RitchieX-11Y 2-Inch Dial Sport Kayak Compass (Yellow)

Nice compass capsule and holder, but the sighting notch scheme could be improved. The shallow notch limits the readable accuracy to 5 degrees at best. If you need bearings to the nearest degree, the Iris 50 is a better choice (at three times the price, however). I can't hold a sailing course to within 5 degrees anyway, so it's not a big issue on the sailboat. The fluid filled capsule settles the card quickly with little overshoot.The use of a mini glowstick for illumination is innovative and works quite well. My experience with phosphorescent compass cards is that they are nearly worthless - you can barely get a heading in the short time that they glow after being charged with a flashlight (I'm talkin' to you, Suunto). Tritium lighting is great, but is only available in a few compasses. Glow sticks light this Ritchie well for about 3-5 hours.

I would have given this five stars, but it loses one star for being overpriced.There's little to say about this... it's a very simple compass. No rotating bezel, no scales or calculation aids along its base... It does one single job, and does it well: it points North.The silicone-rubber housing is bright orange-yellow, round a brass-based, fluid-filled dome that encases a slightly off-white North-seeking dome marked with the points of the compass in big, easy to read letters and 30 degree increments. There's a green (Nylon?) lanyard that's long enough to go round your neck, and still have slack to tuck it inside a jacket out of the way.The one innovation is that the rubber housing has a channel to hold a chemoluminescent light-stick, and three of those are supplied (each in a little foil pouch) in the blister pack.I bought this after using it to find my position during a sailing and navigation class out on the Hudson River a few weeks ago. Easy to read, accurate enough, and it seemed fairly tough: the instructor's compass was thrown in a bag with his other navigation instruments (parallel rulers, dividers, GPS) and didn't seem to have many scratches or dings on the transparent dome. The compass has a good range of movement from the horizontal, and finds North slowly as the fluid dampens its movement well; it is not the super-light action that skips around and makes readings on a moving boat difficult.K.

I bought one of these hand-bearing compasses over 15 years ago, but the seals had started leaking so it was time for a new one. I was so impressed with the durability of such an obviously entry-level item that I bought the exact same one again. High-end examples of this type of compass can sell for hundreds - I'm more than okay with a pro-rated cost of $2-$3 per year.It comes with a lanyard and several mini-lightsticks for night use. I never had the occasion to need to use the lightsticks - I tested one from my original compass, and they still work after all this time.

OK for a hand-held compass but nothing special. A little over priced for what you are getting.

Great addition for my sailboat!

This is a nice, affordable, and necessary piece of equipment if a boater is on the coastal waters or large lakes. I was surprised to see it had a spot to put in a chemical type light cylinder, (very small), to use at night. about two or three of these cylinders came with the product. These cylinders are chemical lights that last for 12-24 hours. My question is, if not used, how long do they last and when used up, how easy are they to replace?

Compact. Rubbery. It has the little sticks for night vision.

Would have given 5 stars but the light sticks aren't very effective and it doesn't float but it does work well and feels very durable and reliable.