A few years ago I also ordered a Camenga compass from the USA. Apart from the fact that it has a certain weight, it is impeccably made like a tank and does what it is supposed to do. Recently, I got another one that has a different lighting system: The first compass I bought always lights up, but it also gets weaker over the years. The newer one I bought only glowed for a certain amount of time after briefly illuminating the dots, which I like better. I actually think the Camenga is better than the original Bundeswehr compass because it is much cheaper and doesn't get air bubbles. So apart from the weight (!) I can only recommend it! Greetings from Germany!
Andy, you and I have a lot of the same gear! I have this exact compass, but mine was manufactured in DEC 2011 (I learned this from your vid). The tube lights have faded quite a bit, but it's an excellent compass.
@Snowdonguy48 Thanks for that. I keep mine in my overnight pack. If the country collapsed and I had to escape, that's the compass I'd be carrying. I'm really glad you enjoyed and got something out of it.
Great compass I admit but the Southern Hemisphere version is not executed properly. I am in Melbourne Australia and in 2019 I bought a South Hemisphere balanced but when I received it the south part of the compass plate was pointing downwards. I queried it with Cammenga and their response was that is how it is 😄. Of-course I didn't believe that so I opened it and glued a tiny piece of brass on the north part of the plate and got myself a proper balance compass for south hemisphere. This didn't stop me from buying another one 2 years later and on the package clearly says Southern Hemisphere but same issue🤣🤣, so I repeated the process. I have also bought a northern hemisphere cammenga and there is absolutely no difference with the southern hemisphere. I enjoy using this compass but Cammenga need to actually do something about the the south hemisphere customers instead of just putting a stamp on the package and not balancing the actual compass.
Wow, you've had more bad luck with this compass than me. They should listen to their customers though, if something is wrong, they should sit up and deal with it.
I too have experienced poor customer service from Cammenga. The bezel's phosphorescent line is really dull and almost useless at night. They would not send me a new part or fix it. I bought lume (glow) tape.
I've never tried it dave. I can only imagine it would be do-able. It's possible to take your glove off for a short while, do what's needed, then replace glove. With mittens, you'd probably have an inner glove for more dexterity to do such things. The bezel is a bit grippy on the edge.Hope this helps 👍
@davidjackson7744 I tried using the compass with 3 different mittens, all with the left hand was good. Right hand, buffalo mittens were a bit slippy because the waterproof material is on the palm and inner finger area, but it can be done. British army issued INNER mittens were good because the ones I own have a black leather palm and inner finger area, so gripped the bezel like a good un 👍. And the british army issued gortex OUTER mitten was awkward due to it being baggy and a bit slippy. All gripped with the thumb and the edge of finger. Hope this gives you an idea of what can be done. Cheers.
I enjoy your videos. Your steps on taking a bearing on a map are incomplete/incorrect. Visit the Map Reading Company for a complete tutorial on using this compass. Cheers,
I got this email from Cammenga this morning... Hi Chris, Thank you for reaching out to Cammenga. Yes, we offer a Tritium Refresh Service for $50, including shipping the compass back to an address within the United States. Please send us a photo of the ink stamping on the inside cover, as well as a photo of the compass laying flat, from both sides. This will help us to determine if the model you have is serviceable.
You bought a knock off. You can tell it's a knock off by the following: 1) The manufacturing numbers printed inside the housing and the compass case. The numbers in the housing stand for the 2-digit year of production and 2-digit month of production, followed by 77 (77 is the military contracting number for compasses) . Yours says it was made in August of 2019 but that can't be with that case. from the Vietnam war up till about a year or two ago they still used the alice clips on their pouches. they then switched to a new snap fastener backed case. Yours doesn't have the alice clip or the snap fastener case. it just looks like a cheap knock off of the newer case and they copied the manufacturing numbers off an older compass. 2) you can tell how poor the sighting pieces are, looks like they didn't have the precision machining to make them within tolerances which is why it's so wiggly and you've got shove the lanyard in there. 3) Lastly tritium doesn't "not work" sometimes and then "start working later". they probably used phosphorescent paint or tape which holds light and releases it slowly later, which is sometimes called "charging". phosphorescent paint only lasts an hour or so before it needs to be "charged" again with a light. your compass was "useless" because it hadn't spent enough time in direct light to "charge" and then after a while of absorbing the light from being open it glowed when you took it into the dark the 2nd time. Tritium works by being a radioactive isotope that has a half-life that breaks down over years. it never needs to be "charged", it's just always on. The down side being it will slowly get dimmer and dimmer and one day totally stop working, but that takes more than a decade. in fact I don't think they recommend getting the tritium replaced till at least 10 or 12 years. your compass if it was real should glow until the mid to late 2030s if you bought it this year.
@SpitFireFrenzy thanks for that. Yes, I could see the tell-tale signs, and the pouch wasn't right in my mind. It was thin and nasty. I didn't think about Alice clips because I'm british. The good thing is I included it in the video so others don't make the same mistake.
As you describe, the second unit of a fake. Tritium does not need to be stimulated with light, the problems with the mechanism and other things give it away as fake. I just bought one and it also has those and other problems. They are from the same manufacturing date 19 08 77. I have three other original Cammengas and they do not have some characteristics that this fake one does have. It is better to buy it directly from Cammenga and not from Amazon.
It's not fake, Cammenga also manufactures a phosphorescent model (the glow paint that needs light to charge). But it's a lot cheaper and not as desirable as the tritium version. The "fake" he is holding up is not the tritium model which has a radiation symbol and warning on the back. So he has the phosphorescent model.
@@Peaches-i2i it is a fake, you can tell by case and manufacturing year. he probably thinks it was supposed to be tritium because that's how they probably listed it on amazon and they made it with phosphorescent paint
Your broken compass is a cheap knockoff. The pouch is complete crap compared to the first pouch you showed which is standard US Army issue with a clip to hang on your web gear. Actually, after looking again, the pouch at the beginning does not have the clip but is correct for Army issue. Mine came with the web gear clip. The glow-in-the-dark stuff is NOT tritium but the same stuff that comes on Timex watches! True tritium is slightly radioactive and never requires external illumination to make it work! There might be varying degrees of glow brightness that hinges on the amount used when painting the part. It will also fade over about 10-15 years but Camminga can refurbish it. I don't know the cost. I'd report the seller to Camminga!
@@Andy-walkaboutnutty I got this email from Cammenga this morning... Hi Chris, Thank you for reaching out to Cammenga. Yes, we offer a Tritium Refresh Service for $50, including shipping the compass back to an address within the United States. Please send us a photo of the ink stamping on the inside cover, as well as a photo of the compass laying flat, from both sides. This will help us to determine if the model you have is serviceable.
@@Andy-walkaboutnutty I had asked because my compass is 11 years old but still works. I don't know how slowly (or quickly) it deteriorates once it's reached its half-life.
@@chrislong3938 It fades so slowly you might not notice for a while, but it has a half life of about 12 years so after every 12 years it will be half as bright as before, assuming the phosphorescent ink doesn't degrade over time too - beta rays from the tritium hit the ink causing it to illuminate; you don't see the tritium glowing itself, but the effects from it. Cheers.
A few years ago I also ordered a Camenga compass from the USA. Apart from the fact that it has a certain weight, it is impeccably made like a tank and does what it is supposed to do. Recently, I got another one that has a different lighting system: The first compass I bought always lights up, but it also gets weaker over the years. The newer one I bought only glowed for a certain amount of time after briefly illuminating the dots, which I like better. I actually think the Camenga is better than the original Bundeswehr compass because it is much cheaper and doesn't get air bubbles. So apart from the weight (!) I can only recommend it! Greetings from Germany!
Yes, I think it's very good indeed, thanks, i hope you enjoyed 👍
Where did you buy it from
Andy, you and I have a lot of the same gear! I have this exact compass, but mine was manufactured in DEC 2011 (I learned this from your vid). The tube lights have faded quite a bit, but it's an excellent compass.
It is excellent, I'm really glad I've got one of these beauties, and I hope you enjoyed 👍
Great video mate thanks! I got mine the other day and I love it 👍
@Snowdonguy48 Thanks for that. I keep mine in my overnight pack. If the country collapsed and I had to escape, that's the compass I'd be carrying. I'm really glad you enjoyed and got something out of it.
They make tritium and phosphorescent versions in each color.
@@EgbertWilliams cheers. I didn't know that 👍
Great compass I admit but the Southern Hemisphere version is not executed properly.
I am in Melbourne Australia and in 2019 I bought a South Hemisphere balanced but when I received it the south part of the compass plate was pointing downwards. I queried it with Cammenga and their response was that is how it is 😄. Of-course I didn't believe that so I opened it and glued a tiny piece of brass on the north part of the plate and got myself a proper balance compass for south hemisphere. This didn't stop me from buying another one 2 years later and on the package clearly says Southern Hemisphere but same issue🤣🤣, so I repeated the process.
I have also bought a northern hemisphere cammenga and there is absolutely no difference with the southern hemisphere.
I enjoy using this compass but Cammenga need to actually do something about the the south hemisphere customers instead of just putting a stamp on the package and not balancing the actual compass.
Wow, you've had more bad luck with this compass than me. They should listen to their customers though, if something is wrong, they should sit up and deal with it.
Have you tried Brunson Compasses made in Riverton Wyoming USA?
Brunton Compasses not Brunson.
@@clayjones9907 No, but now that you have mentioned it I will research them. Cheers
I too have experienced poor customer service from Cammenga. The bezel's phosphorescent line is really dull and almost useless at night. They would not send me a new part or fix it. I bought lume (glow) tape.
Great video as always mate, one point, given that temperature range what’s it like to use in winter gloves?
I've never tried it dave. I can only imagine it would be do-able. It's possible to take your glove off for a short while, do what's needed, then replace glove. With mittens, you'd probably have an inner glove for more dexterity to do such things. The bezel is a bit grippy on the edge.Hope this helps 👍
Have tried to use sighting compass with winter gloves and failed, but that’s probably my technique
@davidjackson7744 I tried using the compass with 3 different mittens, all with the left hand was good. Right hand, buffalo mittens were a bit slippy because the waterproof material is on the palm and inner finger area, but it can be done. British army issued INNER mittens were good because the ones I own have a black leather palm and inner finger area, so gripped the bezel like a good un 👍. And the british army issued gortex OUTER mitten was awkward due to it being baggy and a bit slippy. All gripped with the thumb and the edge of finger. Hope this gives you an idea of what can be done. Cheers.
Cheers for the info Andy, always good to know how kit works in a potential real life situation.
Great video
@@earlgoff8081 thanks 😊
I enjoy your videos.
Your steps on taking a bearing on a map are incomplete/incorrect. Visit the Map Reading Company for a complete tutorial on using this compass.
Cheers,
I got this email from Cammenga this morning...
Hi Chris,
Thank you for reaching out to Cammenga.
Yes, we offer a Tritium Refresh Service for $50, including shipping the compass back to an address within the United States. Please send us a photo of the ink stamping on the inside cover, as well as a photo of the compass laying flat, from both sides. This will help us to determine if the model you have is serviceable.
You bought a knock off.
You can tell it's a knock off by the following:
1) The manufacturing numbers printed inside the housing and the compass case. The numbers in the housing stand for the 2-digit year of production and 2-digit month of production, followed by 77 (77 is the military contracting number for compasses) . Yours says it was made in August of 2019 but that can't be with that case. from the Vietnam war up till about a year or two ago they still used the alice clips on their pouches. they then switched to a new snap fastener backed case. Yours doesn't have the alice clip or the snap fastener case. it just looks like a cheap knock off of the newer case and they copied the manufacturing numbers off an older compass.
2) you can tell how poor the sighting pieces are, looks like they didn't have the precision machining to make them within tolerances which is why it's so wiggly and you've got shove the lanyard in there.
3) Lastly tritium doesn't "not work" sometimes and then "start working later". they probably used phosphorescent paint or tape which holds light and releases it slowly later, which is sometimes called "charging". phosphorescent paint only lasts an hour or so before it needs to be "charged" again with a light. your compass was "useless" because it hadn't spent enough time in direct light to "charge" and then after a while of absorbing the light from being open it glowed when you took it into the dark the 2nd time. Tritium works by being a radioactive isotope that has a half-life that breaks down over years. it never needs to be "charged", it's just always on. The down side being it will slowly get dimmer and dimmer and one day totally stop working, but that takes more than a decade. in fact I don't think they recommend getting the tritium replaced till at least 10 or 12 years. your compass if it was real should glow until the mid to late 2030s if you bought it this year.
@SpitFireFrenzy thanks for that. Yes, I could see the tell-tale signs, and the pouch wasn't right in my mind. It was thin and nasty. I didn't think about Alice clips because I'm british. The good thing is I included it in the video so others don't make the same mistake.
As you describe, the second unit of a fake. Tritium does not need to be stimulated with light, the problems with the mechanism and other things give it away as fake. I just bought one and it also has those and other problems. They are from the same manufacturing date 19 08 77. I have three other original Cammengas and they do not have some characteristics that this fake one does have. It is better to buy it directly from Cammenga and not from Amazon.
It's not fake, Cammenga also manufactures a phosphorescent model (the glow paint that needs light to charge). But it's a lot cheaper and not as desirable as the tritium version. The "fake" he is holding up is not the tritium model which has a radiation symbol and warning on the back. So he has the phosphorescent model.
@@Peaches-i2i it is a fake, you can tell by case and manufacturing year. he probably thinks it was supposed to be tritium because that's how they probably listed it on amazon and they made it with phosphorescent paint
Your broken compass is a cheap knockoff.
The pouch is complete crap compared to the first pouch you showed which is standard US Army issue with a clip to hang on your web gear.
Actually, after looking again, the pouch at the beginning does not have the clip but is correct for Army issue.
Mine came with the web gear clip.
The glow-in-the-dark stuff is NOT tritium but the same stuff that comes on Timex watches!
True tritium is slightly radioactive and never requires external illumination to make it work!
There might be varying degrees of glow brightness that hinges on the amount used when painting the part. It will also fade over about 10-15 years but Camminga can refurbish it. I don't know the cost.
I'd report the seller to Camminga!
@chrislong3938 you're right. It just goes to show. "Buy nice buy twice." At least the warning is out there. I hope you enjoy the video chris.
@@Andy-walkaboutnutty I got this email from Cammenga this morning...
Hi Chris,
Thank you for reaching out to Cammenga.
Yes, we offer a Tritium Refresh Service for $50, including shipping the compass back to an address within the United States. Please send us a photo of the ink stamping on the inside cover, as well as a photo of the compass laying flat, from both sides. This will help us to determine if the model you have is serviceable.
@chrislong3938 thanks. That's good to know. 👍
@@Andy-walkaboutnutty I had asked because my compass is 11 years old but still works.
I don't know how slowly (or quickly) it deteriorates once it's reached its half-life.
@@chrislong3938 It fades so slowly you might not notice for a while, but it has a half life of about 12 years so after every 12 years it will be half as bright as before, assuming the phosphorescent ink doesn't degrade over time too - beta rays from the tritium hit the ink causing it to illuminate; you don't see the tritium glowing itself, but the effects from it. Cheers.
Promo-SM
Learn to spell TEMPERATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Terry