Husband has a hard time with knowing his directions in life... so he wanted this compass. He has been playing with it for 3 hrs. NO JOKE!!! Ladies if you want to keep your husband busy... buy this one! Maybe he will get lost and use the compas to find his way home. It is a quality made compass by the way... i only got to see if for 2 min. but if he can be entertained with it and not complain one bit about it... its a winner in my book.

The first one I received had a sticky needle, and it was a erratic. If you turned the dial, the needle went with it. I processed a return and received a replacement product in 24 hours that works perfectly, before I even returned the bad one.

This compass is great for navigation in any area IMO. I know alot of YT videos have users showing and recommending the Suunto MC2, hey if your budget allows it, go for it. I really think you will find this one easy to use.

Got 3 of these as starter compasses to learn orienteering and navigation for myself and my 2 sons. I wanted something that would mimic a Suunto MC-2, but that I wouldn't be to broken up about if it got broken or lost. We're not the most careful people. So this particular unit in the $12-$15 price range more than fits the bill. We put stickers on ours to differentiate whose is who's. I have a green little alien on mine. We have yet to try starting a solar-induced fire with the magnifying circle, but the magnifier was one of the reasons this unit was shortlisted.

I checked the cardinal directions on our compasses against other cheapie compasses I had on hand (you know, those whistle combo and button types, but we all know you can't fully trust those). All 3 compasses generally pointed in the same direction as well in terms of consistency in the product.

I also checked and set my area's declination against the NOAA Magnetic Field Calculator (I have the link saved to the screen menu of my cellphone for always-access) as well as the little compass that comes up on Google Maps. I also for sure know where North is by my house in general and the area of my job. So this compass checks out as far as I am concerned.

For any beginner who is not aware, anytime you bring up an online topo or regular directional map, the top line edge of that map or screen is always in the direction of North. Now if that's True North or just magnetic north, I have not confirmed that fact with 100% certainty so YMMV. Also, while you're certifying coordinates make sure this (or any other) ompass is not being thrown off by metal or nearby magnets that are on your person, clothing, in picnic tables, in your phone, by firearms, etc.

The little flashlight attached to the lanyard is a nice bonus, but I don't have high hopes for that thing lasting. It's amazing to me how some people buy things at the most dirt cheap price possible and complain that something is deficient or eventually fails to work, but I digress. If this whole unit survives and functions for 6 mos. to a year, I would consider that a Big Win.

I would personally NOT take this unit on a big, long-term thru-hike or into a serious wilderness area for an ad hoc hike either. Maybe as a backup compass. I would just go ahead and drop some cash on Suunto, Silva, or Brunton in the $35-$75 range as your main deal. Don't be a cheapskate when your life could be on the line.

This is a great compass for using with a map. It also has many other features such as a magnifying glass and a mirror so you can make a fire and signal.