M-3

This is a review of the Suunto M-3 NH, sold by DIPNDIVE, which I purchased for $31.45 in June 2018.The "NH" in the product name means "Northern Hemisphere". A map on the packaging shows that this model is not recommended for Australia, Antarctica, New Zealand, half of South America, or half of Africa. Also, since no ordinary compass will work well near the magnetic poles, the map seems to show that it is not recommended for the northernmost parts of Alaska, Canada, or Russia. Nothing on the compass itself says Northern Hemisphere.The advantage of the M-3 is its declination adjustment. In my area, the difference between true North and magnetic North is 14.3 degrees. With a regular compass, one has to remember whether the magnetic North pole is to the left or right of the geographic North pole. This gives a lot of opportunity for error. But with the M-3, the user can easily set the declination and all will be well for use in that area.The declination is set by turning a tiny screw. It is on the bottom of the compass at eight O'Clock in the attached image. The scale that shows 14 degree west declination is seen at four O'Clock in the same image. The compass comes with a small non-magnetic screwdriver attached to its lanyard.Adjusting the declination only moves the orienting arrow. The orienting lines do not move. The result is that the compass needle points to magnetic North as always, but the dial indicates true North. I have attached an image of the M-3 sitting on the compass rose of a nautical chart. The chart is "oriented"; meaning that I carefully turned it so that its vertical lines run North and South. Note how the dial is set to North, the baseplate points to true North, and the needle points to magnetic North, which is 14.3 degrees to the left.A negative review of the M-3 described getting a fake Suunto. The compass that I received did not have any of the problems that he described. The needle on my compass is fluid dampened and works nicely. It definitely has a jewel bearing in the center. (Putting a flashlight under the compass shows that the center of the needle is not just metal.) There is no bubble in the fluid. The whole compass is high quality and well made.The luminescent parts of the compass work fine. I suppose this could be useful in moonlight on open ground, where there might be enough light to walk around without a flashlight. But if the night is so dark that you need a flashlight, wouldn't you just use the flashlight to read your compass?The compass comes with a strong plastic clip to connect the lanyard. But it is not needed. It is just as easy to connect the lanyard with a catspaw knot as shown in the attached images.The M-3 is known as a "baseplate" or "Silva System" compass. I find this design much easier to use than a lensatic compass. The Cammenga military compass is more complicated and can be very hard to read. In my opinion, baseplate is the way to go.The size of the M-3 is about 4 5/8" by 2 3/8".The M-3 perfectly agrees with my old Boy Scout compass. I do not see even one degree of difference between them. The reason to buy a Suunto M-3 instead of a $5.00 compass from a big box store is the declination adjustment, and the confidence of having a high quality device that will be sure to work when you really need it.

This is with a question one of the very best quality and value combination a compass you could buy.I teach wilderness navigation classes to 150+ students annually, and this is the one compass I recommend for all of them.Other brands such as Brunton and Silva have had some definite quality control issues recently, and I presently cannot recommend these two brands. But Suunto has been producing quality compasses for a long time, and this is a great one. Here's why it's terrific.- ergonomic design. The curved and of the compass is a reminder to always hold this in your hand when taking a bearing, or have that on your current location when you're plotting a bearing on a map. This greatly minimize is the most common mistake when using a compass, which is holding it backwards with the direction of travel arrow pointing it yourself.- adjustable declination, the most important feature. Once your compass is adjusted for your local declination, (which you can easily find with a web search for "magnetic–declination" all bearings are then taken to true north, which eliminates all the confusing backcountry arithmetic.- luminous dial, in two degree increments- well balanced needle that quickly settles on North in a liquid dampened housing- easy to read direction of travel arrow- clear long baseplate, good for using as a straight edged to plot lines.- for those of you wondering if you need a mirrored compass, the answers probably no. A mirror can be handy for backcountry grooming and putting in contact lenses and things like that, but most users will find the tiny bit of extra accuracy and buy a mirror is not needed in most backcountry navigation. A mirror also adds cost, weight, and is one more thing that can break.All in all, this is currently the best compass available at this price point. (and you definitely want to buy this compass on Amazon, at REI I think it is presently $43).

I never travel without my Suunto. Even walking in a city, Which way am I facing? Is critical. Better than any phone compass, too.

Size and weight are fine and the compass is great. We were planning on doing some orienteering and I had started learning how to set coordinates, etc. It worked very well for us.

Back in the day (the 70s and 80s), Silva made the best orienteering compasses, but no longer... Silva got bought out and now Suunto is the best.Out in the Rockies and such, where you can get really long sight lines, a mirror compass (like the excellent MC-2) will give you more accurate readings. If you live/trek out there, get that, not this. But in heavy woods, you will seldom be able to take advantave of a mirrored compass's more accurate readings, and the mirror case both shortens the base plate and makes the compass thicker/less conventient to carry.The less expensive baseplate Suunto compasses are a superb value and will serve most people very well, perfectly adequately, especially if you live in wooded flat terrain.But... this, the Suunto M-3, is the best compass for a hiker or woodsman in the Eastern United States, or anywhere where wooded terrain is the rule. Perfect size, declination adjustment-capable, good lume, useful magnifier, reasonably long base plate, solid action/adjustment, sane numerical scales, comfy champfer on the back edge.

A great compass, with a smooth turning action. I used it for 10 days backpacking and have zero complaints. The declination adjustment can be tricky when first using it, but was easy once I figured out I should insert the included mini-screwdriver into the slot, then turn the compass over to look at the faceplate while turning the screwdriver blindly from the back. The best part is it never runs out of power and never needs charging. It just works. And with minimal care I think it will keep working.

So I like most folks had trouble deciding on this compass or the the MC-3 Mirrored. I also was not sure if I wanted the global version. The Northern Hemisphere pretty much covers the mass majority of continents so I figured this was the way to go. Event if I decided I needed compass if going some place like Brazil, Patagonia, or maybe New Zealand if I really need a compass for these I would opt for another one the time comes.So this one is the "Map Compass" and has all the feature that make it that much easier to use with a map. We have all the scales printed on there for different map scales. We have a nice big base plate for projecting bearings. We have declination adjustment; Awesome! The feature I come to love is the magnifying bubble for the micro print on maps.The only thing that this compass is missing is the reverse azimuth marker. having this would make reverse direction recording a bit simpler.No biggy though. I pulled out my old Silva Boy Scout compass from 1984 and the difference in quality is laughable.The MC-2 is a solid navigation tool and I am sure I will be getting some great trips in with this tool. I am very happy with this purchase. Well done Suunto!

The Suunto brand compasses are simply the best. I work in field engineering, and I teach land navigation classes to the general public. This baseplate compass is ideal for navigating because I've never had a bubble form inside the housing. The global needle ensures accuracy with no dip. The bearings are easy to read both day and night. This is the compass I endorse for my students.

It is stated that this compass is the Suunto M-3 G. This is wrong. The M-3 G is a global compass. The compass you actually buy is M 3 NH. This compass is only to be used in the northern hemisphere. I bought the compass for my trip to Australia and I cannot use it.Very disappointed!

Simple but adequate for most short distance navigation. It doesn't have a hinged cover and mirror which seem to break often. It has a magnifying glass, measurements to scale, a declination adjustment, and luminescent markings. We are using this for short distances at slow speeds, either hiking or canoeing. So it does not need to be super precise. It is not waterproof but will be kept in a waterproof map case except when it is being used. For our purposes, it has the durability and ease of use that we require.

Excellent produit.boussole tres fiable sans accrocs de l’aiguille mgt

Works great keep away from magnetic fields and metal.

I'm not feeling the quality that others get with this. The dial has about 1/2 degree play, and doesn't turn smoothly. It may be with time that improves though. Glowing is great. I would prefer the lines were a different color than the north "doghouse". It seems this is somehow a Silva patent though. Its fast and smooth. Also it rattles when you shake it, which I don't like. The key works good to set magnetic declination, though you might need a magnifying glass to help read the setting. I'm not a fan of the lanyard, or how it attaches to the compass. Also I find it a bit short, so I think the mirrored version is worth the extra money. I have not yet tried it in cold conditions (-30). So it seems ok, but I'm not convinced the price is justified. There are $10 compasses that can give more accurate bearings (this is probably only 2-3 degrees depending on skill +- 1/2 degree from dial play). So maybe this will outlast the compasses 1/5 the price? Time will tell I guess.