Button compasses

[bb07]

Being a sucker for nice things, especially high quality, I really like these little compasses. They are available in brass, stainless and titanium. Very expensive though, although I'm sure they would last a lifetime. A bit of sadness to lose it though! I don't have one of these, nor know anyone that does.
Click on 'products' at the top left of the page for all the available models.
http://www.trunord.com/

Another type, quite basic and much less money
https://www.vancouvertacticalsupplies.com/survival/compass_survival.php

 

[Toddy]

Oh very nice Something sound and worth looking after

I bought a batch of the wee plastic ones from China for a children's activity….and every single one has a tiny wee bubble in it
If anyone knows how to fix them, I'd be interested to hear. Cost buttons right enough though.

M

 

[Macaroon]

Even the 'cheap' ones there are very nice things.....................But by the time you turn $ into £ and play the customs lottery they're very dear indeed

 

[Jared]

If like brass and compasses..

http://www.kmmatchcase.com/

They had a struggle in the past trying to find a quality source of button compasses after the big makers (Silva, Brunton, Suunto etc) all stopped making them. But they have found a Japanese company.

Marbles make a brass compass for about £12... http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/brass-marbles-1-compass-769-p.asp

Cammenga seems to have started making watch compasses, http://www.cammenga.com/Compasses-s/64.htm

 

[kard133]

I have one of the Trunord compasses, the wrist mounted one. It is very well made, and accurate, compared to a silva type 4 I have. I prefer it without the liquid as no bubbles will form, although it does take longer to settle, it isn't that much of a difference. Well worth the money.

 

[tombear]

Very nice! But at a inch across iwouldnt call them a button compass.

i used to have one of the little NATO button compasses in my wallet years ago but I got dipped and couldn't justify buying another, I did buy a great big chain for my new wallet. I do have a very similar but more cheaply made brass button compass, wartime or 1950s, with a celluloid glass I don't trust. It takes foreverto settle and since I've started to carry a K & M match safe with its little built into the lid Suunto compass I have stopped carrying it as a emergency.

As a serious back up for those rare occasions getting lost will be a really bad option I carry a old aluminium silva Huntsman that I got out of a army stores. Supposedly Ex RAF survival kit. I alo got a plastic version in a neat red plastic case as they were dirt cheap.

i must admit to having picked up various watch strap and pull tag compasses but they have all proved to be junk.

Atb

TOM

 

[bb07]

Even the 'cheap' ones there are very nice things.....................But by the time you turn $ into £ and play the customs lottery they're very dear indeed

Yes, quite expensive. The least expensive one is about 38 pounds delivered to the UK (excluding customs), but that sounds soooo much less than the $73 Canadian dollars one would cost delivered to me in Canada (again, this is excluding customs costs)

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Oh very nice Something sound and worth looking after

I bought a batch of the wee plastic ones from China for a children's activity….and every single one has a tiny wee bubble in it
If anyone knows how to fix them, I'd be interested to hear. Cost buttons right enough though.

M

I got a mini button compass recently, and it too had a bubble in it. I contacted the place I bought it from, and was told that is how they come by from the factory.

Are there any affordable button compasses that don't have a little bubble in them?

J

 

[Riven]

I have owned a nato button compass which I bought from survival aids over 25 years ago and though it was not cheap its pretty bomb proof. To me thats good value for money, even more so when i count up how many cheaper plastic buttons that have fallen by the wayside due to air bubbles and falling apart.
Riven.

 

[Tiley]

I have a brass Trunord compass that I bought a good few years ago now. I always have it in my pocket and it remains a quiet pleasure to use it when out and about. I have it mostly as a supplement to my usual Suunto one but it gets used nonetheless.

When I bought it, you could opt to have the needle altered slightly for declination; I chose not to have this done and haven't regretted it at all. Things have moved on apace since I bought mine - the stainless steel and titanium versions look very smart indeed... but then I always was a sucker for precision engineered gizmos!

 

[Jared]

I got a mini button compass recently, and it too had a bubble in it. I contacted the place I bought it from, and was told that is how they come by from the factory.

Are there any affordable button compasses that don't have a little bubble in them?

J

K&R make some like this

http://www.kasper-richter.de/en/products/compass_others/thermoelastic_compasscapsule_universeg_29/

But cost around £18, which I think is pretty hard to justify when can get a Silva Ranger SL ( http://silva.se/node/44 ) for around £20.

 

[lannyman8]

Oh very nice Something sound and worth looking after

I bought a batch of the wee plastic ones from China for a children's activity….and every single one has a tiny wee bubble in it
If anyone knows how to fix them, I'd be interested to hear. Cost buttons right enough though.

M

put them on top of the radiator over night or 24 hours, the bubble should go, it works with the standard size compass anyway...

 

[Toddy]

Chris, if that works, then there's two dozen of them that become useable
Thank you

M

 

[bushwacker bob]

I have an accurate suunto one on my K&M matchsafe.https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=k...ole.com%2Ffriday-gear-report-42911%2F;500;345

 

[lannyman8]

Chris, if that works, then there's two dozen of them that become useable
Thank you

M

any joy Mary???

 

[Toddy]

I haven't tried yet; the craft bag for the Moot kids is packed away behind three looms I need to burrow it out.
I'll let you know if it works when I do try it though

M

 

[techguyone]

I always fancied a wrist mounted one, but the links all seem to be American/Canadian, not one of those divers ones that are about 6 inches thick either.

 

[Toddy]

They used to make a Timex OD green watch that had one fitted into it's strap. About the size of a new penny. Son2 had one when he was at school.

M

p.s. Something like this one

http://www.straps4watches.co.uk/a--20mm-resin--rubber-sports-watch-strap-with-compass-1004-p.html

 

[Phil B]

I've got my Dads button compass he was issued in 1944 (RAF Aircrew) and it still finds North. I also bought what is essentially the later version issue button compass and they're basically the same design and materials.
Neither have fluid in though, just air suspended on a needle.

 

[Corso]

Used quite a few over the years - the marbles one I had was very robust and larger than most (approx 1") sadly it didn't last very long probably because of the the cheap plastic, Oil leaked out and the thing was binned within a couple of months.

My trunord was cool but I bought a watch strap one, it too was quite bulky so I moved it on - they are individually calibrated for the area you plan to use it and very robust - comms are pretty poor but it turned up eventually.

These days I carry a little countycomm S.E.R.E. Compass, its dry needle which works well for me, has a brass outer is compact and comes with a chain link although its fragile so I wouldn’t carry it on a key chain GITD lasts pretty well too once charged.

www.survivaldepot.co.uk sell them as well as several others, that I’ve tried

the nato one is probably the best but triple the price for similar functions to the CC one – probably tastes better if you needed to swallow it though
[h=1] I’ve tried others including ones already discussed and I pretty much agree with the comments, I’ve tried others from survival depot including the Hi-Vis Compass, quite small at 18mm and the dry needle is a little too light so it takes forever to get a reading – nice bright colour but I’d avoid if you want to take quick reliable readings[/h][h=1]Pico Compass; absolutely tiny at 11mm, my old eyes can hardly ready it![/h][h=1]CountyComm Thumb Tac Compass again very small easier to read than the pico and well built looks very cool [/h]