Clipper

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.

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.

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 :)

So far I’ve purchased this twice and both units failed to hold together under normal use. Overall I like the size and accuracy well enough. The luminescence is spot on being bright and long lasting. The height this sits above the watch band is quite good as well keeping a tight fit close to the wrist. I’m about to order a third unit hoping these manufacturer has improved the retention on the ring.

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.

Nice little compass with a completely inferior housing. The housing is NOT thick enough to slip over a polymer wristband of a more rugged outdoor watch like a G-Shock or a Pro-Trek. There is a clasp on the side that opens so it can be slid over the side of a map like a paper clip. That's great if I wanted a paper clip with a compass attached. I do not want that. I want a compass that I can slide onto my watch band and know that it will not open on the side and immediately flip itself off into space with the slightest force one might be exerting while moving through brush or actually using one's arms for outdoor tasks. The Suunto people need to come up with a better solution. It is most unfortunate because the Suunto compass capsule (the thing with the North/South/East/West spinny thing inside) is a pretty good capsule. Easy to see. Decent illumination after exposure to light. Liquid doesn't get cloudy. Markings don't fade. Even the rotating bezel with degree markings works well. The housing is a failure. I might actually end up making a 3d model and printing it with my 3d printer in ABS or PETG. After that, I'll pry out the capsule on a Suunto and stick it inside with a little piece of aggressive double-sided foam. That's how it's attached by Suunto. Not too hard to replicate. It's a bummer that I think I'll have to make one so I can actually use the preferred Suunto capsule. Unless one likes buying these frequently after getting launched in the outdoors, I'd stay away from it. Or at least have several with you so you can find your way.

The construction doesn't appear to be super durable, but as small and flexible as it is, it should hold up well to normal use. I love the clear markings and easy readability of it. The lum really glows! This fits fantastically on a GShock GWM5610-1.