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Review on VICTOR PRODUCTS INC Suction Cup 🧭 Mini Compass: Reliable Navigation Aid for Outdoor Adventures by John Pound

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Everything I expected.

Many reviewers don't seem to understand how a compass works. The magnet in the compass aligns with the earth's magnetic poles to indicate the direction of the earth's poles. The magnet in the compass is also attracted to the iron of a nearby metal object or magnet. The Earth's magnetic poles are weak and they are currently weakening and even tipping over on a very rare occasion. Depending on where you live, the magnetic poles can be even weaker. How well this compass works depends on how strong the earth's magnetic poles are compared to how close the compass is to a metal object. This compass would probably work great attached to my bathroom mirror, but I attached it to my car window. My car is made of metal. Any compass that uses magnets will have trouble getting close to a large metal object and will be even more sensitive to a nearby magnetic object. An expensive magnetic compass contains small, adjustable pieces of metal so you can try to balance the action of the car and the magnetism the engine creates while it's running. You may even notice the compass rotating when stationary as you accelerate and increase engine RPM. If the metal in your car and engine is too strong for a compass, it doesn't matter how much you spend. No magnetic compass works. So I bought this compass to see if any magnetic compass would work. If I can find a place in the car where this compass will work, then I can buy an expensive compass and it will work. My car is metal so any magnetic compass will have problems. I turned north and south, east and west. I ran the compass from side to side on the windshield and found the spot where the compass is most responsive to the ground. Then I turned south and made the "S" mark that pointed to the "S" on the compass. I did the same for north, east and west. The result can be seen in the picture where the letter S on the compass lines up with the mark S, so I was heading south when I took the picture. The compass works great and is not dependent on my engine speed. Now that I've found a working mount, I know I could buy an expensive adjustable compass and set it to compensate for my car's magnetic effects, eliminating the need for the tags. However, if this magnetic compass didn't work where I wanted it to, then buying an expensive magnetic compass would be a huge waste of money for me. My ratings: Suction power 5 stars: This compass is very light. There are no problems with the suction cup. 5 Star Accuracy: The compass works great, don't expect anything more. Easy to read 2 stars: The compass print is very sharp, but the apparent lack of adjustment means I have to compare the compass to the markings, which is a little tricky. Unfortunately, the east is just out of sight without moving your head. Your results will depend on how far you can place the compass from the metal. The bottom of my car has a lot more metal than the roof, so the compass is pretty high on the windshield. Before the roll bar requirement, the compass worked better because the windshield was less metallic.

Pros
  • Mini suction cup
Cons
  • Something else