Sighting Compass Mirror Adjustable Declination - Boy Scout Compass Survival Camping | Base Plate Compass Kids Navigation | Orienteering Compass Hiking Map Read Military Compass Backpacking Clinometers

This is a perfectly good $10 compass, accurate and better quality than most.I cannot understand why other reviewers complain about the declination adjustment, which is accomplished with a tiny screw on the bezel in the NE position, and a matching metal shim is provided that functions as a screwdriver. In my accompanying photo, the compass can be seen set for 14°W declination, which is correct for my area; that is, the red outline arrow (not the magnetic needle) Is aligned pointing to the 14°W position on the inner chapter.The declination adjustment screw is not a set-screw that is loosened to free something else, but is a worm screw that actually adjusts the declination: turning it one way moves the declination to the west while turning it the opposite way moves the declination to the east. Once set, the declination remains stable, which is what the vast majority of users want if they tend to stay in more or less the same area. Frankly, if you travel enough where you need to keep changing the declination, you should be spending a lot more than $10 on your compass.In normal use, the bezel is set to the desired bearing relative to true north, and the entire compass (and its user) are rotated to bring the red half of the magnetic needle into the red outline arrow, commonly described by the mnemonic "red in the shed." I didn't do that in the photo in order to give better visibility of the red outline arrow relative to the declination scale; in my photo, the bezel is set for a bearing of 130°, slightly east of southeast.The description is clearly wrong in that my compass has a 1:24,000 scale rather than 1:25,000 scale. Note that in the US it is far more useful to have a 1:24,000 scale to agree with the standard US Geological Survey 7.5-minute quad maps.The compass has an inclinometer, not mentioned anywhere in the description, but that's the tiny red arrow mounted on a freely rotating clear plastic wiper (pointing to SE in my photo), intended to point downward if the compass is held vertically and the baseplate edge is aligned with the horizon. One could in theory use it as a very crude sextant if truly desperate.You will definitely get your $10 worth.

I own a number of compasses, and was looking for a mirror sighted compass as a back up compass. This one was inexpensive enough for the my needs. I appears to be well made, though it came with no directions whatsoever, and for a while, I couldn't figure out how to make the Declination adjustments. The Adjustment key stuck into the inside of the box it came with , and therefore without directions, I had no idea how to make the adjustments. Even with the key, I had to play around with it for quite a while before I figured out how to adjust it.The compass adjusts accurately, and it appears to be accurate as to where North is. And as a bonus, there were no bubbles in the housing.Declination is very hard to set, in the sense that the arrow covers up Zero Degrees. So You have to use a large magnification magnifying glass to get an accurate adjustment.The adjustment key is very hard to hold onto making adjustments very difficult if You have larger hands.The adjustment key was separate from the cord. Usually, they are attached to the cord at the factory. Because there were absolutely no directions, and no information on adjusting the compass, and because the key was stuck in the small cardboard box, I assumed that there was no adjustment key, and went on the factory website and looked for information. There was nothing on the website. I attempted to send an email to the website, but the email would not go through.So if You are planning on purchasing this product, there will be no support.Since I own other compasses, and good quality ones, I would just as soon purchase a Silva or a Suunto up front, and just be done with it. Or, if You want a decent quality compass just as a backup, or want to learn on, You can always purchase a small hand compass like the smaller Brunton Baseplate compasses which have a very easy declination adjustment which is very accurate. However, they are not mirror sighted compasses. though for me, I prefer the standard baseplate compasses.

First off, this is a "homage" to another brand's compass, but at a much lower price. That said, it's actually a pretty good compass, with the proper expectations. It features a sighting mirror, rotating bezel, inclinometer, and adjustable declination, as well as the customary magnifying lens and map scale measurements. There is even some luminescent paint that has been applied to the sighting notches, cardinal directions, and (most curiously) the bearing pivot for the compass needle. The compass is quite easy to use and can be quite accurate.However, at this price point you must be willing to accept some quirks, and there are a couple for this compass. First, while multiple points on the compass and bezel are treated with a luminescent paint, the neddle, through some oversight; missed its share of this coating. This means the compass, with all of its features, is best used during daylight hours. The inclinometer, (a thoughtful addition) requires a steady hand and patience to use.Overall, I would recommend this compass. It would make a great "step up" from a simpler compass, or a great trainer for children. (As a matter of fact, my kids were quick to pick up the skill of shooting an azimuth, and spent a happy hour "navigating" around the family room)

This is a look-a-like compass that doesn't actually compass.1. there is so little fluid in the bezel space that the needle can't spin without a nearly perfect level base. That's simply not practical in real-world use.2. the magnifying glass is not even 3x let alone 5x required for fire-starting or detailed reading.3. the worm screw appears to be a set screw, hampering declination adjustments. A manual, advisory sticker or another labeling should be on the unit. Users should not have to look for this distinction buried in a manual. Industry-standard construction uses a set screw there. The worm screw had to be a cost-saving measure, it's certainly not the correct use in this market space.4. the mirror is the only good thing on this unit.5. obtaining a manual requires digging on the web to find the customer support page for the company.There is no way you can give this compass any positive stars when the needle cavity is not properly filled.

I've always used a Lansatic type Compass, since Boy Scouts and also in the service (USAF - Vietnam 70 -72), but I've always been curious about these "Sighting" type compasses. I still have my USAF Military Lansatic compass, I just bought a new one with more features, but I also bought this one to learn and experiment. I still do a fair amount of backpacking hunting trips (5 t0 7 days) into the wilderness, even at 73 years old, I plan to give this Sighting compass a comparative try. I really like the quality on build and the floating compass is very high quality, as is the mirror. So far I think it's more than worth the price as advertised.