Wholesale Lot 24pcs Small Mini Compasses For Survival Emergency Paracord

These little liquid filled compasses arrived loose in a very small padded envelope. They are much smaller than I expected and they'd be easy to loose, but I wanted them for small survival kits, and for this they are perfect. Some of the other reviewers have mentioned that not all of the compasses are accurate and that you need to weed through them. I found this too be the case, but out of 24 I still got 18-20 reasonably accurate compasses. Still a screamin' deal.I suggest laying them out on a table far away from one another so that they don't affect the readings on the compasses surrounding them, and compare each to a regular-sized quality compass if possible. Shake each up then set it down to let the disc settle to check the accuracy. Toss all of the ones that are not very accurate so that the remaining ones are correct when you need them to be. These are small enough that it would be reasonable to put two into each survival kit so that you had a backup or so you could compare the two. Just make sure they are away from each other and metal objects and surfaces before taking a reading. The liquid inside has no bubbles and makes the spinning action nice and smooth and the vibration dampened. For the price these are an easy 5-stars.

It took 2 months, maybe 3, for these to arrive. I'd have to go check the order date to be accurate. which is why they don't get a better rating.The compasses themselves are fine for their intended purpose. I checked them, they all pointed North at room temperature. 2 of them were slow and "sticky" so I discarded them. I cooled a couple in the freezer 0 degrees and the refrigerator 40 degrees. They both grew some bubbles and got a bit sticky. Warmed in my pocket they were OK. They're little, 3/4" dia x 1/4" thick with a flat base. They're adequate to find Cardinal and Inter Cardinal directions.Personally, if I need a compass I always carry at least two. Typically I'll have a spherical pin-on SEWN to a pack strap or my coat. They're real handy for direction at a glance. These WILL get waterlogged after 6 months to 2 years and be unreliable. In the early stages it's subtle. I also carry a flat base Silva style usually in my pack. The better ones are suitable for actual land navigation.I can also find direction from the Sun (if visible) and the time to whatever degree of accuracy I need. Very simply, at 12 Noon standard Time (1PM Daylight time) the Sun will bear due South 180 degrees True. The shadow cast by a stick in the ground will form a N/S line. The Sun travels across the sky at 15 degrees/hour. At 6 PM Standard time the Sun has traveled 90 degrees.180 + 90 = 270 due West. The stick shadow is E/W. Remember these are true bearings. Your compass will read somewhat differently depending on local Variation.

Well, they're liquid-filled which is nice because it keeps them from spinning around forever before settling which allows them be used "on the move" as long as you hold it reasonably level while slowing your pace for a moment. The cardinal N, E, S and W points don't glow but are a highly visible green. There are also no provisions like a watch strap-slot for attaching to anything.I went in with VERY low expectations and bought the 24 pack knowing I really needed less. Here's the breakdown: none were cracked, leaking, scratched or even had an air bubble. In fact, the lens reminded me of lucite and is very strong and scratch resistant. So far, so good.. But after this came the weeding out the bad ones and "safety in number" is a term that truly applies here. Ever see a nature show with hundreds of baby turtles scurrying for the safety of the sea? They run a gauntlet of seagulls, crabs and iguanas who pick them off left and right until only a handful actually make it (yeah, ..like TWO!) Well, if you buy these you'll fare better than that, but forget about getting 24 good ones out of 24 because only half of these little guys managed to avoid my garbage can. In other words, YOU are the manufacturer's only quality control officer.Among those that got weeded out of the herd were some that "wanted" to go north but didn't pivot smoothly and would get stuck until I tapped it a few times to coax it along. The cheapskate in me considered keeping these, but then I slapped myself for thinking it and immediately tossed them in the trash. Next up were the ones that moved smoothly but were just a little off, usually favoring W about 5-10 degrees. But considering that these are button compasses and only useful for general direction, every bit of accuracy truly needs to be in your favor so I tossed those too. Anyway.. by the time I was done, 12 got tossed and 12 remained, but the surviving 12 are 100% and snap consistently and accurately north.Regarding durability, I stepped on the bad ones with 200lbs and a hard shoe but none cracked or even suffered a scratch.For the very cheap price I paid, a dozen accurate, virtually indestructible compasses are a pretty good deal as long as you keep in mind that you'll have to dedicate a few minutes weeding out the bad ones. While the idea of a button compass is pretty cool, the reality of it is that their diminutive size limits their usefulness no matter how high quality or accurate they are. So even if I needed "only one", there wouldn't be any point in blowing almost twenty bucks for a Finnish made Suunto since its precision accuracy wouldn't really help any more than a cheap one that's also verified to be just as accurate. Plus, going the cheap "bulk purchase" route allows you to put them everywhere: Altoids tins, one in each pack, etc.