NH, One Size : Suunto MB-6 Matchbox Compass

This is Suunto's version of the tried and true Swiss Recta compass. Small and protected when closed, it provides a long sight line when open. The markings on the bottom of the compass are in mirror script, so the image in the mirror is very easy to read. The mirror can slide back into the box for working on a map, and the flat bottom and long sides make taking readings on a map easy. Declination is simple and quick to adjust with the little screwdriver attached to the lanyard. Unless you need to go into combat or are a total klutz, this compass will last a lifetime.

The Suunto MB-6 compass works for both the recreational user and the serious orienteer. It is accurate, reliable, easy to quickly read and its matchbox case protects the compass and provides a small footprint that fits easily in a pocket or can be conveniently worn on its lanyard around the neck. Moderately priced (list $60). This is a great all-purpose compass for those wanting more than a $10 toy and less than a $200 "professional instrument."

I choose this rating because I did not receive the correct one as shown on the picture. Instead I received a complete black one.But still it met my expectations and did the work.

Since I have some other Suunto products, I honestly expected that I was going to be blown away by this and would give it five stars. I am not. Don't get me wrong - it's a good product and I'd buy it again, but it's not quite as good as I thought.First, the good. The compass compacts into a very small box, is very light, and seems to be very sturdy. It won't break if you sit on it or throw it into your backpack together with pans and pots. It is readable and easy to use. It will likely last a lifetime (except for the lanyard). The lanyard can be replaced with some work (see below).The ok: the open-close action is a bit clunky, does not feel very precise and requires some amount of force and wiggling. The mirror slides in and and out every time you tilt the compass lengthwise. The mirror image of the compass while aiming at something is exactly what I'd call great, but it works.The bad: the lanyard is made of some very flimsy, semi-stretchy material and is on the short side. This will definitely not last as long as the rest of the compass. The compass comes with a tiny screwdriver to adjust the declination. That screwdriver looks like it's very well made, but is of extremely flimsy quality and twisted into a corkscrew immediately.I replaced the lanyard immediately by something better. Here's how.What you need:- A very small flathead screwdriver that is NOT MAGNETIZED- It helps to have a small pair of needlenose pliers or large tweezers to pull the new lanyard through.- If you want to install a lanyard that's much thicker than the original, you will need a drill with an appropriate drill bit to expand the original hole. The original hole is about 3 mm, and 5.5 mm is about the biggest you can go.How you do it:- Open the compass and turn it face down- Remove the three screws from the bottom. Use a screwdriver that IS NOT MAGNETIC. A magnetic screwdriver may ruin the compass.- The original lanyard is held in place by a knot on the end. Note that the two ends are knotted together and folded over to one side.- Pull the lanyard out.- Put in your own lanyard. I installed one made of Kelty Triptease guyline which reflects in the dark, so I can find the compass more easily. You may need to drill out the original lanyard hole if you install something thicker. I found that 5.5 mm is perfect for Kelty Triptease guyline. That's also probably about as big as you can go.- Also note that there is space on *both* sides of the hole. If you have a thicker than original lanyard, you may not be able to install it like the original (ends knotted together and stashed to one side). Instead, make two independent knots on the each end of the line, and put one on the left, and one on the right. The compass even has grooves in the reinforcements to allow that.

Before you buy, please, be aware that if you have any issues with the product that the company's customer service is very BAD and that in my view there are better choices out there.Given the cost of this compass, I expect Suunto to stand behind their product and treat thier customers reasonably. Older reivews I've read have noted good customer service. This certainly is not been my experience. I don't know if this is because management has changed or if they have just decided to become jerks. What I do know is that it took them over a week to respond to my customer service request and four weeks after that, which has included seven rounds of emails and my even offering to buy the part, things are still not resolved and I am getting the run around from their customer service.So this review is partially to warn customers about the VERY BAD Customer service from Suunto and to review the product.In regard to the Matchbox compass itself, my views after some extensive use are as follows:- It is small being about 2/3 the size of a normal base plate compass. This makes reading it much harder. It is not impossible to read and your eyes may be better than mine but I find it hard to read and wish it was bigger.- the luminescence kind of works but not quite good enough to be actually useful. Part of the issue, I think, is that because the compass is enclosed in a box most of the time the luminescence does not charge. Also the north arow does not shine up that well even when it is charged. All in all the luminescence is what I would rate as useless. Suggest a head lamp with night light filter, so as not to lose night vision, if your going to be using in low light conditons.- the match box closes up tight - which is good. However, some force is required to open it and this almost makes it feel as though your going to break it. So far I have not broken it and I'm not sure if I will but its a concern and by no means does it open or close smoothly.- I like the sighting lines and the mirror under it for taking a bearing. Although given the size its hard to read the degrees.- the mirror seems to bang around in the match box which is of some concern but so far nothing has been damaged. The rattle does, however, make it feel kind of flimsy or like a cheap toy.- My brother owns the Suunto MC-2G compact mirrored compass and I must say that the global needle is significantly better than the non-global needle in my compass. The global needle does not have to be held as flat and finds north much faster. I think the global needle model cost $10-15 more and I would say are worth the money.- The lanyard is really cheap and in fact I replaced mine. Note, that in order to replace the lanyard you need to take the matchbox apart by unscrewing four screws. It was in doing this that the declination screwdriver got messed up. While the declination screw driver would operate the declination screw it is to soft to work the screws holding the matchbox together. So based on my experience - do not use the brass declination screwdriver for anything but the declination screw. Note, the declination screw is accessed through a small hole in the housing which requires a screwdriver with some length to it. This means that the screwdriver required needs to be somewhat unique and the requirement to get one from the Suunto should you damage or lose it - good luck in doing that, five weeks latter and I still have not.So my recommendation - While the compass has operated fine and is a neat little device / gadget, in my view, I would not buy again nor would I recommend it to a friend. This is primarliy because of the issues that I've had with customer service, or more accurately the lack there of. Based on my experience should anything go wrong with the compass you can forget about any help from the Suunto and for a $60 plus item this is just not acceptable in my view.If, however, you want to risk buying a Suunto product (something I will not recommend) then I think that the MC-2 base plate compass with the global needle, which my brother has, would be a better choice. It is slightly cheaper than this one, about a third larger, which makes reading / using it much easier, and has a cover to protect both the mirror and the compass (not quite as neat as the matchbox but does essentially the same thing). Its mirror is also a lot larger and could possibly be of some use in an emergency. However, should the compass develop any issues, based on my experience, you will be on your own and will not be getting any help from Suunto.