A good durable compass made of heavy duty acrylic, the liquid in the compass housing effectively dampens a swinging needle even when turns are made quickly. The manual declination adjustment is more than adequate for effective navigation over modest sighting distances with moderate declination adjustment requirements - say 10 to 15 degree declinations sighted over distances of 1 to 2 kilometres. These are the types of sightline navigations that would cover virtually any wilderness orienteering, hiking, canoeing or kayaking requirements in well mapped areas.

Be cautioned that the acrylic is susceptible to corrosion, pitting and significant damage when it comes into contact with DEET based insect repellents. You should also remember that the scales are suitable for only USGS topographical maps and will not be useful for countries using more typical metric scales such as 1:25,000 or 1:50,000.

That said, the Silva Explorer will fulfill virtually all the requirements of most experienced wilderness outdoorspeople and ensure that you "stay found". 3 stars

I was disappointed that the product I received had changed and did not match the photo. Specifically, it did not have the orienting lines on the baseplate. Depending on how you plan to use the compass, this may not be an issue, but it definitely is less useful for orienteering. 2 stars

Overall, this is a solid compass, and will give you accurate readings. It's durable, and easy to use. If you only have twenty dollars to spend on a compass, you'll be happy with this one.

That being said, I would recommend spending over twice as much for one that has a declination adjustment. When I bought this one, I assumed it could be adjusted so it would stay set. Unfortunatly, this is not the case. You will need to manually adjust your map (a hassle) or manually add/subtract the declination with every reading (a hassle). I hate doing either of these, so off I go to spend fifty bucks on one that has a declination adjustment.

- Alleyrat 3 stars

I purchased this item as a tool suggested in a Feng Shui book I have been reading. The price was right and the item was received fast and in perfect condition. 4 stars