Francis Barker M-73 review - Best compass in the world? (Briefly discuss the Cammenga compass too)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2016
- This is a detailed review of the Francis Barker M73 compass. After using it for years I believe, with some debate expected, it is the highest quality, best designed hand compass for a unique and special navigating experience. The Cammenga is briefly discussed too. Between these two, they are some of the world's best compasses.
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**Link to the Cammenga Compass for current prices:**
www.amazon.com/Cammenga-Water...
I have an old New Zealand Army one, I believe they were used in the Vietnam War. I have numerous compasses Suunto and Silva. But this Francis Barker M-73 is by far my most accurate and most enjoyable to use. The fact that it keeps working to perfection regardless of age, makes this my most reliable compass, and a must have. These are proven through the test of time in the most harshest of conditions. Fantastic review.
Ahhhh…that history. There is something very special about holding something with such immense history. You can’t buy that, it has to be earned and it’s nice to be able to appreciate that.
Have you got it relumed by chance?
I ran into my M-73 at a pawnshop here in Dallas.... $40 including the black leather case! They wanted $80 but I talked them down to $40. Lucky dog! Yes it is all brass and says M-73 and Made in UK on the back and it has a serial number. And yes it is on my gunbelt I use for hiking... took my Cammenga off it!
Dang!!!!!!!!!!! $40.00? That’s awesome!
Without doubt the worlds finest compass . There not cheap, but if your looking to purchase something to pass on to your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, grand, great grandchildren this is the item. There build quality is exceptional.
You’re so right! It’s the most amazing compass I have ever had the pleasure to use. It’s just exquisite in every way. Is it “needed”? I’m some cases maybe yes but does someone need a Rolls-Royce?
Thankyou the Francis Barker is in my sights, I was looking for them for months, the cammenga is a fine compass , I tend to agree with your preference. An excellent video a big thumbs up 👍
Thank you! You just can’t go wrong with either for very sure.
Thank y out so much for the compliment.
Enjoyed your video, thank you. Just found a vintage M-73 , cost me £290 but it was worth every penny. I really want to use it as a tool but it's too nice to take out.
I had a hard time taking it out snd using it like I really wanted to but after a while I just started using it anytime I felt like it. They all have their place snd I feel like when I take the M73 out I’m taking a classic luxury car out for a drive. Nothing else like it.
I used the Prismatic compass for many years, learned my map reading skills with one back in the day. Once I discovered the Silva compass though, I almost always used nothing else. A good and interesting vid, I have enjoyed it. Thanks.
Thank you so much for saying that! I wasn’t sure anyone would watch it and if they did I worried it would be too dry or boring. I had so much fun making the video, it gave me a good excuse to use both compasses simultaneously.
Long time ago I got lost at night for about an hour when I took a short little stroll from my campsite. I only had my keychain light because I was only going for a short little walk. I got turned around and didn’t have a compass. If I had I would never have been lost. Now I carry a button compass all the time, 7 days a week.
Yeah, the Silva really changed things, it just works and it’s paper thin. How did you learn your map and compass skills with the prismatic if you don’t mind me asking?
@@Traveling_Tree_Dr as a kid I went to a Military College. I was in the British Army then training to be an Engineer. I joined the Royal Engineers. Every Wednesday morning for about a year or so, a Retired RE Major, who usually taught Maths, taught us ‘Map reading’. So we spent the first few Wednesdays learning the calcs and theories etc of Map Reading, then he took us (some 20 or so of us) out into the field to learn the practical skills. We took packed lunch with us, loaded up into an Army truck (we were all in uniform!) and off we went to The Forest of Dean. Around the area of St. Briavels. We never knew our start point, so we all had to do a ‘Resection’ to work out our start, then we paired up, in two’s usually, we would individually approach a control be given grid references and we’d be required to work out the best route etc, then off we’d go! Occasionally the exercise took the form of an Orienteering course, when we would need to run a course, as individuals. These Wednesday mornings were enjoyed by us all, they weren’t strict military outings, the retired Major (I still remember his name, and I;m going back to 1970!) seemed to feel that Map reading was an essential skill, he wanted us to be good at it, and knew that as young boys, if it wasn’t fun and interesting we were never going to be. Consequently, we did become quite efficient. I found my way around the battle grounds of West Germany, preparing for a Russian invasion ha ha! The Cold War years serving in Germany as part of BAOR were fantastic ‘Party Years’ a good time to serve. The flea in the ointment at the time was NI. Northern Ireland! Even in Urban situations Map Reading was a great skill to have, being able to visualise your orientation on the ground whilst on patrol with something nasty waiting to pop up on you was a useful skill. I served for 15 years from age 15! all told, in various parts of the world. Leaving the Military I took up ‘hiking’ for pleasure. Living in Wales, we have some gorgeous terrains to navigate and I hiked and camped with friends, but never enjoyed it more than when I was alone in the mountains, just me and my compass, so to speak! Things haven’t changed too much, except for GPS of course ha ha!
I’m into ‘bike packing’ these days, at 70 yrs of age, my walking isn’t too good. So I have a Wahoo Roam GPS device fitted to my bike, and a map and compass in my pack. At night, when I’m just about ready to ‘turn in’, I study my map for the following day, visualise my route. Same thing the following morning before packing my kit away, then I’m on my way again. I’m sure you are aware that ‘map reading’ skills aren’t only a survival tool, but are a great source of enjoyment, once learned, never to be forgotten and forever fun! You did ask!!
The Barker is MORE accurate but as he says if you are inexperienced the Cammenga is easier to use. The Barker is better made . A very good video,
Thank you Polarbear! TH-cam can be harsh and it’s nice to hear compliments, especially with a video so old and not quite to the standards we are all used to these days. It’s an old one but nothing about it is outdated or inaccurate even now, all these years later. These two compasses are so amazing, I feel lucky to have them with all the supply issues and demand for things like this. Y’all make me want to go make another video today, y’all inspired me! I’m going to go find a tree to talk about, thank you!
Thank you for show me the British compass!
I'm from Brazil. I have some compasses, some modern (Cammenga wrist model and Brunton), some vintage, like a WW2 Wittnauer and two Bézards (old Brazilian standard) - one a German original, other made in Brazil under license in 1940's, plus some cheap Chinese.
The Cammenga wrist model is the more useful to me by far. It's quick to addict or subtract the magnetic declination, once the dial is divided each 10 degrees (here is a mean of 20°W).
I have a Wittenauer compass too and I love it! You just made me realize, I haven’t seen it in a couple of months 😳
I just love my Frances Barker M-73 compass! It is a lot of fun to take a bearing using a map and protractor to get home safe. Without thinking about batteries for a GPS - but must important having the skills to use a genuine compass that will be handled over to my son and daughter! :)
It’s the skills, it’s very satisfying right?
It is the skills combined with the historical fact that the M-73 has been a lifesaver for many people - of civilian and military personnel. And will continue to do so for all of us who need good guidance to find the right direction home.
@@Landsfader and isn’t that so cool that a tool so old can work and help just as well as the day it was crafted? We can’t say that about too many other things in this world. And those skills can be passed down for generations and last a lifetime. The comfort those skills give me while exploring rough areas with no satellite signal or even with signal is priceless. It never become irrelevant.
@@jasonderks9343 I completely agree! This never becomes irrelevant! It is a special pleasure to know that it is the knowledge and experience of the past that leads me safely and securely into the future!
Yup fb is the best by a country mile. Prism is beautiful to use and clear showing of the deg n mills
I’m glad you agree, it’s hard to describe without using it. Do you have one or had one at some point?
You may know this, but for others the 3-degree click on the Cammenga is for night operation. Users can count clicks without light.
That’s right snd it’s actually come in handy a few times. If we use a compass enough it becomes a part of us and we know every every curve and learn to trust it.
Great Video! I was handed down the M-73 . What a neat compass. It is in a very battered condition as it went through the end part of WW2 but it still functions absolutely fine. You are right about how easy it is to repair. It had small bubbles in it which were annoying but didn't stop it from functioning in any way. It was also so easy to disassemble and refill that I'm not bothered should bubbles arise in the future. It does however have the luminous paint that will set of a Geiger counter off, a little more than I am comfortable with but then that might be just me and, the radiation can't be detected more than a foot away now. This version has only Mil's and not degrees sadly but that's ok I'm used to both . Thanks for your time Austin :) Now I'm going to find my M-73 !!
I thought it uses tritium like the Commenga? Their website says it uses tritium.
They’re small tritium gas vials that interact with the paint, not radium paint. Should be a very safe level of radioactivity it’s used in everything from watches to weapon sights.
@@poolee77the new ones do, the old ones like the FB MKIII and early FB type M73 contained radium. On the sighting white line and mother of pearl north triangle also on the aiming 20 deg area of the glass underneath. And they do trigger high levels on readers even today
@@ScoopDogg interesting, good to know. I’ll just stick to new ones then lol
Not many know how to use one anymore but it's a good skill to know
I agree, it’s such a wonderfully useful skill and it’s fun to learn and do. I’ve never gotten tired of navigating with a compass, it’s a skill that needs to stay practiced to do any good. Why do you think some of us are so fascinated by it?
I use a sighting Silva (Brunton) plastic baseplate compass for geophysical fieldwork and for hiking because it is lightweight and can be worn on a lanyard around the neck. But I always have a backup compass with a mirror in my backpack as that can be handy for signalling in an emergency. The military-style compasses are too big and heavy to be worn around the neck. I have a WW2 prismatic with radium paint markings but it is really a museum piece now.
The Silva just works right? I’ve worn the FB and Cammenga around my neck and it’s a little awkward. If I’m creating a map of my area I’ll wear them around my neck but otherwise its not nearly as comfortable as the Silva. There is a reason it pretty much changed the way people use a compass. The Silva was my first real compass. All the others were cheap fake compasses that looked legit but were just toys. The Silva made me fall in love with navigating by compass.
When I bought it from the US is was called "Brunton" and it had a sighting prism which is really useful. But now, looking on the net I can't find it anywhere, even under the number 4/54 stamped on it. I sometimes use a nautical Plastimo (French made) sighting compass which is really robust,. It's not a baseplate, so no straight sides , but it has a yellow rubber case and a very bright luminous backplate - it might even float although I haven't tried that! A bit bulkier worn around the neck but very good too. @@Traveling_Tree_Dr
The compass looks like an excellent instrument. The price though puts it into competition with the Brunton Pocket Transit, which is what I have carried literally for decades. Like the Francis Barker, the Brunton provides 1/2 degree resolution. Unlike the FB, the declination can be set, providing a true as opposed to a magnetic bearing. The purified kerosene in the FB is a very good dampening agent, and unlikely to bubble with changes in altitude.
I love how there are so many options for every style of traveler and how some of us really get into it far beyond what it is often needed. It’s an art and a skill, it’s as personal as each person is.
I’d love to have those compared side by side. Is there something you wish was different about your Brunton?
Shows how this sort of kit and map ready has been forgotten, I was in hiking shop and a customer was complaining that the silva was plastic . I don't think anyone has made a brass compass in 60 years.
It really has been forgotten by most. It’s not only a great way to navigate but I’m sure you already know, the phone process really makes a person get intimately aware of their surroundings. After navigating at all with this type of system you’ll know way more about an area in ways the GPS and other methods don’t seem to create. It’s old school and the whole process is an experience. Thanks for writing!
Спасибо за обзор !!
Ооо, везде есть наши люди. Приветствую! На каком компасе остановился?
@@magnumkgb1766suunto m-9
I own the cammenga model 27. The one with the phosphorescent paint. It's my favorite compass. I also own a prismatic compass. That thing is so sensitive that the tiniest movement will throw off your reading. It Sports a spirit level but how can you see a spirit level when you have the compass even with your eye and about 2 cm away from your eye? Like I said that prismatic compass of mine is so sensitive it's really difficult to use because I'm pretty shaky. And then there's all the surveying features and the measuring features that the compass boasts. Prismatic compass really is an amazing device but I'm going to stick with my Cammenga and keep the Prismatic for the collection. Would love to handle a Barker compass. That's a beauty.
I love the Cammenga too! If there was a go to workhorse of a handheld compass for personal navigation I’d say that’s the one. It’s just hard to beat with it’s simplicity, function and availability, you can buy them pretty easily all the time too. The FB is my favorite hands down, but if I had to only keep one compass it would surely be the Cammenga. It just works and so many people are familiar with them. It’s so sensitive that I can see the needle move with each of my heart beats. But can we really ever have too many compasses?
A compass without a map can lead you strait off a cliff, even a $500 compass. My $50 Sunto M-5 does the job just fine.
The sun rises in the east and cast a shadow to the west, & sets in the west, cast a shadow to the east, in between is North/South.
Current (June 2022) price £439 / $533 for the FB compass.
They sure ain’t cheap!
the best compass going. nat as easy to use than my old cammenga h3. there was only one, that i know of pro service guy he was in the UK. he has quit due to the rad tritium disposal problem.
The Cammenga is easier to use and is a bit better for general use. The fact so many people have been trained on it that also makes it a solid choice if only one could be had.
Certainly better than a lensatic. And indeed prismatic and side lens compasses with their 1° read out are nice. Got a Recta dp 10 with prismatic added and a $10 with side lens both with 1° read out.
Ray Vila does the Cammenga work in southern hemisphere? Thanks so much...
I gotta say, I’m not sure. I have not heard or ever found anything that says they are a global needle. However, there sure is a lot of room for the needle to move in various axis so it may be possible, I’m just not certain. If anyone else here knows, feel free to chime in please.
The Cammenga 3H is available in both northern and southern hemisphere versions.
Can you purchase these directly from the company?
yes but you are looking at a $390-$630 purchase.
Dennis Mahony: You can get one here:
www.silvermans.co.uk/products/prismatic-compass-m-73?variant=4197417603
Yes, that’s where I got it.
The FB compass is a lovely old school instrument, but it's liquid filled and sooner or later it will get a bubble in it!
When I was in the Infantry and we used to draw them from the stores, we would sort through a bunch to ensure you got one without the bubble...I have no idea if you can get them serviced here in the UK in civvie street anymore? For most applications in the Infantry, the FB were replaced by a fairly standard Silva Type 54 base plate compass...My biggest concern when carrying the FB was if I ever lost it...I reckon it would have cost me a month's pay!
... removing the bubble and topping up the oil is very easy ..
I use to have a link to doing that. Do you know where the official instructions are? Part of me looks forward to the day it gets a bubble so I can see if all the talk about how bad that will be actually is. I’ve heard it’s very easy and the instructions I say years ago looked so easy I didn’t even attempt to save it. Now I can’t remember how to do it. But so far it’s perfect still. My Cammenga on the other hand has stains Belpet the outer window from the water when I went swimming with it. I wish I could risk messing it io by Doug some serious tests with it but mine is sentimental to me at this point. It’s been all over the country and some of Canada, it’s irreplaceable at this point.
@MrDerksy ... I don't have a link ... bit with my Mk3s you remove the capsule and the filling plug unscrews but be careful with the "O" ring ... replace the oil with clean lamp paraffin ... to degas the capsule I fill a large glass jar with very hot water and let it stand for a few minutes ... empty it and place the capsule with the filling hole upright and put the lid on tight ... the jar will cool down creating a partial vacuum which will draw any desolved air out of the oil ....top up ... replace the filling plug and bobs your uncle ...
I have an original Swiss made WWI issue British officers one (no fluid, it's air floating, on a glass bearing) with case. I have a more modern German Willkie Lensatic fluid filled one and a couple of Chinese knockoffs (one with a inclinometer)
A video of those would be amazing!
fb much more accurate, down it .5 degree. very tough. the one guy I could find who could service one had to quit due to rad disposal cost. I do perfer the tritium lensatic for field/combat use. have both. Have a M2, but it is not a field compass. FB can be had in mil and deg. FB is hands down a better compass, not a throwaway.
You’re right, very far from a through away!
Of course tritium not lasting long makes them throw away. Where I have 20 year old leds on their original battery. Also a bottom mirror compass can be read until there is no horizon to see, no extra light needed.
@@2adamasttritium lasts a pretty long time. I have a Cammenga I bought when I got out of the Marines in 2012 and it’s still glowing.
So it’s just now hitting its half-life but it’s still plenty bright to see at night. Probably has another 12 years of more of useful life.
Hwo many thas
The Barker MKIII is a very nice compass. Maybe I'll be able to get one some day. I have that desire because you and everyone I have read or seen in video raves about it, so it must be great to use.
I do have a couple of Bruntons, a Ranger, and a Silva.
But I am a Cammenga fanboy. It's good for hiking, you get a quick rock-steady azimuth in seconds. It's very intuitive, too, so not much of a learning curve. The tritium models of the Cammenga compass are rated as 'waterproof', but I'm not sure you can take them diving. Also, the magnetically dampened needle on the Cammenga does not oscillate for more than a fraction of a second, and only if you pan quickly.
Thanks for your review.
Thank you and I totally agree, the Cammenga is a great compass. I often find myself using the Cammenga more than any other compass I have, except maybe my small button compass. I keep that one on me all the time because it’s so tiny.
One great thing about the Cammenga is so many people have experience using them and they are pretty easy to get ahold of. If I personally had to choose the best all around compass for serious outdoor use in various conditions I’d pick the Cammenga.
I’d say the Cammenga is the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Francis Barker in the Rolls Royce of compasses. They both have their place.
Thanks for your comments. I’m impressed that this video gets comments so many years later, I’m flattered.
@@Traveling_Tree_Dr I've been thinking about getting a MKIII, and now I am looking for a compelling reason to put out the (now) $600. So I'm looking at all the commentary I can find related to Francis Barkers.
Why is there a cut in the finger loop?
That’s a good question, you have a keen eye! I may not be remembering this exactly right, I spoke with the manufacturer a few years ago. The notch you see is for two things I’ve found helpful. When taking a rough siting you can line up the notch in the ring and the front of the compass when holding it low and looking down onto the compass. It’s a quick way to sight in and get the compass lined up when not trying to be perfect. The other way I’ve used it is on a map. I’ll lay the compass down and use that notch to make sure the compass is straight with the grid or magnetic north lines for orienting the map to the terrain. I think that’s the most useful part of having the little notch. Does that help.
The moment you said liquid, it loses for me: it's a bubble making compass
And tritium, lasts only a few years. And plastic, I have a 50 year old plastic with a bubble, the plastic turning yellow is my problem.
... servicing is very simple ...
@@ApplyWithCaution I don't want to do that in the field.
Yeah, looking back that’s the part I don’t like. My Cammenga is the same and I won’t replace it with a tritium version. It’s way cool while it’s working though.
@@2adamastI have a 12 year old Cammenga tritium (purchased in 2012) model that’s still plenty bright to use at night. It has a 12.5 year half-life. Meaning every 12.5 years it’s half as radioactive.
That does not mean it’s half as bright since the tritium is interacting with a luminescent paint. The tritium gas itself does not glow and has no color.
Beware, there are a lot of cheap fakes about.
Oh yeah and those fakes are total crap! Not accurate at all most of the time. It’s dangerous what some manufacturers put out there and market as a good compass. Some of the fake Cammenga’s are the same way, they are toys and not meant for actually using. But they can sure look official to the unaware.
Stowed, the camenga wins hands down in durability.
I think you may be right. If I had the money or if FB would donate a compass for a test, I’d like to see how it does in real life. I feel like I don’t want to drop it because the glass would shatter, but will it? I’d like to know but I’m not risking mine. I sure don’t want to sound like I am dissing the Cammenga, I grab for it most of the time actually. But when I can or when I need to really relax I’ll take the FB and head out and only hair it and a notepad to get back. I did the same thing with the Cammenga before I got the FB. Great compass.
Absolutely not the best compass in the world. It is well made, but arguably extremely overpriced for the simple fact of "lore" and name. They are hard to import to the states due to Tritium shipping issues. And in reality, you're not going to get 0.25 degree accuracy nor 0.5 degree handheld. The best compasses in the world are also not fluid filled. Fluid filled compasses eventually all get a bubble. No matter how well they are built. This requires service and maintenance to correct. A magnetically dampened compass settles faster and is arguably always more durable. The BEST engineered compass in the world is a Breithaupt COCLA transit. It's made for geologic surveying, it's tested to 0.01 degrees of accuracy. It's magnetically dampened. It can be witnessed top or bottom up depending on what crazy angles you're at. Geologic surveying compasses are meant to be mounted if needed and have a bubble level to ensure the compass is level and there's no interference to the weight of the needle or anything rubbing on side plates or dials. There's no fluid or seals to go bad. The design hasn't changed in 50 years because it's the best there is. You can get a transit used on ebay from the 70s and 80s that still works fine for less than $100. You can get a new Brunton for $500-$750, or you can get the MACDADDY of surveying compasses, the COCLA, for $1500. It's all a matter of what you need it for. Yes, the M-73 is a well engineered compass, it's great quality. Of the fluid filled compasses it is arguably the best. But, I wouldn't pay the price of a more accurate and durable transit compass (Brunton's most basic is around $500) for a fluid filled lensatic (M73 current prices are at $600-$625). It just doesn't make any sense.
I have 50 year old fluid compass no problem with that bubble. Where without fluid you need to lock them in transport. No idea where one can get 0.1° accuracy unless living in a plastic bubble.
That’s just impressive, 50 years! So few things are made that way anymore. I like my Silva but it got a bubble after about 15 years and it’s barely usable depending on my elevation. But it works. If the FB gets a bubble I’ll have to try the method they have used in the past and I dread having to do it. But I will, I love this compass like a pet. It’s an experience to use use it, it’s not just a tool.
I’m glad you mentioned the COCLA transit, I may have to check that one out. I don’t quite think of transits the same as a hand held compass but they sure work for that no doubt, that’s what they are.
I think you make some really good points, all of them are legit. It can come to personal opinion for “best” depending on their use. For hiking and camping and somewhat limited space, I think the FB is hard to beat, still my favorite compass when it comes to wanting to have a special experience navigating. There is something special about the whole thing, the romance and it’s history may be a part of that too, I just love it. Is it necessary? I don’t think so at all, but it seems to be more than simply a tool, it takes it to a different level.
I appreciate your detailed explanation of your thoughts as well as the information to go along with it. I enjoy the friendly debates and love to hear other opinions. I may say something like sailing is the best form of boating, it’s certainly my favorite, but that’s another fun debate. It depends on what you are doing, there is no best form of boating, except for sailing 😛
If I get my hands on the COCLA I’ll take them out and use them side by side for different tasks and see what comes up.