Customer Reviews

Brunton 15TDCL Compass

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Brunton type 15 is an excellent compass. What I enjoy the most is having the protractors (both 1:50,000 and 1:24,000) cut right into its baseplate. This eliminates the need to carry a separate plastic protractor like we did in the Army. The entire compass has easy to read numbers, everything is sharply etched, including the glow-in-the-dark points, of which there are eight. The needle swings freely with no stoppages or hiccups. The azimuth ring moves smoothly too, but is built into the frame tightly enough so that it won't slip accidentally. The best feature by far is the declination adjustment. I think this time saver would have been considered cheating in the Army. The type 15 for Brunton is still made in Sweden where it originated. Most of their competition, even those that once produced military quality compasses like Silva, now have their instruments churned out of southeast Asian factories, despite selling them for comparable prices.

The Silva Ranger type 15 used to be a very good compass, They changed it and is now an absolute joke. This Brunton Nexus Elite is the same as the old Silva Ranger type 15 and is an excellent compass. The person who rated it and complained that it was not digital does not know enough about a compass to be buying one in the first place.(Does it even remotely look digital?) I have done forestry work for a long time and I would take this compass anywhere. Very accurate for somebody that knows how to use a compass.

I recently upgraded to the BRUNTON MODEL 15 compass and am very satisfied. I am a Search And Rescue Technician Instructor and teach land navigation. I have been using one of the other high quality mirror compasses for about 15 years. Several students in the last SARTECH class had BRUNTON MODEL 15 compasses which I experimented with. By the end of the class I made the switch. Specifically I found the compass to be more sturdy, the bezel moves freely without binding, the mirror adjusts smoothly without binding, the needle sets more quickly with less swing, and the base plate has a built in UTM Grid Reader. The most important feature for those of us with aging eyes, the dial is much easier to read. The bezel is red so the numbers contrast more clearly. The numbers on the bezel are larger and clearer than other high quality mirror compasses. In totality, I have found the BRUNTON MODEL 15 compass to be more accurate, faster to use, and easier to read.

Thanks BRUNTON - GOOD JOB!

Dallas

Over the years I have owned several compasses, and this one is, hands down, the best. It is well thought out, easy to use and has a fantastic array of features for a $50 compass. While I haven't abused the compass, it's construction tells me that it can take a beating. I'm really impressed and I recommend it without reservation. Hats off to Amazon.com for getting it to me in one day - shipped for free!

This is a great compass packed with lots of features.
Its easy to adjust the declination and the bezel numbers are easily read.

The sighting hole is a little smaller which made it difficult to sight on small objects over 4 miles away on a foggy day (some trees on the horizon), but that is a fairly specialized case. It is also shorter than some other compasses which can add some complexity for map work and the rounded corners make it difficult to use the lid as an extension.

However, there were some other features that just make this a killer compass in my opinion. In fact, I purchased and promptly replaced another brand of compass with this Brunton when I saw the Brunton in use at a Mountaineers workshop.

This compass has UTM grids (1:24k and 1:50k) printed on it as well as a inch and centimeter ruler. The UTM grids have a small hole so you can either look through the baseplate unhindered or make a small mark on your map at precisely the right point.

Amazon sells it at a competitive price to other retailers, both brick and online.

I'm so glad I researched compasses because the old standby compass that was the industry standard is now made by Brunton so you can't go by the old name anymore (I don't recall what it was). This compass has all the nice extras that make it very easy to use including the mirror and declination adjustment. The instructions didn't say how to adjust for declination, but you use the attached screwdriver blade on the screw at the top of the bezel ring. Get a good navigation book (I recommend "Map & Compass" by Bjorn Hjellstrom).

I own 2 of this 15 models, one very old and made in europe, one i think made in china. Both are different in make and accuracy. Since almost of good brand names are made in China, I have no choice but continue my collection with Suunto brand - which is still made in Europe. I traveled rainforests in Asia more than 2 months in a year, and I trust only to Cammenga Lensatic, which is made in USA. My life and my team all carry one Cammenga in their pockets. If you are recreational vacationist, any Silva, Brunton, Nexus, Suunto, or Recta, will do the job fine. Just choose the model with adjustable declination wheel. Rainforests are very easy to get lost, so I depend on my Cammenga. And if your budget can be spent only once in every many years, then go for Cammenga. The king of compass, at least to me. Happy Bearings to All.

Note that this is the real deal, made in Sweden not in China. Worth every penny. This is the Compass you can pass down to your grandson or granddaughter...

This has all the features you need for navigating with a map while hiking and backpacking. The declination adjuster works great. The compass is solid and easy to work with. Even the small magnifier is useful (I was surprised to discover). This is a lifelong compass.

A great purchase and a fine, easy to work compass for SAR activities and missions.