SE Glow-in-the-Dark Brass Compass

by American Science & Surplus

Product Features

• Night Hike? Go ahead. If you've got your glow-in-the-dark compass with you, you can find your way back without having to grope around trying to feel the moss on the north side of the trees. In brass, 2" dia x 1/2" thick, with a bezel with 2-degree increments and a 13/16" dia hook on top.

Product Description

Night Hike? Go ahead. If you've got your glow-in-the-dark compass with you, you can find your way back without having to grope around trying to feel the moss on the north side of the trees. In brass, 2" dia x 1/2" thick, with a bezel with 2-degree increments and a 13/16" dia hook on top.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1 x 6 inches ; 2.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001IABX3Y
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #1 in Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping & Hiking > Compasses
  • #2 in Sports & Outdoors > Accessories > Electronics & Gadgets > Compasses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! It's actually a decent compass! And has some promise as well..., March 19, 2009

By 

Richard Davis "[e-mail]" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SE Glow-in-the-Dark Brass Compass (Sports)

Sometimes cheaper priced products can work out! I ordered two of these as gifts based on the first review. The first thing I noticed was the needles seemed to drift aimlessly, certainly not north. When I removed them from the package and slightly wetted the top of the compass, they immediately pointed north, and have been ever since. The initial wandering was caused by a little residual static electricity, so don't panic if they don't seem to work while they're still packaged.

The luminous qualities are excellent, the outer luminous ring is bright enough to light up the compass rose at night. The needle is supposed to have a luminous dot on the north end of the needle. One had it, the other dot fell off the needle and floats around inside. For what I paid, I'm not even going to mention this to the seller. Here's a trick I've found over the years -- the phosphorous (the stuff that actually glows) gets more exited by short wavelength light than longer wavelength light. this means a cheap UV-LED microlight will really make these things glow very bright, and won't generate a lot of attention at night.

Also, these compasses are *liquid filled*, which gives a fairly steady reading. the compass actually rotates inside the brass housing, and with a little effort, can be pulled out. This might have some additional capabilities with this feature alone.

If they went one step further and used a card with luminous ordinal points instead of a plain steel needle, this would be a killer survival compass.

The brass case gives it slightly heavy feel, something I've associated with quality over the years.

Summary: a tad underpriced. Recommend buying a few extra in case the dot falls off.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looks great, functions poorly, September 20, 2010

By 

JJ MacCrimmon "JJ MacCrimmon Photography" (Huntsville, AL. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SE Glow-in-the-Dark Brass Compass (Sports)

This was purchased as an accessory to a steampunk costume being developed. While this compass is beautiful to view, if you're looking for a truly functional accessory, you may be disappointed. My chief concern about this compass is the pointer needle. The floating needle is prone to sticking against the compass base. Jolting or jarring the compass causes it to come loose but care must be given to let the needle settle without sticking further.

If you aren't looking for form with function, this is a beautiful compass. If you believe in the function and form being equal, find a better compass.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very solid, August 28, 2009

By 

J. Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SE Glow-in-the-Dark Brass Compass (Sports)

Very attractive and solidly built. Not something you'd use for wilderness survival, but adequate for general directions when traveling. Came with a California state mandated warning of carcinogens?? Maybe related to the glow-in-the-dark dial, I don't know. I don't plan to sleep with it under my pillow, anyway.