DAVIS MARK 15 Sextant

First came with two sun shades broken, inform SVB24 via email, day after another one was sent, arrived one week later, acceptable I live close to Lisbon.
Eager to test it, bringing down some stars checking my position

I chose this model because a) it is light (who wants to lug a heavy sextant in a wooden case on an airplane?) and b) unlike the Mark 25, it has a half-view mirror (makes it easier to observe objects with weak light, such as stars and planets, as the full-view mirror has a reputation for absorbing some light). First of all, it is a fully functional sextant with which measurements can be made within the usual accuracy range (a few nautical miles). The highlight so far has been a fairly accurate determination of the position of Sirius and Venus (low in the sky in spring with an artificial horizon). The usual corrections (index error, tilt error of both mirrors) can be made relatively easily; I also cannot say that they are easily adjusted, as is often claimed. However, the index error for me depends on the direction of approach to the zero mark (top-bottom), you just have to know that and take that into account. The weak point of my model is the micrometer screw in conjunction with the plastic degree arc. It sometimes does not run "smoothly", i.e. there are discontinuous jumps in the minute range, accompanied by creaking noises. Since it is not directly accessible, it is not easy to oil it either, which is probably where there are significant differences to high-quality sextants. Unfortunately, the price of the sextant seems to fluctuate greatly. I recommend the sextant in the price range under 350 EUR, if the price is significantly higher I would seriously consider alternatives (Astra IIIB, CP sailing or similar).

Delivery times neither short nor long, reasonable. Nickel packaging. Lots of packaging and package care in general. I have not yet had the opportunity to try the product, the manual is unfortunately in English.

The product meets my expectations.

user manual is very short... there should be additional explanation especialy about calibration ...