compasses

[Pan Tau]

hello,
I am thinking of buying a new compass and need some recommendations.
the following is necessary:

- it should make it possible to take a bearing (so a sighting or mirror system is necessary)
- transparent plate for working on maps
- declination adjustment
- clinometer
- fluid dampened needle
- long ruler for working on maps
- 360 °, not the military 64 scale

It is used for
- teaching (cross bearings, orientation etc.)
- caving (GPS is not an option...)
- hiking in the mountains (mostly alps)


until now I found
1. the Recta DS 56 has a "Global" needle and a "window" in the mirror for the bearings. I heard Recta had/has? some issues with bubbles inside the fluid above 1500 meters (I use the compass in the mountains too)

2. the SILVA Expedition 25 TDCL has electric illumination and there is a special model with a bubble level (what is this for?) - it lacks the "window" so the mark on the mirror and the V-shaped sight are used for the bearing.

3. the ESCHENBACH Alpin. I do not really know the company, but it looks similar to the RECTA - just without the global system.

Do you know any of these or other good compasses and can recommend one? I find the Recta looks good, but I do not like the "bubbles"-rumor...

Thank you in advance

Andreas

 

[Will]

Silva Ranger - The standard.

Brunton Eclipse - This is what I have and use, a little more tricked out than the Silva Ranger, with a few clever inovations. They even make one like this but with a bubble level: http://www.kooters.com/eclipse.html

Suunto MC-2D - Simialr to the Silva Ranger, but with a magnifier on the baseplate. They make a version of this with a "global needle" which works at any latitude (ie South America) - (MC-2 Global I think, I can't find a link at the moment).

Will

 

[skammer]

Pan,

Do youself a BIG BIG favor and bypass all look alike models and go straight for the Silva Ranger model 515 CL or CLQ if you are surveying.

http://www.silvacompass.com/ranger515.html

It is the ONLY compass that will do all you want and more.

It has the 1:24k 1:25K and 1:50k grids for map work unlike any other model on the market.

It is the standard of quality all others try but fail to compete with.

Mine is 25yrs old and still going strong today. It may cost a little more but you can will it to your kids with confidence.

Skam

 

[Will]

hello,
II heard Recta had/has? some issues with bubbles inside the fluid above 1500 meters (I use the compass in the mountains too)

Read this.

I do lots of alpine climbing at higher elevations, and in extreme cold, and mine has a developed perminant bubble now . I guess I should call Brunton.

Will

 

[Will]

Pan,

It is the ONLY compass that will do all you want and more.

Skam

Agreed. The Silva Ranger is an excellent compass, and not really more expensive than the competition.

But, The other two I suggested will do everything the Ranger can equally well or better. I am a geologist and my job is making maps. I have lots of experience using all three compasses for mapping and I think they are equally good. (I can't comment on longevity, but Silva a reputation.)

I like the (almost over) featured Brunton, but somtimes simplicity is best. The Sunnto has a magnifier (and the option of a global needle) which the Ranger does not.

I am also under the impression that all three of those compasses are now made by the same manufacturer, but I will ahve to look into that.

Will

 

[Watchful]

Another vote for the Silva.

 

[skammer]

But, The other two I suggested will do everything the Ranger can equally well or better. I am a geologist and my job is making maps.
l

Does the Brunton have all 3 1:24 1:25 and 1:50 Grids on the baseplate?

For most of the planet a global needle is not needed.

SKam

 

[Pan Tau]

thank you so far. As I understand the SILVA Expedition is basically the Ranger Model (with all the scales on it) but with illumination and/or bubble-level. It is about 10€ more expensive (67 Euros altogether) than the RECTA and has a built in magnifier (as have the other two) too. (a friend of mine once burnt a hole in one of his maps accidentially with his compass magnifying lens...). 10 Euros are not too much of a problem. The Silva Ranger is about 40-45 Euros.

I already have a Recta (DP65) with a Global needle

so this is not my first concern. I guess I will go with either the Ranger or the Expedition model (btw - this one develops a bubble over 1500 meters - kind of a built in altimeter - but it is an older model and recta is a swiss brand with quite some reputation).

Because I use the compass for teaching it should be a model / system many compasses use. I teach teachers (being a teacher myself) how to behave in the mountains when they are outdoors with school-kids - insurance, equipment, orientation, dos and don´ts, first aid, games to play, preparations etc. Every grammar-school teacher in Bavaria has to make such a course during the two years after university - so there are some demotivated too. I need a compass that features a system the average teacher will be able to afford. the surveyer compasses would be too much, but as I want a good one for myself too I guess Silva is the right choice.

Brunton does not seem to be available over here. We have Breithaupt (good geological compasses but expensive as hellbreithaupt ), Recta (Swiss), Silva (Swedish) and Eschenbach (German, carried by every optician in the average small town) - and countless copies of the US-army compass...

However I think I like the idea of the window in the mirror plate as it allows to hold the compass needle on eye level while making a bearing but more important is a relieable item.

Thank you again
Andreas

 

[Pan Tau]

PS here a comparrison in picture: Silva Expedition and the Ranger:

So the Expedition has the same scales and features as the Ranger but a magnifyer and illumination too.

Andreas

 

[skammer]

They look about the same to me.

I have used both the notch and the hole and find them equally easy to use for sighting in so don't make your determination based on that.

The Ranger model I own has all the scales as well BTW.

As long as its a Silva you are going to get quality.

Skam

 

[Will]

Does the Brunton have all 3 1:24 1:25 and 1:50 Grids on the baseplate?

For most of the planet a global needle is not needed.

SKam

The Brunton has 1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000,
1:62,500, 1:63,360, 1:100,000, 1:250,000 in metric and imperial.

From what I understand a North American compass will still point ot north even in the southern hemishphere, but the needle will be very tilted.

Will

 

[skammer]

The Brunton has 1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000,
1:62,500, 1:63,360, 1:100,000, 1:250,000 in metric and imperial.

Will

Are the grids on the clear baseplate?

Skam

 

[Will]

Are the grids on the clear baseplate?

Skam

1:25k and 1:50k are on the plate, as well as, along with the others, on a clear card that fits under the baseplate.

Will

 

[Will]

PS here a comparrison in picture: Silva Expedition and the Ranger:

So the Expedition has the same scales and features as the Ranger but a magnifyer and illumination too.

Andreas

I like the Expidition, never seen one before, but it looks perfect!

 

[pict]

Will,

Thanks for the "bubble tip" link. My Recta DP-2 developed a bubble on my Alaska trip last year. I'm going to go warm it up now. I've been thinking of it as my informal altimiter down here. It gets smaller the higher I climb.

FYI A compass needle weighted for the northern hemisphere may not lay level in the southern hemisphere. I had several do that when I moved to Brazil from PA. My DP-2, bought here, works in the US too, Alaska and PA at least.

I'd love to have you come down and make me a map or two. I can't find quality topo maps down here to save myself. Mac

 

[mooseman]

Silva, for sure, but not Silva. What I mean is that if you want the origional Silva Ranger (an why would anyone want anything else) You need to buy a Nexus Ranger. In North America I believe that it is Suunto that now owns the Silva name. They are good, but not as good as a Nexus.

 

[SheepDog]

Thought I would throw a big rock into your calm little pond here. The compasses sold in the US marked as Silva are now made in Finland by Suunto. The company that use to make the Silva compasses here now markets them under the name of Nexus. They found out that they did not own the Silva name in the US their distributor did.
So if you buy a Silva you are getting a Suunto. If you buy a Nexus you have a Silva. Both Suunto and Brunton make their own stuff with Brunton being made in the US and the Suunto being made in Finland. Hope everyone is totally confused I know I am!!
My choice is the Suunto MC-1G global, which is now updated to be the MC-2G global.
Oh and outside the US all bets are off Silva still makes Silva, Suunto makes Suunto, there is no Nexus and Brunton makes Brunton. OK!! Hope that straightened every thing out!!

 

[skammer]

As my Silva is 20 years old it is a silva. When I go to buy a new one I will come back to this post for errr clarrification.

SKam

 

[kenk]

To clarify, the U.S. company Brunton was purchased by Silva SE (of Sweden, also called "The Silva Group") in 1996. Brunton is now a division (not sure if that is the correct term) of Silva SE.

In the U.S., Silva SE-made compasses are sometimes sold under the name Brunton, and sometimes sold under the Silva SE/Brunton-owned trademark Nexus.

In the U.S., the Silva trademark is owned by Johnson Outdoors - the people who bring you Eureka! tents and Old Town canoes. Not a bad company for sure. Last I heard their compasses were indeed made by Suunto - also a great maker of compasses.

My view is that buyers in the U.S. should know what they are buying. If you want a Silva SE compass, buy a Brunton or Nexas (you need to know which models are made by Brunton and which are made by Silva SE - it is pretty easy to tell). If you want a Suunto, buy Suunto.

 

[kenk]

To be honest you won't go wrong with any of the major makers of compasses (Silva SE/Brunton, Suunto, or Silva - Johnson Outdoors).

Based upon your specs the list would include:

Brunton/Nexus 15TDCL - the "original" Silva Ranger - more has been written about this compass than any other - I have nothing to add

Brunton Eclipse 8099 - play with this one before buying since it is quite different from other compasses - I myself really like mine. It is much easier to do mirror sighting on this than my Brunton 15TDCL, but the extra features may get in the way for some users.

Suunto MC-2D - I myself have the M3, which is the larger baseplate compass without the mirror. It is a VERY well made compass, especially for the price. I found that I did not like the global needle - much preferring the standard needle.