This compass is the real McCoy. It excels for night land navigation. You set your bearing and line up the tritium illuminated markings on the dial, and you're set. Just keep everything aligned while you go and you will be on target--just don't forget to convert grid to magnetic azimuths! When I received this Cammenga, the hinges was very tight. I lightly lubricated the hinges with a thin oil and worked the hinges a few times, and everything is perfect now. Note: the compasses with the clear baseplates are easier to work with using a map, but you can still use this compass in such a role. One thing that's really great about this compass is that it uses magnetic induction to dampen the "needle" and you will never get "bubbles" because there is no liquid inside the compass. And, unlike baseplate compasses, this one locks the "needle" when you close the case. You could throw this compass as far as you could and you still wouldn't affect its accuracy, provided you threw it it he "closed" position. It's quite easy to "shoot" azimuths with this compass, and the little "magnifying lens" really helps you to read out the bearings.