so it is easy to read direction from A to B) are pretty much what you want when using the compass with a map. I've yet to see a digital compass that you can use this way.

3) Neither altimeter, barometer nor thermometer are vital instruments for your survival. I can give you a long rant under which circumstances they are useful. My experience with altimeters is limited to the research I did before deciding NOT to buy one. I found out when and how it would be useful - and that was just too limited for my liking. In addition, altimeter use for navigation is made obsolete by the GPS. As a weather forecaster I have a pretty good idea of what you can extract from barometer and thermometer. Going into detail will be a long rant that concludes that you don't really need any of them. A compass, on the other hand, is vital.

4) Electronic gadgets can and will fail for a lot of reasons, including failure to charge the solar powered device during daylight hours. A good quality analog compass will only fail if you crush it or loose it.


Edited by MostlyHarmless (03/27/10 10:57 AM)

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#199055 - 03/27/10 12:06 PM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: Teslinhiker]
Byrd_Huntr Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 01/28/10
Posts: 1174
Loc: MN, Land O' Lakes & Rivers ...
Originally Posted By: Teslinhiker
Byrd_Huntr, let me know if you ever tire of owning the Taylor...



Although that's unlikely, it's good to see that you appreciate a nice piece of brass.
_________________________
The man got the powr but the byrd got the wyng

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#199065 - 03/27/10 02:23 PM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: Byrd_Huntr]
RobertRogers Offline
Survivor
Member

Registered: 12/12/06
Posts: 198
I wouldn't choose a digital compass. You are relying upon electronics that can go bad in just the worst time.

KISS is indeed the way to go when choosing gear you rely upon
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FireSteel.com

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#199067 - 03/27/10 03:16 PM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: RobertRogers]
joost Offline
Stranger

Registered: 04/13/09
Posts: 12
Loc: The Netherlands
Whatever you do, don't get a Silva voyager 8010.


Nice and high-vis, but the bezel creaks like the coffin-lid of a bad horror movie and the bevel markings are sort of stenciled and rub off very quickly (the black paint of the scale markings on the sides of the plate also seem to wear away quickl).

Half a year of daily carry and very frequent use and I can barely make out the bearing.

I also have a Recta DP 65, because I travel a lot.

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#199072 - 03/27/10 07:57 PM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: EMPnotImplyNuclear]
Brangdon Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/04
Posts: 1204
Loc: Nottingham, UK
Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Anyone use Solar Powered Digital Compass Altimeter + Barometer + Thermometer?
I have all that in my watch. The compass is roughly equivalent to a button compass. It'll stop you walking round in circles, and make sure you are walking along a road in the right direction and not 180 degrees wrong. It's not really for precision orienteering. It's better than nothing, and it's main benefit for me is that I always have it on me, even if I wasn't planning to get lost.

I can't really comment on the barometer. All I've done with mine is compare it with a GPS height. In theory it might help you figure out which map contour line you are on, but only if you calibrate it first to a known reference, and even then the weather has to be relatively stable.

The purpose of the thermometer is to help the device correct the other sensors for temperature variations. It doesn't have much direct utility for the end-user.

Being solar powered is a big benefit for a gadget watch like this. It means you can use the features without worrying about bringing closer the time when you have to replace the battery; the features become free to use. MostlyHarmless mentioned a concern about it not being charged due to not enough sunlight or something. That's not been a concern for me. With normal wearing, my watch's power indicator has never dropped below "high". So this contributes to the "always with you, always available" vibe.

PS My watch is a Casio PRW-1500. Great if you like gadgets, but not the cheapest way to get a compass.


Edited by Brangdon (03/27/10 08:02 PM)
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Quality is addictive.

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#199089 - 03/28/10 02:08 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: Brangdon]
jzmtl Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/18/10
Posts: 530
Loc: Montreal Canada
Just ran into a store sale earlier today and picked up a Suunto MC-2G on impulse buy. Having buyer's remorse now, I really don't need a compass that good.

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#199091 - 03/28/10 02:23 AM Re: Recommendation for a decent compass [Re: jzmtl]
NobodySpecial Offline
Member

Registered: 03/03/09
Posts: 197
Originally Posted By: jzmtl
Suunto MC-2G on impulse buy. Having buyer's remorse now, I really don't need a compass that good.

Whats worse is they last a lifetime so you have a long time to remorse about it !

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