Compass Preference

[Zef]

The Sk7 was fragile and it seems like lots of us with them experienced bubbles forming in them, invariably due to a nearly imperceptible hairline crack in the face of the capsule.

I currently have an SK8 which seems to be holding up much better but then again I treat it like a fabergé egg.

Suunto compasses are expensive for what you get. My next one, whenver that will be, will be one of the dgx brand ones.

-Z

 

[buddhasummer]

Mine must be 10 years old by now, got lucky I guess, I know many who have had trouble.

 

[Zef]

The SK8 is the successor model for the now-discontinued SK7. It's available either with a wrist strap or a bungee mount as original equipment. Choose your model accordingly.

It is also available in northern and souther hemisphere versions. Be sure to double check which if you are scoping out deals on the SK8.

-Z

 

[Jcp2]

And here I thought this would be a discussion of indirect vs direct reading compasses.

 

[buddhasummer]

The SK7 has/had 5 zones. The SK8, as mentioned above, just two.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I’ve been pretty lucky too I guess. I’ve owned 2 SK7s for years with no issues. Both are still working perfectly.

 

[buddhasummer]

And here I thought this would be a discussion of indirect vs direct reading compasses.

This is SB lol

 

[Dubious]

I don't really know about brands but what I can say from personal experience is bungee wrist mount/hand mount is the way to go. When I did open water I had no problems with compass navigation on land but underwater, the counsel connected compass made navigation very difficult for me. The shop then sold me an xs scuba compass on a retractable line. While this was easier than the counsel connected compass, I found that holding the compass in front of me was tedious especially as I was still new to diving. I then bought a bungee wrist mount compass from dgx and have not looked back. I wear it on my left arm when wetsuit diving and my left hand with a drysuit( I can't get the bungee over the wrist ring). I should note that I dive mostly in cold freshwater lakes with sub-par visibility and really need my compass at all times to stay on course. For me, low visibility makes it harder to navigate without a compass.

 

[buddhasummer]

Unfortunately a large % of my dives are compass dives. Probably more than half, I dive weekly. My local is like miso soup. Still, it has improved my proficiency by quite a margin since coming to Japan.

 

[buddhasummer]

I'd pay big bucks for a stand alone colour compass. Shearwater? Heinrichs Weikamp?

(Might need to sell an organ, but to me it would be worth it)