Plastimo Iris 50 Hand Bearing Compass

[Moonraker]

Anyone used one of these Plastimo hand bearing compasses? Looks pretty tough and they make decent sailing kit. RRP £60. £34.95 from online store or on ebay. Comes in a variety of colours including OG (I think they are stopping the OG option).

PLASTIMO - Iris 50 compass, olive green, in shell-pack

[tenbears10]

Possibly a daft question Moonraker but what are you using it for?

"telling which way north is" I know that but this is a specific kind of compass and with no base plate it is not as suitable for map bearings and the like as a silva or suunto.

Just wondering why you want this type.

Bill

[Moonraker]

Possibly a daft question Moonraker but what are you using it for?

"telling which way north is" I know that but this is a specific kind of compass and with no base plate it is not as suitable for map bearings and the like as a silva or suunto.

Just wondering why you want this type.

Bill

For use on the water :wink: Canoe, boat etc.

[tenbears10]

Ahh ok in that case it looks good but I've not seen that make before.

[mojofilter]

Ive only had a wee play with one and they are well made and have a good reputation in the sailing community!

[arctic hobo]

Yes, it's very popular with us sailors :-) but a little large methinks. In a dinghy I mostly use a mounted compass though.

[leon-1]

Anyone used one of these Plastimo hand bearing compasses? Looks pretty tough and they make decent sailing kit. RRP £60. £34.95 from online store or on ebay. Comes in a variety of colours including OG (I think they are stopping the OG option).

PLASTIMO - Iris 50 compass, olive green, in shell-pack

Is it me or does that look very much like the ones that Traser were marketing not that long ago. :?:

[alick]

These are designed and made by Plastimo who make compasses for boats. It's a sailors hand bearing compass. The standard version comes in blue and is a lot cheaper than the green version that is marketed by traser (you used not to be able to get a green one direct from Plastimo, only from traser / H2 with tritium illumination that the one from plastimo doesn't have so this explained the £20 price difference.

If this is plastimo and £34 quid, does it have tritium lights or is it just luminous ?

Tony has actually reviewed this on the BCUK site (as opposed to the forum).

They're big, very good for taking bearings, have a flexible bottom to the oil capsule so that you don't get bubbles in with the needle when the weather changes.
I haven't used one but have had a look in the shop. It's a very specific purpose tool - used on a yacht where you need to take hand bearings for navigation. Can't do this with a bulkhead compass. Walking compasses - even the best - aren't big, bright or stable enough. This is.

Lastly - you have a chart table on a yacht so bearings are always transferred to the chart with a plotter / parallel rules or the like. The compass never gets put on the chart so doesn't need a protractor base.

I've never seen the traser version of this any less than £50. If his is, I must go and look again ! If it's not tritium, then £35 is the going rate from lots of online ships chandlers.

EDIT - just checked - it's the standard luminous one now in a range of colors. Good kit, good value but tritium would be nice on something like this that may well live in the dark, not round your neck, and be "flat" when you need it to check the bearing of a lighthouse without blinding yourself while you "charge" the compass with your flashlight !

[Moonraker]

These are designed and made by Plastimo who make compasses for boats. It's a sailors hand bearing compass. The standard version comes in blue and is a lot cheaper than the green version that is marketed by traser (you used not to be able to get a green one direct from Plastimo, only from traser / H2 with tritium illumination that the one from plastimo doesn't have so this explained the £20 price difference.

If this is plastimo and £34 quid, does it have tritium lights or is it just luminous ?

Tony has actually reviewed this on the BCUK site (as opposed to the forum).

They're big, very good for taking bearings, have a flexible bottom to the oil capsule so that you don't get bubbles in with the needle when the weather changes.
I haven't used one but have had a look in the shop. It's a very specific purpose tool - used on a yacht where you need to take hand bearings for navigation. Can't do this with a bulkhead compass. Walking compasses - even the best - aren't big, bright or stable enough. This is.

Lastly - you have a chart table on a yacht so bearings are always transferred to the chart with a plotter / parallel rules or the like. The compass never gets put on the chart so doesn't need a protractor base.

I've never seen the traser version of this any less than £50. If his is, I must go and look again ! If it's not tritium, then £35 is the going rate from lots of online ships chandlers.

EDIT - just checked - it's the standard luminous one now in a range of colors. Good kit, good value but tritium would be nice on something like this that may well live in the dark, not round your neck, and be "flat" when you need it to check the bearing of a lighthouse without blinding yourself while you "charge" the compass with your flashlight !

Thanks for the info alick. I am not sure exactly what features these have. But you could call around.

The cheapest OG version I found was here for £32

http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/chandlery/deals.htm

Not sure if they are still in stock or what spec. On the Plastimo web site it says:

Built-in photoluminescent lighting, completely maintenance-free, impervious to corrosion, operates without batteries or radio-active tritium

So does not look like Traser is fitted to these.

[alick]

Cheers !

[Glen22]

I own one of these compasses. As mentioned, it's a bit bulky and out-of-place for backpacking, but for use on a canoe, kayak or small boat it's a very good compass. Settles very quickly with markings to 1 degree, reads to 1/2 degree. The sighting prism is very large and the degree markings easy to read. Although my version is only 'photoluminescent', I have to say that it's far, far brighter than the 'luminous' paint one is used to on the average Silva or Suunto compass. That photoluminescence really does work, it is superbright after only a brief charge of light and is almost as bright as a tritium capsule, very easy to read even in pitch darkness.

[Glen22]

I own one of these compasses. As mentioned, it's a bit bulky and out-of-place for backpacking, but for use on a canoe, kayak or small boat it's a very good compass. Settles very quickly with markings to 1 degree, reads to 1/2 degree. The sighting prism is very large and the degree markings easy to read. Although my version is only 'photoluminescent', I have to say that it's far, far brighter than the 'luminous' paint one is used to on the average Silva or Suunto compass. That photoluminescence really does work, it is superbright after only a brief charge of light and is almost as bright as a tritium capsule, very easy to read even in pitch darkness.