I had so many compasses by now, I stopped counting. Yes, I never go outdoors without one. Yes, I rarely use them. So why do I always carry one - learned the hard way. Many years ago I got so lost among rolling hills deep in a Canadian forrest that if I did not have my latest Silva with me (which I put in the poket as a joke) I would likely not be writing this now. With this purchase I got the Sun Company MiniComp II and the SUUNTO Clipper Compass. Why? A momentary lapse of reason. They look so cute and the price allowed me to satisfy my curiosity I love them both, so I will keep them. Quality is top! Both are liquid filled (important). Can they be used for actual navigation - absolutely! They look like toys but are not. They are accurate and have everything needed to navigate. I am fluent in operating a compass and the tiny size is, in my case, an advantage. If you never operated a compass these might confuse you (depends). I do like the Sun a bit better. The bezel is easier to rotate. The longer base makes it very intuitive to use, like a Compass Bonsai :) I really love the free floating design. There is no needle to bang against on long hikes or motorcycle rides. It is a serious tool that takes itself not too seriously. The SUUNTO is very nice too! But the bezel is unnecessarily tight. The lack of “body” makes it a bit less intuitive. However it can be clipped to a wrist band, where the Sun cannot do this. It is a serious tool that takes itself too seriously. Yes, there is a needle, but it is in liquid, so from a functional and longevity stand point - needle or free floating - we are splitting hairs here. So - bottom line, I can now carry both discretely, have fun, and the kids will not roll their eyes … Ah … the compass … again :) Read more
Great little compass. Bought because I wanted something small and good quality to improve my directional skills and just carry around. It’s perfect size to clip to a watch. Also super durable. I’ve already dropped it multiple times and accidentally ran it through the wash and it still works perfect. Read more
For me, this is a very handy low tech gadget that works pretty well. Would I go deep into CO elk country with this compass as my lifeline?? NEGATIVE!! When venturing anywhere new, I usually have a sat-nav unit and "always" have a full size Suunto base plate compass and map but I still find myself checking this little compass on my wrist often because it's relatively quick, easy and for the most part, right on. I believe that what makes this little unit more expensive that other watch band compasses is it's rotating bezel that you can use to set a bearing by using a small directional arrow tip on the unit. Very similar to a full size compass. So far, and this is my 3rd one, it holds up, finds magnetic north and withstands weather , bumps and knocks, and work in and out of water up to 5'. When the Timex that it's attached to shoots craps, I pitch the whole rig and start fresh, about once every year. My only complaint is that it can be slow to "settle" on north. Hiking or hunting, no big deal. Biking, running, etc, you'll be frustrated. AMENDED!! As with some of the other reviewers, my compass fell apart. There had been no recent extreme conditions, I just looked down and all that was left on my watch band was the compass bottom plate that attaches to the watch band. Very disappointing after only about 30 days of use. This compass has by far, IMO, the best working features and accuracy of any watchband compass AND this is the 1st one of three that failed. Never the less, it just fell apart and all that is irrelevant at this point. Maybe it's a flawed design or a quality control issue? Either way, I can't recommend this product. Read more
Excellent button compass that is well built and accurate. I've attached it to a small paracord lanyard by way of a loop at the end of the lanyard and it fits my needs perfectly. The compass is accurate and can be used to transfer bearings taken from map to field and vice versa in an emergency situation. I've also attached a small compass rose/protractor to the lanyard to aid the accuracy. The Clipper is a nice backup to my Suunto A30 baseplate compass as well and a perfect everyday compass for general direction needs. Read more
Broke the first full day I wore it. I do roof inspections for a solar company, so I got this to make life a little easier, but the first day i wore it to work, the compass part disappeared. Who knows where it ended up on the Northshore. Ill probably super glue a cheapie onto the plastic bit that stayed attached to my watch band. Read more
After using multiple watchband type compasses, the Suunto is by far maintains the best quality. Accurate and well built. Cheaper knock off versions suffer issues after a few months of use: poor adhesive resulting in the compass falling out, bubbles forming in the compass, and clouding in the glass making them unreadable. The Suunto does not have these issues. Read more
Bought 4 times, 1st one a few years ago was great, i lost it. Then the last 2 all they fell apart (ring & compass). The rings typically lost because it's small and black. They aren't just as good as they used to be. Read more
