This compass sucked for three main reasons. 1) The numbers wore off in a couple of days - they are only painted on, not etched. 2) The solid-colored circle at the center meant that laying it on a map hid that section of the map. 3) Most compasses have lines on the base for map alignment - this one doesn't. The secnd two reasons make this compass inappropriate for mapping or professional use. The first makes this compass an unwise choice even for recreatitional use. My background: I am a Supervisor for a professional archaeological firm. I also have a wide range of outdoor experience including dayhiking and backpacking. Thanks for reading.

Customer Service

Brunton finally sent me a refund check for the purchase price. Their usual practive is replacement, but that would have been as useless as the original.

Similar Products Used:

Can't say enough good things about the Suunto M3 compass! Very sturdy, every feature commonly needed, and priced less.

Great compass. Well worth the cash. It is really well made and durable except that you can get sand/grit/dirt in the bezel and it grinds when you turn it.

I got a Brunton 8097 about a year ago to do orienteering. It is fairly easy to use and align the circles to get your degree heading, and fits comfortably in the palm. It's a pretty big compass and probably not ideal for pro-level orienteering, but for ordinary hiking it's great.

Similar Products Used:

Various Suunto and Silva orienteering and hiking compasses