Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice altimeter, great price, but instructions a bit confusing, August 10, 2007
I needed an altimeter so I could climb some mountain passes safely after diving. When I saw this one I put it on my wish list and shopped the local hiking stores. Everything I looked at was double the price, and I didn't need a GPS so I ordered it.
Just picking this device up it feels well made with a nice heft to it, and looks much nicer than the units I saw for half the price. Also, the bezel that adjusts the altitude and air pressure is tight enough so it won't move on it's own or accidently, but feels very smooth when adjusted. And, it's very easy to read.
I wasn't able to give it a full work out, but I live in the mountains and took it for a brief ride and it worked fine. Again, a large gauge that's extremely easy to read, and it's in feet, not meters like some other altimeters.
So, if it's so nice why only 4 stars? Well, the lanyard that comes with it is about 14" long and is only adjustable for size, not length. In other words, you can put it around your neck and then tighten it up so it doesn't fall off. The lanyard is removable using a small plastic clip, which makes me wonder why it didn't come with a short belt clip or some other attachment that would enable you to easily attach it your pants or a backpack. Maybe you can find something at your local hiking shop.
Also, as with most altimeters, you can use the unit as a barometer and predict the weather with it. While I don't plan on doing this, the instructions were hard for me to figure out and I consider myself to be fairly bright.
So, this unit should serve me well, and I like it, but a belt clip would have easily earned this altimeter 5 stars.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb mechanical altimter, tough and ccurate for altitude, August 29, 2008
I bought this a week ago and used it on a grueling day hike on the north side of Mt. Hood. I had pre-plotted waypoints with elevations on a 1:24,000 USGS topo map and also carried my Garmin Etrex Legend GPS. I had oreviously gotten off the trail in some steep, confusing terrain and not knowing how far down the ridge I was made it difficult to know how far from the trail or river I was. I wanted a good, tough altimeter to complement my compass for better location identification against the topo map and as backup to my GPS.
At home I tried to calibrate it via the county survey info for my property and the weather station's barometric pressure (given for sea level). Set for the given altitude of 180 ft. The barometer was always about 0.2 inches of Mercury too high. So, I don't think the factory correctly set the fixed barometric scale. It would still be useful to get changes in barometric pressure, or if you mentally make adjustments for the known variance. Anyway, I did not buy it as a barometer but for checking elevations.
The altimeter is very sturdily built inside a tough plastic case (ABS plastic?). It has a subtle no-slip texture. The altitude setting dial moves precisely and stays in place. It did move when I stuffed it in a tight belt pouch, but not in my pants pocket or normal use. I looped the strap around my pack belt and had the altimeter hanging inside my hiking shorts pocket. The scale also is very precise and marked in 100 ft. increments. I used it to estimated to the nearest 25 ft. If the needle was half way between 100 ft. lines I called it 50 ft. and if between the midpoint and the indicator line I called it 25 ft or 75 ft. This is the most you can expect from any mechanical altimeter. To get more precise you have to spend at least $150 for an electronic instrument. I wanted something without batteries and absolutely reliable in the harshest conditions. I think this Brunton altimeter meets all my expectations.
On the hike I set the altitude for 4,000 ft at the trail head as indicated by the USGS map and guidebook. GPS read 3975 ft. but GPS itself cannot be much more accurate then about 100 ft. due to the geometry of satellites (less accurate vertically than horizontal coordinates). Over a 12 mile day hike ascending to 5,800 ft and varying up and down, I checked it against the map topo lines and the GPS unit. It was always within about 25 ft or sometimes exactly the same as both. Since the topo map has elevation lines every 40 ft. this was plenty accurate.
I am in my fifties with contacts intended for long distance vision so I am challenged to see fine detail up close but had no problem at all with the Brunton altitude scale marks. I think anyone could use it for getting elevations to the nearest 50 ft. and if you look closely you could likely get within 25 ft. I carried a Fresnel magnifier just in case, but never needed it in the bright sunlight and shade. Because it was on a strap it did get bumped around several times against logs and rocks or the ground as I was crashing for a lunch or water break, or getting up and strapped in again. The rim of the case is slightly raised above the lens so it helps protect it from impacts without getting in the way.
I did not find the need to keep calibrating the altitude against known elevations trail intersections, viewpoints, etc.). The weather was clear and not changing so it gave consistently accurate readings the whole day.
I don't like buying instruments over the Web because I can't feel or see the detail. But the Brunton ADC Ridge Altimeter met my every expectation:
- Easy to read scale
- Consistent
- Accurate to at least 50 ft.
- Inexpensive compared to electronic altimeters
- Tough
- Simple to use, no batteries
This is a keeper and I expect it will see a lot of miles whenever I go into steep terrain. I may someday get an electronic altimeter, like the ones built into watches, but I will keep this one as a backup even then. A GPS is pretty good all around position locator and navigation aid, but sometimes while hiking I am in deep forest where the GPS doesn't work or it could get broken. A good compass, topo map and altimeter can do much of the same position fixing and navigation.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ol' reliable, August 23, 2007
When I went to Tibet,this altimeter was in my back pack 24/7. It was incredibly reliable and a great deal of fun to see how high, or how low, we were going. I strongly recommend it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
