strange Silva Ranger compass problem...

B

Blackhearted

Joined
Jul 6, 2005
Messages
307
hey folks. im new to posting in the forums, although ive been lurking around here for eons.

i have a bit of a problem with a Silva Ranger compass. i purchased it, and used it a few times. it was sitting on a shelf (not in direct sunlight, at room temperature) and when i picked it up a few weeks later to pack it with my gear, i noticed an opaque white haze all over the back of the bezel. it looked like the white haziness you get around crazy-glued surfaces sometimes.
i cleaned it off but then i realised that there was absolutely no fluid in the compass - at all. its totally dry inside (i can tell by shaking the thing, i hear the needle rattling).

so, what do i do? i dont have the bill for the thing, so i cant return it. suffice to say im extremely pissed off and i will never buy a Silva compass again - i paid nearly $70 canadian for this thing and never abused it, took great care of it, and it just self-destructed on my shelf.

so the question is - should i keep it and keep using it? after testing, it seems to still work fine, although common sense tells me that the fluid is in there for a reason besides smoothing needle movement... so im not sure how important the fluid is in it. i was thinking about replacing it with a Suunto MCB Amphibian Compass, but id like to avoid spending another $35 (CAN, with tax) on a replacement i may not need.

cheers,
-gabriel
 
yeah. i dont have any kids, or pets, or anything that would have damaged it. i can see it losing its fluid after a fall, perhaps, or after being severely overheated in direct sunlight, but this thing was just sitting on a shelf in an air-conditioned room with no windows.

but, now that ive been inspecting it closer, im not even 100% sure it has lost all its fluid. its the only compass i have next to a small black silva keychain compass (just a teardrop shaped eddie bauer thing), but ive been comparing the two and they move *exactly* the same way. so either they both have no fluid, or perhaps i was wrong in my assessment.

what on earth could have caused the entire back of the bezel to turn opaque white and hazy? it looked like it had been coated with a film of superglue.
is there any surefire way to tell is a compass is damaged or lacking fluid? im sure if i had another good quality compass to sit it beside i could find out, but i dont - all i have are cheap ones that border on 'novelty' items. i didnt think i would need a second compass - when i bought the silva ranger i assumed that it would last a long time if i took care of it.

anyone recommend a replacement? i think if i do replace it, im going to replace it for a more sturdy design. these rangers came highly recommended by a lot of people, but the whole plastic design just turns me off. i think ill look around for a military style lensatic marching compass.
 
I understand and sympathize if you elect to go with another brand of compass entirely, but it's pretty evident that there's some manufacturing glitch that they should replace--whether or not you still have the original packaging, paperwork, etc.

You might try their website and shoot them an email with the problem. I would expect them to at least acknowledge what the likely cause is, if not offer to replace it.
 
i just emailed them telling them everything about the situation. hopefully theyll respond - i doubt theyll replace it for free (customer service isnt exactly paramount these days), and as for repairing it, well, i dont think i want to spend any more money on the thing...

does anyone know a good source for US mil type marching compasses? or can recommend another type of compass?
ive read through the threads here and it seems that most people recommend the ranger, and other suunto compasses (which are pretty much the same thing)... but i dont really need the advanced mapping features - i need something for survival, not cartography :) i am all ears to any recommendations.

ideally i would love something straightforward and durable - something i could drive my truck over and it would still keep going. if this thing died just sitting on my shelf, i dont even want to imagine how it would fare in a real survival situation. i cant believe these are the best-selling, highest recommended compasses.. but i guess it just goes to show how one isolated failure can totally sour your outlook towards a brand, and bias you for life.

for example: i had the lock on a spyderco scorpius fail and have it snap shut on my fingers, lacerating the @$#% out of them (im lucky they werent severed). this is why i will never buy another spyderco again (well, that and theyre looking uglier and uglier to me).

chheers,
-gabriel
 
Sounds like you got a lemon bud. Hey it happens with the best gear. Give the company a chance to make good and try a new one. Mention you are posting online about your experiences with it. Hell send them the link.

Silva is at the top the heap as far as compasses go so don't count them out. Hell, if I got fired for every first mistake I made I'd be living on the streets.

BTW my Ranger is 20+yrs old and good as new. ;)

Skam
 
There has been a big shake up in the compass industry in the US in the last few years. I don’t know if it affects the Canadian market or not. Here the old Silva’s have to be imported under the Nexus name since Johnson Outdoors owns the Silva name stateside. Suunto or Brunton make the compasses sold under the Silva name now. Both are good names and should hold up fine for you.
As to your problem you are probably dealing with a Suunto made Ranger, which should be a top-notch item. I run a Suunto MC-1G Global that goes with me everywhere with never a problem.
You need to stop by and outdoors shop and let them examine you Ranger to see what is going on with it. Most small shops will do warranty work if you pay postage. I would not let the lack of paper work slow me down at all. If you can return it to where you got it trade it out for a new one.
Good luck!!
 
i think you guys are misunderstanding me a bit:
ive purchased it and used it a handful of times, but ive had it for a few years. sheepdog is correct - i havent seen Silva branded compasses for awhile in canada.
i have a GPS so i dont use the compass as often, however its always there as a backup. its been carried for awhile, although always safely and never, ever even remotely 'abused' or handled roughly.

if it were merely a case of lacking the receipt, id bring it back to the store anyway and just ask for an exchange. if they wouldnt do that for me, id just buy another one, swap them, and return it. but alas i have no paperwork, this particular compass seems to now be branded as a Suunto, and there are some small surface scratches on it from merely being carried that indicate it is not brand new anyways.

i sent them an email asking if they could help fix it or clarify just what could be going on, and included a link to this thread as well (like skammer suggested).

cheers,
-gabriel
 
I have a Recta DP-2 that I like alot. It is very accurate when taking sightings and it is very quick to use. Mac
 
Brunton once repaired my 8099 Eclipse at no cost after I melted the capsule under a lamp whilst trying to remove a bubble. I was so very impressed!

Also, to clarify, I don't think you'll see any Silva-branded compasses made by Brunton in the U.S. since Brunton is a division of the "real" Silva Group of Sweden.
 
I find most customer services these days especially good in the outdoor industry. I have never been asked by any of them for proof of purchase for a warrenty replacement. I hope Silva is just as good. Their products are sound and as Skam said, I wouldn't discount them on account one bad apple. But on the other hand, if they don't stand behind their product, and give you a hard time with it...there are plenty of other manufacturers who will.

Will
 
kenk said:
Also, to clarify, I don't think you'll see any Silva-branded compasses made by Brunton in the U.S. since Brunton is a division of the "real" Silva Group of Sweden.
Click to expand...

You sir are correct I got it turned around! Silva of Sweden owns the Brunton brand and makes some of their compasses with the rest being made in the US by Brunton. Any of the Silva of Sweden compasses that you want to buy in the US now are sold under the Nexus or Brunton names. Suunto makes the Johnson Outdoors owned Silva USA compasses for them in Finland so it’s relatively easy to tell what you have. If its made in Finland it’s a Suunto made product and if it’s made in Sweden it’s a Silva Production AB product. Oh and to throw fuel on the fire the Recta of Switzerland are a Suunto product as well.
 
looking for a replacement, how about the Silva Huntsman? it looks a little more rugged than the Ranger, and i dont want to drop another $60 on a product that failed me.

ive been looking through product descriptions and i cannot find anything about the huntsman having a screw-type declination adjustment feature or not. anyone know if it does?

cheers,
-gabriel
 
It is pretty clear from photos that the (U.S.) Silva Huntsman has a "declination scale" - not a true adjustable declination feature.

The Brunton Nexus Elite 15TDCL (it seems to go by many names) is available for $44.25 from http://www.forestry-suppliers.com . This is the ORIGINAL Ranger compass from the real Silva Group - probably the most famous compass ever.

A much cheaper very high quality alternative, but without a sighting mirror is the Suunto Leader M-3D for just $19.25, also from http://www.forestry-suppliers.com .
 
The Brunton Nexus Elite 15TDCL is a great compass. :cool:
 
wow, i just called up silva. even though i have no receipt or anything and ive had it for awhile, they willl still repair it. so im shipping it back to them, they will probably replace the bezel.

and yeah, i am sure the fluid leaked out. i was washing it before i shiipped it back (had some dust on it), and the water from the tap ran *into* the bezel and filled it partly. jebus.
 
Sivas are excellent compasses. I've had a Silva Safari (Model 16?) for about 15 years and it always works perfectly. Rain, snow, dirt, sweat no problem. I trust it 100% and would buy another. I worked in forestry for a couple of years and the Silva Ranger was the only compass to have in the woods.
 
I'm kinda thinkin' one of these would be nice to have in the woods. Someone in another thread pointed it out and I like it.

thecompassstore_1854_742277

8099 PRO Eclipse Compass
 
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