Sad Day for the Brunton 15TDCL (AKA Silva Ranger)

I got one of the Suunto MC-2Gs a while back and have been very pleased with it. My only complaint is that it is a bit big for edcing. I wish they would make a smaller version for pocket carry.
 
Most sighting compasses are going to be a little large for pocket carry. You might want to check out the Suunto M-3G. It is a baseplate compass that is a bit more compact and features the global needle.
 
Suunto either makes the Recta DP-2 now or they make a version of it - a "Matchbox Type" of compass. If you're looking for something to EDC in some kind of kit and still want a full size compass as opposed to a button type compass, those Matchbox housings are hard to beat. They're not as tough as the MilSpec housings on Lensatics...but, then again...nothing is. :)
 
The Suunto DP-65 with global needle looks good, but I was thinking something more along the lines of the Suunto Amphibian with global needle and clear base plate.

i've got an old Silva guide that I got as a kid that is a good sized sighting compass for edc.
 
All I use now is the MC-2G. Best compass out there for what we teach and do.
 
Brunton Info [info@bruntongroup.com] I would suggest emailing Brunton before you jump to far down the made in China road. I asked them and they say Sweden-- not CHina. You might want to ask them about the package you got and see if it is in fact a genuine Brunton? Mike
 
MikePerrin said:
Brunton Info [info@bruntongroup.com] I would suggest emailing Brunton before you jump to far down the made in China road. I asked them and they say Sweden-- not CHina. You might want to ask them about the package you got and see if it is in fact a genuine Brunton? Mike
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Thank Mike. I will look into it further.

My packaging clearly says made in China. I actually hope that they are still made in Sweden. The good news is that, no matter where mine was made, it is a great compass.
 
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Just a few more details...

I have an email out to Brunton. They have always been great to deal with in my experience and I am sure they will straighten this out.

The 15TDCL in question came with a coupon for a promotion that Brunton and NatGeo were doing for free maps. The coupon worked. All of the other packaging is correct.

There are other references online about the 15TDCL being made in China as well.

I should also point out that it is still a great compass. I am very pleased with mine and the price is very competitive.

I hope I am wrong.
 
I really need to learn about the different types of compasses and their advantages/disadvantages, etc. At this point I'd be lost with one as well as without one! LOL. That said, I'm subscribing to this thread for all the reference sites listed. Hopefully I'll get around to reading the links and learning a bit more because I'd like to get a better quality one and know how to actually use it.

Thanks for all the input!
 
Should I admit I just scored a killer deal on a MC-2G? When I found this thread a couple of days ago, it caused me to go check pricing on Amazon. It listed a MC-2G for $25 with $6 shipping. ! I read and re-read the description fearing I wasn't looking at the right thing. Well, it looked right, so I placed the order. After all the confirmations, I was going to post the deal here, but when I went back to look at the listing it was gone. Still, I was worried that it really wasn't what I thought it was, maybe some odd model or variation. Well it arrived today and it's the real deal a MC-2G/in. Packaging was poor, basically the blister pack dumped in a box without packing. It had popped open with the compass rolling around in the box. Appears undamaged. The blister pack had discount stickers on it like it was a store item being clearanced, a $50 sticker and a $25 sticker. It came from Ramsey Outdoor.
It's a little bigger than I thought, wide but flat. I got mine and I'm happy. Just had to share.

BTW, here' something I found about Silva/Suunto history...

http://compass-howto.com/category/compass-reviews

In 1932 Silva became the first manufacturer of the baseplate (orienteering) compass, and built a reputation for quality around its Silva Ranger and other models. However, in 1985 , Johnson Worldwide Associates (now Johnson Outdoors Inc.) bought the North American side of the Silva company, and beginning in the late 1990s, compasses like the Ranger are no longer manufactured by Silva. Over the past few years I have seen an increasing number of negative reviews of the Silva Ranger, so there is some question about quality control since the transition to Johnson Outdoors. However, there is also an indication that the Suunto company manufactures compasses for Johnson Outdoors, so I am not sure I believe in any huge discrepancy between the quality of these two brands. I have used both for many years.

The original parent company of the Silva Ranger is now called Silva Sweden AB and it still sells compasses under the Silva name outside the U.S., but get this, it has owned Brunton since 1996. So the Brunton Model 15 sold in the U.S. could be considered a more direct descendant of the Silva Ranger than the Silva Ranger that Johnson Outdoors produces. To make matters more confusing, some of the original Brunton-designed compasses are sold under the Silva brand name outside the U.S.
 
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glee said:
Should I admit I just scored a killer deal on a MC-2G? When I found this thread a couple of days ago, it caused me to go check pricing on Amazon. It listed a MC-2G for $25 with $6 shipping. ! I read and re-read the description fearing I wasn't looking at the right thing. Well, it looked right, so I placed the order. After all the confirmations, I was going to post the deal here, but when I went back to look at the listing it was gone. Still, I was worried that it really wasn't what I thought it was, maybe some odd model or variation. Well it arrived today and it's the real deal a MC-2G/in. Packaging was poor, basically the blister pack dumped in a box without packing. It had popped open with the compass rolling around in the box. Appears undamaged. The blister pack had discount stickers on it like it was a store item being clearanced, a $50 sticker and a $25 sticker. It came from Ramsey Outdoor.
It's a little bigger than I thought, wide but flat. I got mine and I'm happy. Just had to share.
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That was a good score. I think I paid 49 bucks for the last one I bought, but even at that price they're still a bargain when it comes to having a great compass
 
Brunton/ Silva of Sweden/ Nexus (all the same) makes about the best compass for the best price I know of. There are several really good companies like Cammenga and Suunto and I use the same global compass Jeff does a lot but Brunton is still located in Riverton, Wyoming and they still make compasses there. If you ask the engineers and geologists what the standard is they will inevitably reply the Brunton Pocket Transit which is the well built surveyor's compass. I have an old military issue one I sent back to them in Wyoming and they rebuilt it for me and sent it back. Brunton and Silva make a lot of really reliable products and customer service is as good as it gets. Mike
 
NaturalMystic said:
I really need to learn about the different types of compasses and their advantages/disadvantages, etc. At this point I'd be lost with one as well as without one! LOL.
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That's probably one of the most valuable observations that a person could make before you start to learn anything, anyway. Knowing what you don't know.
 
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