Clipper

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 :)

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.

After getting stranded in a city where the phone navigation app could not connect to a cell or Wifi network due to all the tall buildings and narrow streets and provide step by step directions, I started looking for a "real" compass that would not drain the battery using the compass app on my iPhone. The Suunto Clipper is the third compass I've tried. Suunto is a great brand, making quality compasses for years. Pros - great price, well made, rotating bezel, and very accurate. Note: I always wear two watches, an Apple watch on one wrist, an analogue watch on the other. Analogue Cons - If worn with a watch clipped to the watch strap close to watch case (most logical location to use the compass): on all of my watches with 20mm straps, the metal, battery, or capacitor in the watch created Deviation, which refers to the error in a compass reading caused by local magnetic fields created by nearby metal objects or electrical currents, which can pull the compass needle off its true north alignment. While the amount of deviation was minimal to extreme, I am unable to use this compass with any of my watches. I tested this with five analogue watches, all with stainless steel or titanium cases. Straps also non magnetic. 1. Geneve battery powered "quartz", 2. Seiko kinetic, 3. Hamilton automatic, 4 & 5 Squale automatic. Also tried with Apple watch 7, the strap is too wide for a good/snug fit and also a lot of unacceptable deviation. This compass will likely work well clipped to clothing or gear straps. It will also perform well if worn on on a wrist on a separate strap away from your watch.

It's a great little compass, what more to say? Well, I appreciate the locking tab that keeps it on the watch band for one, and the adjustable azimuth ring. Fits perfectly on a NATO strap. No replacement for a full size compass if you're navigating, but this doesn't weigh a thing and it's right there at hand.

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.

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.

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.

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.