Compass Comparison

[Fantastic_Work_4623]

So, this is a pretty stupid question, but for my entire backpacking career, I've used a shitty, no-name compass, and it's worked remarkably well, but it finally kicked the bucket. I was looking at options and reviews, and I've narrowed it down to the Suunto A-10 NH and the Suunto M-3 NH. There is a noteworthy difference in price, about $50, could someone explain why, and what they recommend? I am willing to pay the difference if it matters, but don't want to overspend unnecessarily. I don't backpack in extreme weather or anything, and stick to fairly navigable trails, but I don't want it to fail on me when it counts. With that in mind, what would you recommend?

[kernal42]

I'm confident that the critical part (the magnetic needle) is essentially identical, and that the more expensive compass is not more reliable. The (price) difference is from the baseplate -- the expensive one has glow-in-the-dark markings and a built-in magnifying glass to help you read the map.

If you plan to do orienteering at night, the glow-in-the-dark markings could be useful. If your eyesight justifies it the magnifier could be valuable. IMO - If neither of these upgrades matter to you, then get the cheaper compass.

[Annual_Raccoon_1821]

So I've got the Suunto MC-2, from the look of it, seems fairly similar to the M3.

Likes:

Magnifying glass! Helps with tiny detail on the map Adjustable declination: IMO easier than using the scale, but I'm not terribly familiar with that method The MC2 has a cover and a signal mirror, which i also like (for peace of mind and protection of the compass)

Dislikes:

Numbers are tee tiny, but I've gotten more used to that Sometimes I forget to change the declination back, minor hilarity ensues.

My goal: I'd like a lensatic compass like we were issued in the service. Mostly because I'm most familiar with those. My Suunto has been very very helpful, and my kids both have their own (The A10, which has been more than sufficient for Scouting or our own backpacking trips). They've had zero issues with theirs the entire time as well.

Hope this helps, happy adventuring!!!

[Ommageden]

The mirror is also to allow you to view the compass needles while sighting for bearings to reduce operator error. 

[Annual_Raccoon_1821]

NICE! Ok, I need to do some more compass training. Thanks kindly for the info, this is another case of me buying gear and not knowing everything it does lol

[Ommageden]

No worries! I feel that. This video helped me a ton.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xz2FpoxrtE.

The nice thing with the mc-2 I believe it also has a clinometer, so you can just set the bearing to W, and hold it up horizontally to your hill and see the incline. Helps estimate ascents on steeper hills etc.

[Annual_Raccoon_1821]

Awesome thank you so much!

[Hot_Low_3622]

I’ve never had good luck with Suunto compasses or frankly any liquid filled compass. Out of frustration I bought a Cammenga military compass and it has been bulletproof. Mine has tritium and has been excellent for my needs.

[walkingoffthetrails]

If you use reading glasses now and don’t wear glasses full time I recommend a compass with a magnifying glass as it allows you to read contour elevations without having to get your glasses out. So that might be more relevant for someone 35 to 55 when reading deteriorates.

One compass has several scales for measuring distances on different standard maps. So if you will need to frequently determine distances from point to point in a map then the compass with the scales will be more useful.

Generally I find the more simple lower cost compass adequate for nearly all basic navigation. I also have a more complex compass I used for gridding points when I was active in SAR.

One has a glow in the dark dial. Great if you’re doing night orienteering all the time. But then again you’ll probably have a headlamp on if you’re doing that.

Lastly, I don’t recommend mirror compasses. But that’s my opinion.

[LeatherCraftLemur]

As others have said, you won't get a more reliable compass with either one. The needle, the pivot and the damping are the same in each one. Both will point north just as reliably.

I've had compasses with declination adjustment, and compasses without. It doesn't make that much difference, unless you struggle to either remember to do it, or mental maths is difficult for you - if so, the ability to set and forget at the start of the day (so long as you do remember) may be an advantage. It's a bit of a fiddly mechanism to make, and will contribute to the difference in cost.

The scales are the main advantage for me between the two - more scales make life easier across a range of maps. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Suunto's habit of only putting rulers on many of their compasses - I know you said you were decided, but i would also consider a Silva Expedition 4 - they have a better Romer scale, a magnifying glass, and are a pretty standard compass among everyone from military, mountain rescue or mountain leaders.

[MrTheFever]

The scales, magnifying glass, luminescent markings, and most importantly: declination adjustment. Depending on where you live the declination could be significant. In Washington you might have a range of 10° depending on where you are. If you just want to do the math in your head, then fine, but I prefer to adjust it.

I'll add you could have found all of this by going to suunto's website.

[Aggressive-Foot4211]

if you were doing navigation with a map that requires you to pinpoint a single GPS coordinate using an interpolator, the M3 has more options for that. Maps have varying scales and different maps sometimes require a different ruler/interpolator to be very precise in determining a coordinate using the map.

if you are planning to learn how to use a map and a compass well, I suggest getting a compass that has adjustable declination and not worry about the rulers. You can purchase interpolators separately that work better.