compasses and Gerber

[FredKJ]

Since I am revisiting this forum and saw the thread on whistles I thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in on compasses.  The three main manufacturers of protractor orienteering compasses are Suunto, Brunton and Silva.  Silva was the first.  Actually Brunton for years is part of the Silva group and under the same corporate umbrella.  When Silva Acquired Brunton they were then eaten by Fiskars which also has the Gerber Legendary Blades. 

I own several compasses but my personal favorite general purpose is the Suunto M-3D with declination adjustment.

[american lockpicker]

What about Dalvey?

[FredKJ]

Actually I have a Dalvey pocket compass.  It's not what I would use for standard navigation.  It's kind of one of those gift compasses.  Has a traditional pocket watch case with a modern liquid filled capsule.

[american lockpicker]

They are usable right? I ask this because I'm getting one soon.

[WhichDawg]

Gerber owns Silva?!

their goes the neighborhood (if I can find it now )

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Gerber owns Silva?!

their goes the neighborhood (if I can find it now )

[FredKJ]

They are usable right? I ask this because I'm getting one soon.

Yes they are usable but if you want a basic compass for hiking you are better off with a standard protractor style compass.  My Dalvey is more decorative.  The case won't be as sturdy.  It does have a liquid filled capsule which makes it usable but a protractor compass is going to work better with a map.  I'd recommend one with a magnetic declination adjustment.  Sure you can calculate the magnetic declination but when you are cold and wet even simple math becomes difficult.  I have about eight compasses but my standard I use is a Suunto M-3D.  That's a good choice.  I got a Suunto M-2D once but upgraded it to a 3.  It's the scaled down model but for some reason the bezel was hard to turn.  Brunton makes a basic model with declination for under $15 which has declination adjustment as well.  I have a high end Brunton 8099 which is highly accurate but not easy to use on the trail.  As a back up I also have a Suunto M-9 wrist compass.  Silvas are good compasses but they seem to prefer just having a declination scale instead of an adjustment except for their high end models.  But then you will also see some of the same Brunton models under the Silva name with a slightly different model number.  A Dalvey works but lacks that protractor utility. 

[FredKJ]

Lockpicker

If you want a good site that has all the main compasses for sale check out:

www.thecompassstore.com

The also have the Dalvey.  I can see that watch top breaking in field conditions.  More like a fancy presentation knife that works well but you don't want to mess up.

[american lockpicker]

Thats actually where I was planning to buy it.

[FredKJ]

Thats actually where I was planning to buy it.

I got my Dalvey there.  They are a good site to shop for compasses.  They have all the brands.  They also have K&R a brand I am not familiar with but they look pretty good.  I got the nice Dalvey pocket compass with the map on the inside.  Yes it is usable with a modern liquid filled capsule in the traditional pocket watch casing.  Most integrated compasses in multipurpose tools I have found to be junk.  When you need a compass you want to know it swings freely and settles fast.  It's an absolute confidence thing.  On the Dalvey the bezel rotates nice.  It won't be as sturdy as a conventional protractor compass.  Remember that you have to compress the latch to close it as well as open it or you will mess up the latch.  It is a classy compass, enjoy it!  Still for general purpose use I would recommend the Suunto M-3D.  I own about 8 compasses and the Suunto is still my "go to" for outdoor use. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Not to be a jackass, but I know very little about compasses- isn't Recta considered to be a good name as well?  Or have I swallowed some hype somewhere?

Def

[FredKJ]

I'm not familiar with Recta.  Looked them up online.  It's a Swiss firm.  They look to be good compasses, your basic orienteering protractor design with a liquid filled capsule.  Those are the basic qualities you are looking for.  Beyond that style and features are somewhat personal preference.  A compass with a magnetic declination adjustment is a feature I like.  Another thing you have to be careful for especially when ordering internationally is that the compass is balanced for your latitude.  If it's not the needle will point down and jam.  You might notice one feature on some is a "global needle".  I know the Suunto M-3D has a global needle version.  These are balanced for any latitude.  If you plan to travel a lot or you're simply not sure pay a few extra bucks and go with a global needle. Not only does the magnetic field point North-South but to some extent up and down.  So a needle is balanced to lay flat.  Beyond that other features are sighting mirrors, clinometers, various scales and magnifiers etc.  You might find these features very useful or in your way depending on how you are using it.  Brunton has the Eclipse design with a circle within circle alignment.  I have the 8099 which uses this.  It gives a very precise sighting bearing but the drawback is it lacks the positional awareness of a conventional needle. 

[WhichDawg]

Fred seems like the guy to ask about compasses! thanks buddy
I'd like a good one eventually

[crls1]

Not to be a jackass, but I know very little about compasses- isn't Recta considered to be a good name as well?  Or have I swallowed some hype somewhere?

Def

Yes, it is considered to have very nice products, and now is owned by Suunto.

Carlos

[FredKJ]

Not to be a jackass, but I know very little about compasses- isn't Recta considered to be a good name as well?  Or have I swallowed some hype somewhere?

Def

Yes, it is considered to have very nice products, and now is owned by Suunto.

Carlos

As you can see in the compass companies they all own each other.  Typical corporate world.  All these brands are basically the same in quality.  It's more a matter of what features you want and personal preferences.

[robertrogers]

You can't go wrong with any of these brands.  The main thing is to really know how to use them!

[Freudian Frog]

Okay now... what are my options if I want a DoD approved compass? None of that liquid junk?

[Shane769]

Personal favourite is the Brunton 15TDCL mirrored compass. It means I have a nice compass, that has all the standard features, like magnifying glass for topo lines, UTM grid measurement divider things... , declination adjustability, and it means I don't need a slope meter, with the bottom sighting hole, you can turn the compass sideways and look through that sighting hole at what you need your slope to, and then look at your slope indicator to see where you are at. Plus, I have a ton of experience with these from my Outdoor Rec. and Conservation uni courses.