My New Compass, Military Persons Front and Centre,, Please.

[MilDot1960]

About 15 years ago I had a copy of the U.S. 3H Compass and it was a real keeper but someone else liked it too and Stole it, I have bought 1 copy of a WWII Compass that I have had to recalibrate my self and an over featured knock off from China (Crap)

Anyway I did a search and found some one over here who imports the Cammenga 3H Tritium Compasses ( Happy Days ) So Life is Good Again and all is right with the World, I love US Military Equipment and other US Products In fact I buy very few things that are made anywhere else unless those US Companies get them made elsewhere, but that's another story,

I was wondering if Any of you EX or Current Military Guys can give me the lowdown on these 3H Compasses, As in how good they are as in Accuracy and Toughness etc, I have checked mine out with my others and my Digital Compass and it is Absolutely Spot On as in ZERO Degrees Error, So whats your views about the 3H. ?

https://cammenga.com/product/compass...um-compass-3h/

Thanks in advance.

John.

 

[GhengisAhn175]

It works. Don't abuse it and break the tritium (not that hazardous it'll just dissipate into the air).

Personally better to just use a non tritium one and keep a red light to charge the strip.

 

[MilDot1960]

It works. Don't abuse it and break the tritium (not that hazardous it'll just dissipate into the air).

Personally better to just use a non tritium one and keep a red light to charge the strip.

No I won't, I am pretty careful with my Gear, I might get the normal model as well, According to many reports they are fairly tough as compasses go and last a long while. I think they came out in the 1950s are they still used by the US Military Today, ?

EDIT:- Ok I have just ordered the normal one as well, It's called the 27.

thanks again,

John.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

I have had a tritium one in my bag for @ 10 yrs. A lensmatic design is easier to be more accurate than with a baseplate design (and some of the biggest names in baseplates have offered fluctuating quality over the years). These are chunky and require that you secure the dial / close them up properly, the clamshell pot metal weighs more, and the scale doesn't necessarily jive with commercial maps, but you're not going to find bubbles in it, dial is gonna spin fine even if you freeze it, etc - they work well and they are durable if you take care of them. However a good baseplate slips into the breast pocket of your shirt, is lightweight, and faster to deploy and stow. IMHO FWIW

 

[MilDot1960]

I have had a tritium one in my bag for @ 10 yrs. A lensmatic design is easier to be more accurate than with a baseplate design (and some of the biggest names in baseplates have offered fluctuating quality over the years). These are chunky and require that you secure the dial / close them up properly, the clamshell pot metal weighs more, and the scale doesn't necessarily jive with commercial maps, but you're not going to find bubbles in it, dial is gonna spin fine even if you freeze it, etc - they work well and they are durable if you take care of them. However a good baseplate slips into the breast pocket of your shirt, is lightweight, and faster to deploy and stow. IMHO FWIW

Yeah I agree,I do have a top of the range Silva base plate compass some where but I prefer a Sighting type compass, They make it much easier to draw maps most of mine are 1:50,000, Over here they have Ordinance Survey Maps and they go right down to a 12 figure reference Point, and tit is even easier to use than the US Military maps, because you don't have to divide the box by 500 east / 500 west, But the 1:50,000 maps work with the scale on the 3H and that Scale works with most Maps if you forget the Scale and use it for measuring CM's because for some reason that 1:50,000 Scale is in Centimetre's so it is great for measuring the distance.

1:50,000 Map, https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/sho....html?___SID=U

and the photo is a 1:25,000, where every CM = 250 metres, /4 CM = 1K https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/sho...oors-west.html

John.