Button Compass

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JamesWebb

New Member
Apr 18, 2023
1
0
40
York
Does anyone know of a 15mm button compass thst is accurate and reliable?

I have had a few brass Francis Baker ones that have been good but they can’t handle water.

I need one that can be submerged.

Can anyone recommend anything?
 

Ozmundo

Full Member
Jan 15, 2023
375
278
47
Sussex
A bit bigger but my Suunto clipper is 30mm at it’s widest. It’s been deeper than 50m with no issue. Not sure what the actual rating is. Good enough to swim on a bearing for several hundred meters in UK waters.
 

Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
58
west midlands
Does anyone know of a 15mm button compass thst is accurate and reliable?

I have had a few brass Francis Baker ones that have been good but they can’t handle water.

I need one that can be submerged.

Can anyone recommend anything?
I can say i have tried a huge amount of the small plastic ones and they are not worth buying as a very very basic lost need some help to get a rough heading may be but i will say one was saying north for east lol , we put 100 on the dash with blue tack to see how many told the truth and 6 out of the 10 were roughly in the directions we head lol but omg if you need to hit a LZ or be bang on you would not do it lol .
I am sure if you pay large sums you might get a good one
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,075
7,861
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Mmm... interesting; I've never had any problems at all with the small oil-filled plastic ones! To use them you have to make sure they are level and tap them a few times; the torque in the magnet just isn't strong enough to overcome the fluid resistance without the tapping (just basic mechanics). The ones I have are very accurate and reliable - also waterproof.

Button compass.jpg
 

Wander

Native
Jan 6, 2017
1,418
1,983
Here There & Everywhere
we put 100 on the dash with blue tack to see how many told the truth and 6 out of the 10 were roughly in the directions we head

If you had all 100 on the dash at the same time then it's more likely they were all causing interference with each other, not to mention any nearby metals and wires that could have been beneath the dashboard.

Although the general point that button compasses are next to useless and in some cases can even be dangerous, still stands.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,075
7,861
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Although the general point that button compasses are next to useless and in some cases can even be dangerous, still stands.

Derr... it points North! I have never bought a pack of 12 or 20 for a few quid so I guess I may not have experienced any really bad ones and I've stayed clear of the needle ones. But, if used properly, an oil filled one will work! It points North as well as any of my Silva compasses - just it's too small to take an accurate bearing with.

Would I use one if I had better ways of navigating? No; do I have one in my tin? yes :)
 

Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
58
west midlands
Thanks Broch i will look at the ones you have
@Wander sorry that was a type o if you look i do say 10 and they were fairly spaced out on the flat top part of the dash , our genuine orienteering one was spot on hence i went off that to compare the other , but as Broch says these were cheap ebay ones and the old saying is right you get what you pay for .
I will try the tap on the top Broch and see but i just figure they were duff
 

Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
58
west midlands
Mmm... interesting; I've never had any problems at all with the small oil-filled plastic ones! To use them you have to make sure they are level and tap them a few times; the torque in the magnet just isn't strong enough to overcome the fluid resistance without the tapping (just basic mechanics). The ones I have are very accurate and reliable - also waterproof.

View attachment 79591
Hi is that really a plastic one , where did you get it if you do not mind i know you say highlander it looks a lot better made than my cheap ones , i do throw them in pockets on rucksacks just incase
 

Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,405
644
50
Wales
Remember when K&M Match Cases had a difficulty sources decent compasses for their match cases, they ended using Sun Company button compasses. But doesn't look like they making anything as small as 15mm.

 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,075
7,861
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Hi is that really a plastic one , where did you get it if you do not mind i know you say highlander it looks a lot better made than my cheap ones , i do throw them in pockets on rucksacks just incase

Ah, sorry, I turned the brass case out of compression pipe fittings myself; the actual compass is this one (to the best of my recollection):

 
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Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
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west midlands
@Broch thank you so much i will grab a couple each month for the next couple of months and replace the ones i have , the ones i got came at £3 for 10 so hence why i say you get what you pay for , some do work but as a basic this is north type may be a few degrees out and so on
@Jared i will look for that brand to never hurts to look , the wife tells me that each time i want to go i nthe gun shops you can look put i got the credit card lol , hey been with her 37 years and yup she is the sensible one lol , hence when we go to the bushcraft show she said i can look as much as i like but there is a budget , i am also looking forward to coming along to the moot , i love to talk to like minded people
Thanks for the link Broch
@TeeDee the wife just said you got put on the naughty stepp lol i went to the site and my eyes lite up lol
 
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Kav

Nomad
Mar 28, 2021
452
358
70
California
I’ve never bailed out of a Wellington over Germany, extracted compass from my uniform button and started for France. Some items are to critical to skimp on quality or secondary priorities ( to often based on Walter Mitty romanticism.) I have two Suunto MC2 on my person and rucksack.
I compensated for the horrific bulk and weight by eliminating the cast iron Dutch oven from my cook kit.
 

TeeDee

Full Member
Nov 6, 2008
10,500
3,702
50
Exeter
I’ve never bailed out of a Wellington over Germany, extracted compass from my uniform button and started for France. Some items are to critical to skimp on quality or secondary priorities ( to often based on Walter Mitty romanticism.) I have two Suunto MC2 on my person and rucksack.
I compensated for the horrific bulk and weight by eliminating the cast iron Dutch oven from my cook kit.

< Spoken in the accent of Michael Nyqvist >


Good call on the Dutch Overn , We used to have a guy here that could boil water in his boots..

Boil water in his fricking boots!!!



:)
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,502
2,912
W.Sussex
Keep getting tempted to replace my CountyComm SERE, I lost it somewhere.

Compass candy store:

 

Disabled Preppers

Full Member
Apr 3, 2023
213
102
58
west midlands
< Spoken in the accent of Michael Nyqvist >


Good call on the Dutch Overn , We used to have a guy here that could boil water in his boots..

Boil water in his fricking boots!!!



:)
Well i could say i got better than that , my wife is going through what was called the change years ago lol , and she said on the days i annoy her most days lol i can boil her water shall we say lol .
Keep getting tempted to replace my CountyComm SERE, I lost it somewhere.

Compass candy store:

I saw that one nice and i ask how well it worked i know it says used by aircrew but that means little to nothing as they don't always give our service personnel good kit the SA80 being one
 
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Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,502
2,912
W.Sussex
Well i could say i got better than that , my wife is going through what was called the change years ago lol , and she said on the days i annoy her most days lol i can boil her water shall we say lol .

I saw that one nice and i ask how well it worked i know it says used by aircrew but that means little to nothing as they don't always give our service personnel good kit the SA80 being one
It’ll be American service personnel, CountyComm are government contract suppliers, their stuff is highly rated by the EDC community. Only a few years ago CC gear was unavailable in this country and they wouldn’t export to here. I had to use Miles Stair at his Survival Shop to get it forwarded.

For what it’s worth, mine was faultless for many years. I never did much orienteering with it, but often checked its accuracy. Just so you know, these are not liquid filled.


Wow! Just seen the copper Maratac AAA is £59 now. I’ve got one in my pocket I paid half that for.

0CB78A76-3B96-4705-B20D-90C1CB2B6F18.jpeg
 
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