Brunton 9076 Lensatic Compass

This is the worst compass ever. REI needs to take this off it shelves. I have a WW2 era compass and it works ten times better. And I am sticking with it.

If you're looking for a good lensatic compass, I suggest you look somewhere else. The eyepiece is flimsy (it's cheap plastic that is merely painted brass), and it's nearly impossible to shoot an accurate azimuth because the heading keeps moving even if the compass is perfectly still. The thumb loop is not sturdy and it has an awkward feel when utilizing the center-hold method. Do not buy this if accuracy is important, especially if you're trying to take a map bearing. The pros are that it's compact [...], so I guess you get what you pay for. I suggest going to an army/navy surplus store and purchasing a Tritium Lensatic Compass.

I have never written a review before, but in this particular case it is necessary that I share my troubling story. I bought this compass because it bares the Brunton name, and because it resembled the compass I used in the Marine Corps. I am an avid hunter that takes long hikes, deep into the Cascade Mountain range in search of Mule deer during the high hunt. Weather can be a major factor during the month of September, especially fog and rain storms. While hunting this last year a friend and I became lost in a particularly thick fog in a pouring rain storm. Our clothes were soaked, and the wind was blowing extremely hard. We stumbled upon a ridge and decided to take out my new Brunton compass to find our bearings. My first reading with the compass told me that North was one way, while my second reading a few paces later told me that North was almost 180 degrees in the opposite direction. My friend and I looked at each other with bewildered expressions. We were in a bad situation. If we headed over this ridge in the wrong direction we would end up in the wrong drainage, and we would be miles away from camp before we found this out. While we debated what to do next we watched the compass needle slowly spin in circles. We then decided to drop everything that contained metal and walked 10 yards away, hoping that it was only our rifles that were throwing the needle off. As expected, our new readings were just as screwed up as the last ones. I shook the compass in frustration, hoping to somehow correct it. Each time it showed North in some new direction. By this time hypothermia was starting to sound like it could become a reality, so we found the best cover we could, and waited for a break in the fog. After several hours we spotted a familiar ridge through a small fog break. I chucked the compass off the ridge and walked back towards our camp while darkness was falling. My advice: Spend the extra [$] and buy a compass that you can trust when your life may be on the line.

This compass is very hard to use accurately. It takes a long time to stead-up and is often many degrees off when the compass is turned around. Looks cool, functions poorly. It's now in the bottom of the kids' toy box.