Sportneer Compass Hiking Survival Military Grade Waterproof Boy Scout Compass for Kids Gift Backpacking Camping Hiking Navigation

Very nice compass. Feature laden and sturdy. The case is not great, but the compass itself is fantastic.

Well built, sturdy, accurate & good looking

I bought this compass because the magnetometer/compass in my phone is terrible and always gives incorrect readings. This is an ordinary magnetic/mechanical compass. It has the usual features, a cover that protects it and when raised gives you an aiming line and a few notches that can be used to find object sizes if you know its distance, or distance if you know its size - not a direct read, some mathematical work required for this, the numbers table included in the manual, can be copied into your phone. There is also a bearing bezel. A little lens magnifies bearings for a more accurate reading. The manual says this little lens can be focused, but I did not find that to be true. For me, the lens works fine without my glasses on but is useless with them. Still, there is little point to this feature unless the compass is held steady and level on a table or tripod. Hand-held (because of wobble and tilt) the lens is no more accurate than merely looking down on the top of the compass disk. The manual also mentions a vertical angle measurement feature, but that is not available on this model.The metallic case is solid and protective. The glass cover is also protected, and the nylon case is fine. Overall a decent tool for the money.

This is a reliable compass.It’s easy to use.Great for a weekend camping trip or a day hike.

great gift for boys

Very Nice, Well Made Thanks!

A genuinely cool and what appears to be a solidly made military-style compass. It has great features that I really love. Sighting the compass is very easy, as is taking a bearing. I like the sighting lens that clearly shows the azimuth, the really cool leveling bubble, and the fluorescent dial and arrow. The carrying pouch is well-made and appears to be waterproof (or at least water-resistant) -- all in all this should have been a great purchase, and would have been except for one thing -- when I checked it against four other compasses,* I found that this compass is off by about ten-degrees, which in my opinion makes it worthless for any sort of serious navigation.*Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14Update -- 24 May 18 First let me say that my review was an honest appraisal, and it is a truly cool and what appears to be a solidly made military-style compass. I do love the many great features this compass has and it seems to be very easy to use. Quite frankly, I didn't (don't) need another compass, but I actually WANTED TO BUY this compass, as it reminded me of one that I had seen in a book. My initial tests -- which I conducted several times -- led me to the conclusion that their compass was off by about ten-degrees; per the request of the Sportneer Customer Satisfaction Team (in the comments section of this review) I intended to send them an e-mail detailing the problem I had with their compass. However before writing/sending their e-mail, I decided to go out and conduct the same tests that I had conducted earlier to test the accuracy of their compass. This time I came up with different results. Perhaps because this compass makes sighting and reading the azimuth so easy, I am mistaking accuracy for inaccuracy (most compasses are only graduated in two degree increments as opposed to one). Since it now appears that I may be the one in error, I am changing my review appropriately.

I was given a compass of this design by my mother a few years ago, but from another maker. I liked the features on it, but that one had a giant air bubble in it and ferrous screws holding the case together meaning it was touchy and could give erroneous readings. I noticed that many makers sold this design and figured that the cost differences spoke to quality control out of wherever in China these things are made. I got hold of the Sportneer compass today and put it through its paces. First, I noticed that the compass case is completely filled with liquid and that it reads north more readily than the other one. It also appears to be spot on for north, south, east, and west headings so there aren't errors introduced by the case that I can tell. It has brass screws holding the base-plate on and so they're not a source of interference either. For $5 more than the compass I was given, I got one that actually does its primary task competently and that I could trust to take into the field. The only complaint that I have is that the red sighting line (viewable through the magnifier on the base) is about three degrees to the right of the compass' heading. So it can't readily be used for a precision bearing without head-math. I can still get the bearing off the top of the dial though, so it's not a deal breaker.I suspect that if you went with the more expensive makers you's have better fit and finish, but this one is competent at a good price.