Suunto M-9 Wrist Compass

Other products by Suunto

Product Features

• Handy and reliable wrist compass for navigating around town or the country
• Employs Suunto's two-zone system for reliable readings in northern hemisphere
• Serrated bezel ring turns easily even when you're wearing gloves
• Ratchet mechanism for setting direction; jewel bearing and side reading window
• Measures 1.6 x 0.6 x 1.9 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 1.2 ounces; lifetime warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Navigating around town or through the countryside has never been easier thanks to Suunto's handy and reliable M-9 wrist compass. Featuring a serrated bezel ring that turns easily even when you're wearing gloves and a luminous card that's legible in dimly lit conditions, the compass is great for hiking, biking, and a host of other activities. More significantly, the M-9 fits conveniently around your wrist like a wristwatch, so you needn't worry about rummaging through your pockets for a handheld compass each time you want to take a reading. Add in a jewel bearing, a side reading window, and a ratchet mechanism that helps you set the desired direction and you have a great "in a pinch" compass.

The M-9 employs Suunto's two-zone system to achieve precise, accurate readings regardless of location. Previously, most compasses functioned well in only one of five geographic zones. That's because the compasses were balanced differently based on the zone's inclination, i.e., the vertical intensity and direction of the Earth's magnetic field. However, as people began to travel more, it became clear that globe-hopping adventurers needed compasses with a greater geographical range. Suunto's two-zone system, by contrast, considers only the northern and southern hemispheres. In practice, this means that a Suunto compass designed for the northern hemisphere--as the M-9 is--will still work for a fair distance into the southern hemisphere and vice-versa. Suunto is one of only two compass manufacturers to offer two-zone compasses.

The M-9, which sports a secure brass buckle on the strap, measures 1.6 by 0.6 by 1.9 inches (W x H x D) inches and weighs a mere 1.2 ounces. It's also backed by a lifetime warranty.

Product Description

The Suunto M-9 wrist compass is a handy and reliable tool that a great variety of people find invaluable. Featuring a serrated bezel ring for easy turning even while wearing gloves and available in either black or green, the Suunto M-9 enables you to navigate effectively in town or country.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FEWA7M
• Item model number: M-9
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,378 in Sports & Outdoors (See Bestsellers in Sports & Outdoors)

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  #17 in	Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Navigation > Compasses
  #35 in	Sports & Outdoors > Sports Electronics & Gadgets > Compasses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bang for Buck Compass out there ..., June 18, 2008

By	Marvin Gozum (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

If you need a compass, bigger is best, but just how big can big be? Reason is, the aiming accuracy and capability gets better if you have a large stable platform and sight. OTAH, getting a wrist compass to do the same thing is difficult to achieve, and the M-9 meets this role well. With GPS being the principle guide these days to terrestrial navigation, compasses are mostly for backup and rough heading use, so best accuracy is less practical these days in lieu of compactness, ruggedness, and light weight. Underwater, the M-9 is as good as a dedicated SCUBA compass.

I've used an M-9 since 2001, and it finally died, the plastic case cracked, some liquid leaked, so a bubble that formed keeps the pointer from spinning freely.

This is my 3rd M-9, as I've bought two, keeping one as a spare. I use them both on surface and underwater to as deep as 260' ... although not rated as a diving compass, all fluid filled devices are non-compressible and should take great depths without issue. Diving capacity has been proven for the years I've owned this compass and others who use it similarly.

Pros
Very free spinning and accurate
Light weight
Rotating degree bezel
sighting capacity
transparent case, easy to check for defects
Usable underwater to depths at least to 260'
Velcro strap binds very well underwater

Cons
If not leveled during sighting, pointer will lock [fix: flick it with your finger, and a proper direction will not change much with movement]
Plastic case, will not last forever

Summary:
I've seen a number of compasses for field use in the middle of nowhere, and for so simple a device, its amazing so many are unreliable [whatever magnets they use don't hold its magnetism permanently], inaccurate markings, or poor construction. If you get lost because your compass doesn't work when you need it, its not worth any amount of money.

Suunto has made a name for itself in compasses, and what seems cheap looking is very well engineered, yet simple.

If you need a compass for general use, the watch mounted Clipper works best. I use those underwater too to 260', to backup the M-9.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good compass for the city, May 28, 2008

By	Boricua (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

I bought this so that I could easily figure out which way is north after I get off the subway. It really comes in handy. The compass isn't really steady all the time, it tends to sway a little, but so far is has reliably pointed me in the right direction each time I hold it level and steady. The only thing is that the strap is like a cheap velcro material with a plastic buckle. It works fine, I just expected something a little nicer based on the price and from looking at the picture. For some reason too, the compass arrived seperated from the strap and it was pretty annoying to figure out how to put it on at first, and there were no directions to explain how to do it. The material that came with it that explains how to read a compass (& map) was pretty informative and useful though.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product for navigating through a strange city, January 18, 2009

By	Thomas R. Corwin (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this wrist compass successfully on a recent tour of Scandinavia, and it helped me find my way several times. It has the very nice feature of settling down quickly to a specific orientation. It's also a bargain.