BrandAid Survival Sighting Compass for Hiking Lensatic Metal Directional Phosphorescent with Red LED Display for Low Light Navigation - Battery Included

Great price, well made product and the vendor shipped it right out. Our 14 year old grandson is getting into hunting, hiking, survival, etc., so this compass, along with some survival books was the perfect birthday present.. Since it is made of metal, I engraved his initials on it which made it even more appealing. I also bought one for myself since we found out how easy it is to get your self turned around while horseback riding in the wooded mountains of NC. It would have been nice if the manufacturer had included a vinyl case with a belt loop and a little more instructions on how to use a compass but vinyl cases and compass instructions are easy to find. It is probably not as accurate as the one I had in the military but it meets our needs right now.

Tried and tried but it will NOT reliable point north. Using on a plastic table so no ferrous metals to influence the unit. Hate to be using this compass to navigate in the woods, north is where the sun sets, right? I bought another brand which works quite well (here at Amazon) and am happy. Wish this one had worked, the light is a nice touch. Using this one to confuse people and teach them a lesson in my land navigation classes

This compass is not at all accurate. The only thing you will get if you really need to use this compass is lost. The materials are indeed rugged, the construction is of adequate quality, the compass is readable and the light works great - however, the needle rarely indicates North the same direction. In fact when comparing this compass to another one side by side this compass was repeatedly off by more than 10 degrees. Other buyers have commented on how slow the needle moves, let me reiterate this but put much more emphasis on it. It is as if the needle is moving through honey or molasses. The needle moves with such difficulty that it often stops moving before it reaches the true north. You must wait approximately 45 to 60 seconds for the needle to stop moving, then when you turn the compass to try to line up the N for north on the dial with the needle indicator, the indicator spins slightly causing you to have to wait again until it settles. I tried to use this compass to teach a Boy Scout orienteering course, within 10 minutes the whole troop had left my small group behind because we were waiting on the compass to settle then deciding which compass was right -mine or the other ones the boys were carrying. In the end this compass is garbage. If you really need a compass to find your way - I now know it is certainly worth the extra money, buy a good one and leave this junk for decorating museum cases.

Solid construction, however it takes a long time for the needle to find magnetic north. Occasionally the needle will not find magnetic north. Compared with a high quality compass AND a GPS compass. This was tried in multiple environments and it did not seem to matter as the needle rarely found magnetic north, sometimes a few degrees off up to 10s of degrees off. Not safe in an outdoor/camping situation. Maybe it is just a flaw with this individual unit, but I am going to return it.

The quality of this is much better than I expected. While not to the standards of the military compasses I carried, this shows every sign of dependability. I have only used it for orientation so far, as opposed to landnav.

These compasses are rugged and they kind'a work. I will keep them to train Boy Scouts about this type of compass but, I have buying better compasses from other manufacturers. If you have LOTS of time, these will point to the correct direction within a couple of degrees. I have never seen a compass that is so slow to respond. I guess you get what you ask for. If you try to orient a map, it takes for ever and you can only move the compass in small increments and you need to tap it to make sure it isn't thinking about adjusting some more. I bought 3 and I have a really good compass that is fast and accurate. I aim it to north and mark a line along the straight edge of compass and the table it was on. I placed each one of these, one at a time and left them finally come to rest. They all eventually went to north within 2 to 3 degrees. one took 3 minutes to stop moving. I don't have time to wait on them and when you are using these for a 10 or 20 mile hike, a couple of degrees can get you lost. Don't blame the seller, they were great but, I bought another compass for about $64 (a Cammenga) from another dealer and it is great. There are several dealers that sell these so shop around for the best price. If you need a compass, pay the price and get a good one. If you just want to play with a compass, use them for a science experiment or like me just teaching a youth what the part are for and how to use them and not be afraid that your expensive compasses will get broken, then these are great. I plan on buying three more of the $60 compasses and they even have the tritium dials so you don't have to charge the dial with a flashlight to glow in the dark with out loosing your night vision. I also want to be able to go on a long trek without getting lost and that is worth the $64 price of the other compass.

hardly works. the neadle doesnt move that fast at all and kind of gets stuck at times

Great little compass works good for me out hunting or camping. It has very poor directions that come with itbut I figured it out. It has a good little light inside that works well at night nice compass and it works.