Maped Technic Compass 7 Piece Set (538717)

I've included some circle art to give an idea of the range and versatility (in terms of circle size) of this compass. By the way, the largest circle is not the maximum range of the compass... It's the maximum range of standard letter paper. The compass can more than double that. Also, the slight imperfections are due to the scanner, not the compass. It's quite hard to get a good scan of pencil lines.Before this came in the mail, I was stuck using one of those cheap plastic compasses that you would get for a dollar as part of a set with various equally low quality tools. I got a ruler, a protractor, a triangle, and that cheap compass for 3 dollars. Everyone knows that you can't get anything close to quality with that kind of a set at the dollar store. That's the only compass I've used prior to this, so I might get overexcited about some points that a standard, quality compass should have.Moving on, let's talk about this compass. It's a vast improvement from the one I was using before, and I would recommend this to anyone that has a need for a compass, whether you need it for artistic purposes, or geometric purposes. Either way, you're still just making circles, and that's what this tool is perfect for.Pros:-The cost is very reasonable, with similar compasses costing up to $5-$10 more.-This compass is very modular. It has 7 pieces, so you can adjust it to suit your needs.-Because of this, the compass can easily create both tiny and huge circles. This is because when you need a smaller circle, you can adjust the piece with the lead to make it easier to make a circle.-Durable. It's made of metal and some high quality plastic as far as I can tell.-The locking mechanism is fantastic. It stays in place and doesn't budge unless you purposely push it.-Doesn't poke a hole in the page, something a lot of other compasses have problems with (unless of course you make 10 circles about one point).-It can hold most writing utensils. It can fit pencils, sharpies, pens, and whatever else you can think of within that width range.-It comes with 2 pieces of 2 mm compass lead and an attachment made for them. It's a lot easier to use than a normal pencil. It's way cooler than sticking any normal old pencil, which you can use if you prefer.-It comes with a normal pencil in case you're old fashioned or run out of the cool leads (You can get them at office stores. On Amazon, it might cost more because the profit margin would be minimal for someone selling such a small item.)Cons-The major problem is putting it together. Because it's so modular, it's also sort of complicated, but I figured it out in 10 minutes, which is more than worth it for this awesome compass.-This is not really a problem at all, maybe not even worth mentioning, but the included pencil sharpener is... not very useful. Maybe just included to increase the advertised piece count, I don't know.Overall, stupendous compass for the price. It has some cool features, and definitely worth buying if you need to make some very good circles. It works for pretty much any purpose, art or geometry. Either way, good circles, good price, good durability. That's all you really need in a compass.

This is not a high-end compass, however, it's a versatile combination of components, and is a fraction of the cost of the high end compasses. Additionally, it has features that cost extra on the expensive compasses.It is solidly constructed, and well engineered, all parts fit in a heavy plastic, form-fitted case, with a positive lid lock.I purchased this for its capability to use engineering ink pens, which on the high-end compasses is a $15 dollar option. This pen arm not only holds the pens, but will hold the fat Sharpies, ball points, Crayons, chalk, and technical pens, such as "Micron" or "Pilot,"etc. Any marking device up to 1/2-inch diameter.It does not have a screw adjustment for setting the radius, but does have a positive lock once set.With the included extension arm, 36 to 40-inch diameter circles can be drawn, and with the positive lock, the ends of the drawing meet perfectly.Additionally, besides the regular lead holder, a lead holder arm for .6 mm leads is included, which includes a push button ratchet to keep feeding the lead out as is wears down. A sharpener for drafting leads is included.All in all, a great value and accurate technical compass.

This cheap "technical" compass is surprisingly well built for the price. Good, fiber-reinforced plastic and good metal fittings means it doesn't fail. The lock mechanism is iffy, but reliable enough - not super great for precision after using it for a while. It has one of the better pen holder attachments I've used, but fixing/adjusting the needle or lead tips is pretty pointless - a better system is needed for those.All in all, I'd say worth having one since it can take a significant amount of abuse and still do good work consistently, which is uncommon for modern affordable drafting tools.

I needed a general compass for around the workshop. I mostly need it to make patterns and to sketch out bowl blanks. I had a cheaper plastic one, but that did not really lock. By the time I got all around the circle, the jaws had opened up and the lines didn't meet. (It would usually make a somewhat uneven spiral).I have not used this compass extensively yet, but it has a toggle that locks the angle in place. It works much better than the older compass, although I would have liked the lock to be even tighter.The compass is also much more rigid than the cheaper plastic compass.It also has a fairly large set of accessories. I like that you can change out the arms with the included pencil or several other drawing attachments. It also has an attachment to make larger circles.Mine did not come with any instructions. While they are not necessary for a simple compass, it was not immediately obvious how to best use all the attachments, or which set-ups are best for different tasks. Not a big deal, because anyone who needs to use a compass can probably figure this out with a little trail and error. A cheap 1 page instruction sheet would however, be somewhat useful and save some time test fitting parts.Its certainly not a high-end drafting tool, but it is much sturdier and hugely more versatile than the $4 compass and costs only a little more. It is therefore a MUCH better value.