Brunton Classic Compass
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List Price: Our Price: $7.35 You Save: $5.64 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Category: Sports See more product details |
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Description of Brunton Classic Compass
The complete compass designed for everyone. Cobalt steel needle, patented declination adjustment, and 2? graduation.The ideal beginner compass, the 9020G is another Brunton signature. With an optic green baseplate and tool-free declination adjustment for easy reading and more convenient navigating.
Feature Details
This classic, analog compass provides all the information that got explorers around perfectly well for hundreds of years, in a snappy, optic green package. It features 2-degree graduations (the series of degree markings on the azimuth ring used for taking bearings) and adjustable declination (the difference in degrees between magnetic north--the direction the magnetic needle on a compass points--and true or geographical north, which is the direction maps are printed toward. It also features 0-35 degree inclination scale (the distance between two points on a map as they relate to the distance between those two points on the earth) and displays this in both inches and millimeters.
Sports reviews of Brunton Classic Compass
Customer Review: compass
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
Basic compass but has all the markings needed. Works as promised. Happy with purchase.Customer Review: Brunton 9020G
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
I absolutely would not use this compass in my personal outdoors activities.
However, i don't believe it's intended by Brunton for "serious, reliable, no-fail" use. It's a ~$12 compass. If you're shopping for a compass you can reply on in all conditions, prepare to spend a bit more for something a little more robust. In the Brunton line-up, the 15TDCL is a good choice and the minimum i'd personally choose.
What I do like and use this compass for is to teach Basic Direction Finding and Land Navigation in conjunction with it's companion Brunton 9020G "Instruction Compass". This is an excellent pair for both the initial classroom work and then in-the-field applications (in my Basic Course, i use well-bordered areas to avoid loosing students). I've looked at/used many different compasses over the years and for my classes and students there is no better choice currently available, but it's not perfect either.
Here's what i REALLY like about this compass and why i'd buy more:
1) the degrees/headings/bearings are very well marked out
2) the "Directional Pointers" are large and easy to see/use
3) the compass is small enough to fit in everyones hand easily, but not too small for folks with big hands
4) the compass needle is well-dampened and the capsules (i have 12 of these) are free of air-bubbles
5) the baseplate is marked with both US/Imperial and Metric scales
6) the baseplate has a handy lanyard loop molded right into it's shape - very well thought out!!!
7) the baseplate is a very convenient/hi-visibility translucent green so if somehow it gets dropped it's easy to relocate
8) the compass DOES HAVE a declination adjustment
9) the price - it's very affordable and does the basic work of a compass very well
What i *DON'T* like - essentially the actual degree/headings/bearings ring - POTENTIAL EPIC FAIL AND DANGEROUS - DO NOT USE THIS COMPASS AS YOUR ONLY WILDERNESS COMPASS
1) the degree/headings/bearings ring is cheap, easily scuffed paper-type of material simply pressed into the bezel - i need to come up with a way to protect these markings otherwise epic fail
2) the degree/headings/bearings ring can fall out of the bezel - i need to come up with a way to prevent this from happening - otherwise epic fail
As my class sizes grow i may buy a few more of these, but i try not to let classes get too large. With this compass, the benefits far outweigh the compromises, but the degree/headings/bearings ring shortfall really needs to be addressed.
Again, I wouldn't use this compass in my personal outdoors activities because of the degree/headings/bearings ring. However, it's great for what i do use it for - teaching basic compass use.
EDIT: 26June2010 - I've attempted a "fix" to the degree/headings/bearings ring using clear finger nail polish to 1) seal and 2) adhere the ring in place. I anticipate success with this, but classes have been in fair-weather conditions thus far.
Customer Review: Good, basic compass
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
The Brunton Classic is a straightforward, easy-to-use, low-cost compass that works well in the outdoors. It is a bit clunky-looking and a little bulky in your pocket, but you will appreciate that fact in cold weather when you are wearing gloves. It comes with a TRUE declination adjustment that moves the north reference indicator to the desired declination. This is much better than some of the least expensive compasses that claim to have a declination adjustment but really don't. (They require you to manually offset the needle from the north reference indicator to achieve it, something you don't want to have to struggle with when you are exhausted after hiking for 10 hours.) The Brunton doesn't need a tool to adjust declination, which they claim as an advantage. In contrast, Suunto compasses use a tiny screwdriver attached to the lanyard to make the adjustment. Personally, I like the screwdriver adjustment as being more accurate and less likely to be accidentally moved, but they both work equally well. The bearing markings silkscreened onto the Brunton's dial are not as fine-ruled as the Suunto so you can't get quite as precise a readout, but the difference is insignificant in most cases.
One thing I don't particularly like about the Brunton is that the baseplate is symmetric, so if you're not careful you can end up reading a bearing that is 180 degrees off from what you intended. On the Suunto, on the other hand, one edge of the baseplate is shaped like an arrow, so it is always obvious which way to point it.
This basic compass doesn't have a sighting mirror, and there are decidedly two schools of thought on whether this is necessary. Some people absolutely claim you need a mirror compass for accurate navigation. Others do perfectly fine without it. I've used both and find the simple compass works just fine for all but the most exacting requirements. The reality is that you can't follow a bearing in the field over real terrain to better than 5-10 degrees anyway, so reading bearings to 1-2 degrees is overkill. Smart navigators always use the concept of "aiming off" to compensate for their inability to navigate that accurately (check any good map and compass book for an explanation). The Brunton works well for trail hikers and moderate cross-country work. It is also a good choice to use with a GPS receiver or as a backup compass. For people who are creating trail maps or doing survey work, a mirror compass is a better choice, in which case you might consider going with the absolute best, the Brunton Pocket Transit. But at a price of $250-300, it's not going to compete with the under $10 Brunton Classic.
Customer Review: Good design but durability lacks
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
Some of the reviews I read sounded like they were written by people who had little real wilderness experience. A compass like this one is exactly what Boy Scouts learn to navigate with. Contrary to one review, this compass does have a declination adjustment. It is a bottom plate with an alignment arrow that turns independent of the top. So, in my case, I set the alignment arrow so that it is +19 degrees off of of zero (N). Now all I have to do is align the magnetic needle with the off set arrow and the compass readings all read true. There are several types of compasses. This is what I call "Type A". A magnetic needle operates independently of the compass card. It is the most popular type. You should read a book or on line to figure out how to do a few simple things like orienting the compass and taking a bearing, and understanding declination. My only complaint on this compass is that after rattling around in my pack for a few years the letters and numbers on the base plate almost wore off. Perhaps you should purchase a case for your compass. I helped teach a mountaineering class yesterday and this is the type of compass is what everybody used. 4 teams bushwhacked through steep terrain following a compass heading for over a mile and all (independently) came out within 100 to 150 feet of their destination. Conclusion: this type compass is good for woods navigation, a site mirror or a lensatic type is not needed.
I gave it only 3 stars because there are so many brands that are similar I can't say it is better than average, except it looks pretty cool with the colored base, and is easy to read.
Customer Review: Brunton Classic Compass
Sport shop rating: 3 Stars
hi all
got Brunton Classic Compass a few months back.
a very decent basic compass for hiking and orienteering,...
the dial is clear, the needle stabilizes fast.
Only two things bothered me..i had a few friends having a Silva Polaris Base Plate Compass. right at where i need to read my heading ((((the directional arrow coinciding with the azimuth degrees on the rotating dial...they have a small white mark --- an extension of the directional arrow (index pointer) ...just below the transparent dial).)))
So if you want to head 140 degrees ON Brunton Classic Compass .you have to keep an eye on the dial and try to line it up to the directional arrow... you will face the same problem WHEN NOT having a sighting and signaling mirror....
if you want to Silva Polaris Base Plate Compass-- the small white mark just below the rotating dial will help you to keep your eye right on the degrees and to stop at 140 degrees the moment it coincides with the directional arrow
the other thing is : declination adjustment. i have to do it every time with Brunton Classic Compass....i did not see any adjustable declination. the product feature in amazon said ..adjustable declination.
i did not or could not locate any feature like that nor any screw driver type instrument to adjust for declination. i have to do the math in my head everything i wanted to go...i am a statistician and this did not bother me...but the product description on amazon should be changed