Customer Reviews

Suunto MC-2G Global Compass

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Suunto MC-2G and the Silva Ranger are the two high end (read: expensive) compasses out there. I'm not sure why they are worth the money, but I own both and here's my take on the head-to-head comparison. Both compasses are about the same, but the Suunto has the edge for three or four reasons:

1) The housing turns more smoothly on the Suunto than the Silva. Not a big deal either way, but the Silva turns smooth for a bit and then hangs up a bit. Suunto is smooth the whole way around.

2) The Suunto has half-moon window in the mirror for easier sighting whereas the Silva does not for some reason. Again, no big deal, but I like having the window.

3) The Suunto needle doesn't get hung up if you aren't holding it perfectly level, whereas the Silva can hang a bit. The reason the Suunto doesn't get hung up is because it has these two tiny pins attached to the needle that rest against the top of the housing and keep the needle level. I held both compasses side by side and moved them around a bit. The Suunto consistentlly found north a little more quickly and didn't get hung up. This is a somewhat signficant difference.

4) This is really insignificant, but the Suunto declination markings are printed so that you are looking at the markings on the same side you are turning the declination screw. With the Silva, you turn the screw on the backside and look at the markings on the other side. It's such a minor point that it is almost not worth mentioning, but once again, a small edge for Suunto.

4.5) And now for perhaps the most significant difference of all...the Suunto looks a little cooler.

I rate both products four stars instead of five because of price. I can't see that there is any significant difference in the manufacturing costs of a compass like these two and something in the $15-$30 range. But I like sighting with a mirror and I'm inclined to buy what appears to be "the best" even if it is more expensive. I'm not sure the price is justified in this case, but when all is said and done both are excellent compasses.

The compass handles very nicely. The housing is more comfortable to turn than the Silva Ranger CL. This started to become significant after a few minutes of handling. The Suunto can be used with one hand whereas it was difficult for me to operate the Silva due to the small knurls on the housing.

The bottom part of the mirror has a half-moon hole in it allowing a midpoint view of your map. Very nice.

The global gimbal system on the needle is pretty handy as you don't have to hold the compass totally flat for it to operate correctly. Or I could learn to hold the base level, too. Presumably in the southern hemisphere the magnetic field causes the compass needle to roll a bit.

The one very strange thing about this model is that the declination markers inside the housing are printed upside down. It appears that Suunto went with the declination readable from the opposing side while making the declination adjustment since the compass must be turned upside down to do this. It's an interesting way to differentiate.

The inclinometer is probably pretty handy for snow travel among other things.

The base is a little wide for my hand, as is the Silva. The mirror appears replaceable. Good thing since it's glass. The map markings don't start on the edge of compass. I prefer this since I never feel comfortable with that, but it's a personal preference. It has a 1:24000 and 1:62500 (?) scale for map measurements.

The sighting notch seems to work well. The lid snaps on to the base tightly and due to the thickness of the lid, you can't quite twist your thumb to pop it. It's a practice problem, I'm guessing.

The key on the lanyard is for adjusting the declination, though I don't think I'd do it because I'd forget to realign it.

The compass is very heavy compared to a baseplate design but that's due to the lid. It's a consideration if you're an ultralighter. Those ounces really do add up. There are lighter mirror compasses available.

The base does not have a centimeter scale whereas the Silva does.

I have used my MC-2G for about a year and am very impressed, I can not think of any improvements that I would make. To adjust the magnetic declination, the compass is flipped upside down for access to the adjustment screw and for direct reading of the declination scale. The fine green index line was a little difficult to see until I started the adjustment and the line moved away from the red declination marks. Now that I know what it looks like - it is easy to spot. Two of the scales read directly in miles, one scale for maps using 1:24000 (1 inch=24000 map inches) and one scale for maps using 1:62500 (1 inch=62500 map inches). I believe the scales do not go to the corners of the compass because the corners are rounded, plus the three scales would then overlap. This is my favorite compass.

US Special Ops forces use this compass. This is pretty indicative of its reliability.
I own this compass as well as the Silva Ranger. They're both great compasses, but I prefer the Suunto (in spite of the fact that Suunto now makes the Silva compasses as well). The housing is indeed easier to turn on the Suunto, which is handy when you're shooting by sight. The Romer scales on the base are nice, although if you're serious you're probably already carrying a transparent Romer scale card (that's the plastic Graphic Training Aid thingy you take coordinates with, for all of you Lt.'s out there).
When I backpack, I take this Suunto as well as the Suunto GPS plotter compass, for working with (surprise) my map and GPS. If the Romer scales on the baseplate are really, really important to you, you might look into that compass as well/or instead of, as it features more scales and is just as accurate a compass.
All in all, this is the ultimate baseplate compass, in my opinion. I have miles and miles of rifle-piloting in the US Army behind me and now hump the hills for pleasure; land-navigation is a passion for me. Suunto makes the tools that I find most useful in that pursuit.

WOW!!! When I first saw this I was looking for several different tools, not an all in one. This Compass fulfilled all my requirements and I didn't even realize that it would when I bought it. I work on Satellite communications systems and aligning antennae is part of my daily taskings. This compass has a movable bezil ring which makes finding a bearing incredibly simple. It works well in the northern hemisphere. I have not had the opertunity to use it in the southern as of yet. The Clinometer makes it quite simple to get elevation angles nearly perfect. I have also done some hiking with it and I have not become lost as of yet. The literature that comes with the compass is easy to understand.

I'm not exactly an avid adventurer, and I suspect a much cheaper compass would probably get the job done. But, if you really want a sighting compass, this particular one works extremely well.

Pros:
1. Very easy to set the declination.
2. All of the markings you need are easy to read.
3. The sights are very accurate, when using the appropriate care and expertise.
4. The needle glides easily into position and remains relatively steady.

Cons:
1. Really, just the price.

Honestly, this is a lovely, extremely functional, high quality, well designed tool and you won't be disappointed. I contacted customer support once online, they emailed me back with the solution in two days.

The main reason I chose this compass over the much cheaper and equally as accurate Brunton 15TDCL is the global needle. Otherwise, the Brunton has everything else I want at half the cost at my local REI or $25 less on Amazon.

Global needle:
Great considering I will be traveling to the southern hemisphere, saving me from buying another compass just for that. The tracks really quickly and settles just as fast.

Other positives include:
1) The black lettering on white-glow background is easier to read
2) The mirror has a larger sighting hole at the base if that's how you sight.
3) Lower profile when closed
4) The reverse declination scale is intuitive and "out of the way" when viewing from above, yet works really well when using the clinometer and reading with the mirror and reversing the numbers again for easy reading.
5) Strong glow in the dark material.
6) This is big: made in Europe and not China.

Negatives (not necessarily compared to the Brunton):
1) Big square cover. Larger foot print because of the squared corners than the Brunton. The squared edges of the mirror cover are also less comfortable.
2) The scales on the baseplate either have inches and no centimeters, or 1:24000/1:62500, or 1:25000/1:50000. One could easily get rid of the 1:25000 or 1:50000 and replace it with 1:240000 since it is half.
3) The etching isn't very deep making it easy to chip off the paint from the baseplate. The logo and model number aren't even etched in.
4) Although this is extra, the snap release isn't very secure. The lanyard just barely hangs inside making it likely to come off when putting in a bag. Better to just loop the lanyard directly to the baseplate.
5) The magnifying glass could be larger to be useful as a firestarter too.
6) Price.

For those looking for a serious compass, this is the one. Easy to use, easy to read, declination adjusts well. Durable, great mirror and back track capabilities. Have used it extensively since I bought it... love it!

What more can people say than Suunto has the best on the market at this time with their Global Compass System? My research into compasses led to this as the best value I could find. I have no regrets in this purchase.

This compass has it all. You will not be disappointed. It is well constructed and thought out. A must have for anyone who leaves the main roads.