Pommel Compass: Discussion on why they were dropped?

[Quarterbore]

I got an e-mail from an individual today that indicated he was at REI and purchased a small compass that fit perfectly in the Pommel of his Buckmaster. He said however that the compass doesn't work worth a darn because of the steel pommel affecting the magnetic field...

I am curious if the intention was that the user would remove the compass from the pommel or use the compass left inside the pommel?

Can anyone with a Buckmaster with the compass in the pommel advise if your compass works inside the pommel and/or does the compass come out of the pommel easily if the design was to use it outside of the knife?

I am assuming that these are the reasons that Buck and Qual-A-Tec walked away from this design but I would welcome additional oppinions... informed or not.

[Quarterbore]

I am still looking for info on this and I found this tidbit of info that points to the suggestion above....

From another EBAY Auction!!!

Description (revised)

You are bidding on a BuckMaster knife in it's original box with all accessories and paperwork. This is in excellent condition There are some marks on the side of the knife, but there is a notice in the box which reads "Please Note! Because of the vitally important locking action feature of BuckMaster's unique GripTite sheath, the blade will show marks as you take the knife in and out. NO DAMAGE IS DONE TO THE BLADE; but if desired, these marks may be removed with any good metal polish, such as Flitz". In addition to the papers in the box is also a sample of Flitz polish, although given it's age, I'm not sure if it's still usable.

The only thing that appears to be missing is a compass in the handle. The paperwork refers to it, but I don't see it. However, there is a Silva compass tucked into the sheath pocket which I'm guessing is a replacement. I have that plus the paperwork that goes with it.

This knife comes from a private collection which I will be auctioning off over the next few weeks. The collector was very proud of his collection and treated every piece with care. Keep checking my auctions for more beautiful knives. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. I can forward additional pictures upon request. Winning bidder to pay shipping and insurance charges. Thanks for looking and happy bidding!



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On Jan-24-05 at 14:16:09 PST, seller added the following information:

**Please Note** A helpful e-bayer pointed out that the bonus compass is actually an intended replacement made by Buck Knives. There is a yellow note in the box that points out that it includes a New! Larger Precision Compass because the old compasses were not working properly. So this is not a bonus, but rather as it was intended. Thanks for the info Bob!!
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If anybody has a copy of the yellow note described in the auction I would love to see a photo or scan of it if you would! Following is the only pic from the auction that shows the paper...

[Quarterbore]

Well, I asked the seller of the knife I had the pic above of (red box with the move) if he would get me a scan of the yellow card...

Here is what the Card Says which pretty much agrees with my theory...



Special thanks to EBAY seller itrade123 for providing the above image!