Review on Brunton F TRUARC15 TruArc 15 Compass by Joe Ashan

GOOD: The east/west declination correction scale is easy to understand and eliminates the need to memorize adding for west and subtracting for east. I like it when aiming degrees increases right in front of my eyeball. However, the actual header and the reverse header 180 are on top of each other (it's a bit hard to explain but if you look closely at the picture you'll see what I mean). I could see it could confuse people and at worst cause someone to accidentally go in the exact opposite direction. This function is suitable for advanced compass users, but not suitable for learning the compass. The construction of the compass is nice and solid and the mirror closes tightly over the entire base plate. The global needle works even when the compass isn't completely horizontal (making one wonder why they put a bubble level on this item; I can't figure out how to use that feature) - Rare earth magnets, which should resist magnetic interference better than traditional ones magnets, seems to work. I put this compass next to my old Suunto compass but the same size. While the Suunto hand rotated and pointed directly at Brunton when placed next to it, the Brunton hand moved only a few degrees in response to Suunto's magnetic field. This is not a scientific study - I don't have data on the relative magnetic strength of each compass needle - but it did show that rare earth magnets resist magnetic interference better than the traditional compass magnet in my old Suunto. .BAD: NOT LUMINUS. I've charged this compass with direct sunlight, UV light, LED flashlight - every way I can think of - but it didn't glow in the dark. This is a direct misrepresentation of the facts and is the main reason I am bringing it back. I hate the tool-less declination slider. Even with warm fingers and good lighting, I had to work hard from the comfort of my home to set the declination at exactly 16.5 degrees W longitude before heading into the mountains this weekend. The knob is so sticky that you have to use enough force to make the declination setting jump about 2 degrees. Then you should try to jump 3 degrees in the opposite direction, 2 more in the desired direction and back and four until you get lucky and the line lands in the declination you are looking for. It's a terrible system and I can't imagine doing it with cold or wet fingers. I'll stick with keyless compasses until someone finds a keyless system that actually works. Using the inclinometer requires changing the declination setting, which means you will need to readjust the setting after use. it. The compass does not have clear plastic in the functional center (the area inside the 360 degree mark). This is inconvenient when overlaying a compass on a chart for navigation or bearing. I prefer clear plastic compasses that allow you to see chart detail through the needle.