Gear Review
Brunton 54LU Baseplate Compass
Nice Compass, but no Adjustable Declination?
By ult2956956
Ranked #89 - Life Jackets and Safety Gear
November 1, 2009
This is a pretty sweet compass. It's long enough to use on maps, has several scales, a magnifier, and glow-in-the-dark points (see picture). The most noteworthy feature is the sighting window in the bezel of the compass, which is capable of taking bearings accurate to ±.5 degrees.
The bad:
-No adjustable declination setting. I don't know about the construction of compasses, but it seems that it wouldn't be too hard to add this feature. It is fine to use, but you have to stop and think about whether you're adding or subtracting declination, etc. This is what kept this from a 5-star rating.
Edit: After thinking about it for a bit, I've decided that the reason they cannot include an adjustable magnetic declination is because that wouldn't work with the sighting window, and would lead to people getting lost once they got confused. Better that they're consistent, I guess.
View Details: Brunton 54LU Baseplate Compass
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
Tech Specs:
- Material:
- Plastic
- Adjustable Declination:
- No
- Sighting Hole:
- Yes
- Sighting Mirror:
- Yes, internal
- Buoyant:
- No
- Magnified Readout:
- No
- Bubble Level:
- No
- Slope Meter:
- No
- Digital:
- No
- Backlight:
- No
- Battery Type:
- N / A
- Battery Life:
- N / A
- Low Battery Indicator:
- N / A
- Dimensions:
- 4.9 x 2.4 x 0.6in (12.45 x 6.1 x 1.52cm)
- Weight:
- 1.4oz (37g)
- Recommended Use:
- Traditional map reading, adventure racing
- Manufacturer Warranty:
- Lifetime
Change me.