Coghlan's Function Whistle

Whistle: Very loud. At first I was blowing on it too lightly and thought it was defective. I gave it a nice blow and wowza, yes it works great! Short bursts work well too.Compass: I'm completely new at using a compass but I do know west has to stay west and so forth. I've tried it many times in my house, I shook it hard many times and checked if the directions still pointed in the appropriate direction. It did for the most part, although it seems to be off by about a dash sometimes, but that could be me I guess.Thermometer: The print is small but my eyes for close-up objects is perfect so I have no problem reading this. For those of you who are far sighted, it may be a bit harder. I have no other thermometer to compare accuracy perfectly, but using my own bodies thermometer, it seems on point. When I turn off the AC in the house the temperature on this baby slowly increases and vice versa. The numbers that shown are by 10 values and the marked dashes in between are by 5 point values, plus an extra red dash for the 32 degree Fahrenheit.Magnifier: Its takes a tiny bit of effort to pull it out, but you can definitely do it no problem. Push it in from one end and use your nails to grasp it and swing it open from the other side. Or use a thin tool like a knife or small tool to push it all the way through. Usefulness: it's a little magnifier, it magnifies things a little.Other: The clasp itself is all plastic, no hinges. To open it wide enough to hang, you give it a push and it bends in somewhat. On it's own the clasp sits slightly ajar (1mm). It can attach to anything thicker than a millimeter and not fall out.I was going to give this four stars because the compass MAY be off by a dash, BUT that may be my lack of skill so in all fairness I won't take off a star. Also even if it IS off by a dash, I am backpacking trails so I don't need anything heavy duty, and if I did I would buy a compass on it's own. This little item is amazing! I bought it primarily for the whistle and thermometer and it meets my expectations. The compass is a plus and I don't care squat for the magnifier either way. The clasp is a simple plastic thing, it's thick, sturdy and will do it's job, I don't see that breaking anytime soon, It can also be replace by a tiny carabiner if you prefer. All in all 100% worth the money.

This whistle is a great addition to your hiking backpack, I strongly recommend for a safety feature. It’s very loud and effective and I love that it has a compass and thermometer included. I recently used it on a hiking trip and it was so loud that the Pika on the rocks were calling back at me, I think they didn’t appreciate how loud it was. Great price for a tool that can end up being lifesaving.

I have waited a year to review this. Bought it last year after a backpacking trip, and I was looking forward to its multiple functions at a very low pack-weight for this year's backpacking endeavor. After 30 miles of Portland mountain terrain and 3 days of rain, I have come to really dislike its shortcomings. But given its price point, I just cant give it 3 stars.Cons:1) Must hold the button down to activate the light. I do not understand why they did not create a switch for the light to stay on. In the dark, setting up a tent, I actually need both my hand. Very frustrating.2) And to make it worse, depressing the flashlight button is actually pretty hard. After a 10 hour day of backpacking. My hand would cramp up almost instantly from having to press the button down.3) Flashlight and cord are not intuitive. I had it clipped to my belt and in my pocket, but when you pull it out to turn on the flashlight, the flashlight points the wrong direction (flashlight dangles pointing up). Its awkward having to flip the thing around to get the flashlight to point at what you want.4) The plastic clip is very hard to depress. Which may seem like a good thing, after all, you don't want to lose it. But in an emergency, like coming across a bear, the last thing you want is fiddling with the clip to let go, just so you can reach the whistle.5) The signal mirror and magnifying glass are pretty bad.Pros:1) Lightweight2) At a rudimentary level, all of the products functions do work.3) Price. Its very cheap. Some multi function backpacking / camping products can be very expensive.Conclusion. I really love what they were attempting to do with this product. And at some level, they succeeded, particularly given its price point. But overall this product leaves me wanting something different.

Took this to the Grand Canyon. Loved it and used it. My husband was so jealous I had to buy him one for Christmas.

I've had two of these whistles since 2015 and both have held up spectacularly. The use has been moderate, tagging along for hikes and getting thrown about in a backpack for emergencies. It's rather rugged. The whistle is pretty loud, but you need to put effort into it. A light blow won't make any noise. A storm whistle is far more effective and won't get clogged with water. The compass is pretty accurate, I have compared it to a Suunto compass I use for maps and it's dead on, it's simply smaller so it can be harder to read and lacks any bearings. The thermometer works, and goes from 120F to -20F, but is quite small so detailed readings can be difficult. But works for general use. Finally the little magnifier is alright, I don't find it too useful. Tried to use it as a magnifying lens to start a fire but haven't had much luck with it.Maybe my review doesn't sound too reassuring, but like I said the cost and compactness and ruggedness make it very useful and easy to have everywhere or to have multiple. I've certainly used it on many occasions.