M-3 Compass: Quality, precision compass for demanding conditions

Brilliant Compass that eliminates all the troubles that you have ever had with a cheap compass. Global needle can be used anywhere in the world. You can set declination which means not having to faff around adding or subtracting a few degrees for each bearing. Easy view clear to see degrees. Dial has raised points so you can turn the bezel easily and accurately even with thick gloves on and the whole thing lights up like a christmas tree in the dark after shining your torch on the illuminous markings. Stays glowing for hours. Good tilt angle on the needle doesnt get jammed easy and the liquid inside prevents the needle from wobblying in inclimate and freezing weather. I was a bit weary about paying more than what I thought for a compass but this is well worth the money. Well thought out piece of kit.

This is a robust and well-made compass, ideal for trekking and exploring. The markings are very clear and the rotating bezel is smooth and easy to operate. The declination adjustment is simple to make, using the supplied small tool, which I keep on the same lanyard as the compass. The only reason for 4 stars for accuracy is that as a hand held compass it's never going to be as accurate as, say, compass binoculars, but it's certainly accurate enough for general use.

I have used a variety of compasses and after failing to take the plunge on another Silva (reading that quality has dropped slightly) I opted for this Suunto instead. I will start by saying this is a Great compass, it feels robust and it does what it should. The plastic is clear and the markings for scales and measuring have a fine clarity to them. The magnifying glass is effective and the luminescent parts hold a good source of light for a long time. I quite like the protractor although I honestly cant say I have used it, It may come into its own when its taken into avalanche territory. I also like the declination adjustment as someone who works with older maps. The Bezel is nice and chunky with a good 'housing grip' meaning a gloved hand can take a sighted bearing easily. bearing increments are easy to read with a clear indication point and the compass features line up nicely to the eye for this task also. when using the compass on the map, the rubber 'feet' do a great job of holding it in place. There are a few things I was suprised about being a £48 compass (especially as people had commented on such a high quality product). Firstly the needle sometimes sticks slightly meaning care should be taken to ensure its came to rest before taking or walking on a bearing, this also occurs on the protractor but can be remedied with a slight tap. some of the printing around the bezel for the N,E,S,W are not completely printed this can be said for some of the luminescent markings too (not an issue as such, but we are paying £48). My main issue is the bezel can have 'stiction' when i am trying to make fine adjustments, it should be smoother, otherwise you rotate the compass on the map loosing your bearing or you rotate your hand when taking a sighted bearing. i understand this may be a side effect of having a housing that feels robust and reliable but its something to bear in mind if you are trying to take very accurate bearings. I do however, on balance, think this is a great piece of nav kit and it will certainly remain in my pack until further notice. The robustness and easyness of reading make it a good winter compass (operating to -30°C). I also like that the supplied lanyard has a half clasp that attaches for quick release from the compass (but strong enough to not be accidently pulled away) and that the declination adjustment tool (located on the lanyard) can also be used as a map pointer. Robustness 9/10 Readout ease 9/10 Ease of use 7/10 Features 9/10 Reliability 8/10

I originally went for the 'Silva' brand name and purchased a Expedition 4-360. A big mistake - the quality was terrible with the compass constantly sticking. I returned it and bought the SUUNTO M-3 Nh Compass which is far superior in terms of build quality and functionality. This is a great compass, easy to read and so far robust in the field.

I bought a Suunto M3 Global. Very nice compass, but rather expensive. NOTE : Neither of the models are designed with 1:25 000 or 1:50 000 ROMER users in mind - the only complete Romer scale being 1:24 000 I bought the Global version - which is just over 1/3 more than the Northern Hemisphere version, partially because I am a bit of a compass nerd and fancied the movement, but also because the ROMER scales are even worse on the NH - being just single lines. If you are thinking of the NH, have a good look at the pictures, because for 1:25 000 you will have to measure twice using the line, or measure in mm on the edge cm scales and divide each by 4 to get your a decimal fraction of a Km. Yum ! I mostly use 1:25000 and the Romer scale for this on the M-3G is an partially elongated 1:50000 scale of 2mm divisions - all denoted by cross lines equal in length, but then you have to half it i.e. it is 20 x 15 of 50m , so measuring will not be convenient. Suunto added some halved measurements for 1:25000 on top of the line to make sure you notice - but they really don't help. The cm and inch edge scale are only on one side each also on this model, so not Romer friendly. None of the scales help each other - each is placed ( plonked ) in isolation. The 1:24 00 Romer is normal, the 1:50 000 is nearly OK, the 1:25 000 Romer is a sick joke and difficult to use. I only use Romers as an exercise not for artillery spotting, so I'll survive with this. Maybe the designer found out something in advance was thinking other thoughts. This messing about counting is EXACTLY what Carrol Romer designed his Romer to avoid though. Well, you should have a small spare compass with you anyway, so buy one for the Romers or buy a cheap compass and a scrap broken one and just keep the base. The needle is very sensitive and well damped. Make sure to store the compass away from anything which might mess up the magnetism cellphones and other electronics, even metal furniture. It is as easy to use as any similar compass - i.e. very easy and will point/indicate North accurately unless you re-magnetise it somehow. Always check your compass is actually behaving by ensuring it is actually pointing north, before relying on it. The luminous indicators are OK if it is actually dark, remember to "charge" them with exposure to UV or sunlight, if the compass has been kept in the dark. The magnifying lens is the standard suunto size of 2cm diameter. I need close up glasses to read the detail on a 1:25 000 anyway. The Base plate text and scale markings are in RED, and are much thinner lines than on my old suunto RA-69, so i think black with thin text would be easier to see. I used to prefer the red markings, because they were all etched with quite wide lines in those days, and I found the black a bit too much to look through. There is not much red on most maps, but plenty of black. If you use a red light source during night navigation ( because red light does not affect your night vision ) then you will need to lift the compass from the map a couple of mills to see the shadow - not so convenient. Good luck seeing any red lines, Danger signs etc on the map though. The cord is a bit stringy, with a snap off quick release clip, but I expect snap-off might be the term, so mine is staying on. At least it will probably detach if something tough catches on the compass. When I pull it out to length it is 45cm. I guess the cord is stringy because it has its own snap-in small-gap hook - so probably needs not to have much "give" and so probably needs to be thin to still be bendy. You can replace it with a normal loop and girth hitch. The toothed grip on the fluid cartridge means you can actually grip it to turn it. Your hands don't need to be very cold before your fingers can't grip, and it can take ages to warm them up enough. Gloves are a major survival aid because they give you your fingers back for other things too. So. On balance - I bought this because I use the compass needle ( and measure distances and count contours ) and wanted the compass which coped with dip as much to check out as anything. You don't need it for just around the UK anyway. I don't need to be able to tell people where I am on a map to 10m unless as an exercise; 10m anyway doesn't tell me where/which-is the gap in the hedge for the path I can't see is - I have to choose paths in turn and see what happens next to decide if it's the right one. If I need to give a map ref, I have to open out the map to see which Km square I am in anyway, so a faster Romer isn't a help there, especially if it's blowing a gale. Maybe this is why Suunto couldn't be bothered. That being said I can't believe how disappointingly bad the design quality of those markings is. Someone ought to tell Suunto.

It can take a little beating and get submerged in water. The declination screw is a little small and I'm afraid I'll lose the tool they provide for that. That said it's a great piece of kit and well worth the money.

Superb compass - really because it is not made in Chine like the recent Silva one. Hence the magnetism stays high and the plastic is robust. The bezel is ridged and also luminous so is easy to use in poor light and wearing gloves.

As soon as it was unpacked it felt far superior to the Swedish compasses I have used until now. Everything about it from the base weight, smooth action of the bezel and damping of the needle movement was in a different league. Highly praiseworthy bit of kit. It proves, yet again, you get what you pay for.