I started reading Bushcraft Essentials by Dave Canterbury and it reminded me of something I have always wanted to try. Starting a fire by using the magnifying glass on a compass. I didn’t think this would work mainly due to the size of the glass being used however I tried both the Silva Expedition with a slightly larger glass and the Suunto MC2. The Silva started a little easier and faster, however I was mostly interested in the Suunto because this is the compass I now use more often. It was a little more fiddly and had a smaller area of focal concentration but they both worked admirably.

silva expedition
focusing the beam
smouldering
suunto mc2
had to move it a little closer
smaller focal plane