The 11 Best large Drafting Compass (2023 reviews)

There are several advantages of having a large drafting compass. Let’s take you step by step, type by type, and find the best large drafting compass for you.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Staedtler large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For Students: Buy: ZLKSKER Great Tool READ REVIEW

Best For demanding projects: Buy: Nicpro large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best With pen Holder: Buy: Ferocious Viking large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For High dollar airplane repair: Buy: Mr pen Great Set READ REVIEW

Best For artwork Use: Buy: Mr pen large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For normal Size pencils: Buy: ZLKSKER large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For paper: Buy: Yoousoo large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best With Ruler: Buy: 5Moonsun5 large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For projects: Buy: SZHRXC large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best For Math: Buy: Les Yeu large Drafting Compass READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Staedtler large Drafting Compass

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We are personally inclined towards staedtler large drafting compass, it is not so pricy, but it overachieves its purpose and outstanding in important aspects. The Staedtler comfort is a high quality compass that locks in place, and comes with a wonderful storage case. It is perfect for sacred geometry. The set includes the compass, 2 additional pieces of lead, an additional metal tip, and the universal adapter which allows you to use a pen/pencil/etc instead of the lead point. It is easy to open the compass to a wide diameter while the center wheel makes precision measurement very easy as well. The gearing gives you the ability to make fine adjustments easily.

The quick set buttons are super convenient and they help keep the central screw tight. It comes with an adapter so you can use a pencil or pen instead of just a lead.

• Excellent compass, very smooth and precise
• Works with pens and pencils well
• Fully extended, this compass can draw a circle with a 7" radius
• Works great and has spare parts, all in a quality case

Best For Students: ZLKSKER Great Tool

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Best part: zlksker great tool costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This is a wonderful tool made to last. It is great for woodworking/ shop use. It holds it's adjustment well. The adjustment knob allows for quick and easy adjustments to the radius of the circle being drawn. The surface of the compass is finely polished, it feels smooth and easy to use. This forces you to measure the thing you are hole'ing then applying that to the compass. It is very sturdy and well made. It is great for doing large carpentry work, scribe, drafting, metal work, and leather work.

• Good brand reputation
• New and hot release

Best For demanding projects: Nicpro large Drafting Compass

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The nicpro large drafting compass should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This is a heavy duty tool. It’s very sturdy, has some weight to it so it doesn't slip off center as you use it. The compass is fairly stiff opening and closing but that goes away with use and it's better to start out fairly stiff than to start out sloppy and then get less precise as time goes by. It’s heavy for its size so it feels well made as well. It is suitable for use with paper.

The machining quality is good, the only caveat is there is no rust inhibitor or rust proofing finish on the metal. It is a clunky art project, but does work well and it is accurate. It is easy to remove and sharpen.

• Excellent tool, very well machined of excellent metal
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best With pen Holder: Ferocious Viking large Drafting Compass

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Ferocious Viking offers a variety of compass for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. This compass set is complete and affordable. It is a necessary tool for bisecting angles, constructing geometrical shapes, including perpendicular lines, parallel lines, triangles, circles, rectangles, pentagons and virtually any geometrical shape. It includes a small stylus pen that can be used in the slip handle or separately. It is ideal for students in grades 9-12, vocational or college classes studying drafting, architectural design, and construction engineering. It is designed for traditional math work, but both compasses are metal and quite sturdy, so they would work fine with woodworking.

• Works very well and adjusts easy and accurately
• Sturdy little compass with a lot of great attachments
• Sturdy precision instruments and aesthetically pleasing too

Best For High dollar airplane repair: Mr pen Great Set

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If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory compass, mr pen great set should be your first option for buying. This compass is a great quality tool, a real value. It outlines circles from 1/8" to 24" inches. The joint design keeps them from moving significantly while drawing a line and the extra dimension of fiddliness is bearable. The additional adapters to make bigger circles and also to add your own pencil are exceptional.

It's a good purchase for a student or artist on a budget but if you need excellent accuracy and sturdiness you'll want to look elsewhere. The compass is made with strong metal, looks nice. It's a great quality tool, a real value.

• Sturdy, accurate, can use with pen
• Nice tool for drawing large circles
• Delivers what they promise

Best For artwork Use: Mr pen large Drafting Compass

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Compared with other compass in this category, the mr pen large drafting compass has a convenient design. Compared to other student compasses, especially the kind that use pencils, this is a gem. It comes with a universal adapter, extension beam for math, geometry, art, drafting and drawing. The accessory for attaching a tool to the arm needs some light internal filing to get it to set flat without wiggling on the arm. It features removable parts and also it is no trick to smooth them out.

The needles are not tack sharp, but sharp enough to not slide on most surfaces. There is a card inside offering gifts for reviews. It comes with 2 extra needles (3 total) and 4 extra screws in a small plastic case. There are also 10 replacement leads in another plastic box.

• Many replacement parts and built in tool for tightening
• Nice design, good weight, lots of extra stuff, and includes a universal adapter
• Adequate for all but the most demanding needs

Best For normal Size pencils: ZLKSKER large Drafting Compass

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Compared with other compass in this category, the zlksker large drafting compass has a convenient design. This compass is a very well made tool. It can clearly and easily draw lines on the surface of metal, plastic, wood and other workpiece. It is used for one night but it holds the position locked and draws circles. It has a very solid and precise feel. It has the added bonus of a pencil holder.

It is heavy duty and is great for the shop. It is very easy to set up for the diameter that you need. It is 12.0 inches long, the maximum span (radius) is 16.2 inches, and maximum drawing circle diameter 32.0 inches.

• Makes those large circles a breeze
• Sturdy, stays where you want it, and feels good in the hand
• Really sturdy compass with a very wide range
• Very durable and easy to use

Best For paper: Yoousoo large Drafting Compass

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate compass. The yoousoo large drafting compass is exactly that - it's a simple compass that hits all the right notes. It is the best circle drawing tool for student, artist, mathematician, carpenter. It comes with a universal adapter and extension beam for math, geometry, art, drafting and drawing. It includes a small pen that can be used in the slip handle or separately. It is great for the money, with a convenient case.

This geometry set is very easy to use. It is perfect for drawing circles instructions not included so have fun figuring out what all the extra pieces are for. The compass is well built.

• Awesome tool for air and water nav work
• Very well made and gives you great versatility
• Dual compasses included and very interesting accessories

Best With Ruler: 5Moonsun5 large Drafting Compass

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Compared with other compass in this category, the 5moonsun5 large drafting compass has a convenient design. You can get precise diameters for a variety of projects with this handy wing divider. It measures diameters, angles, measurements, and draw circles/arcs without repeat use of a ruler. It is built to last built from brass, this divider will last you as long as you have it. It fits in its holder and tightens. It is perfect tool for doing large carpentry work, drafting, metal work, and laying out furniture.

It comes with a lockable wing and pencil holder, the wing divider is widely applied for mechanical scribing, leather marking, making diy crafts, and more. The box is also good quality overall. This is a high-end tool.

• Good investment for long term
• Good brand reputation

Best For projects: SZHRXC large Drafting Compass

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The szhrxc large drafting compass's superior materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This compass is great for doing large carpentry work, scribe, drafting, drawing circles, metal work, and leather work. Each SZhrxc tools divider kit comes with two pencils and one metal pencil sharpener so you can begin drawing circles and arcs right away. It is built to last built from brass, this divider will last you as long as you have it. This new compass is very easy to set to the desired diameter and tighten with the thumb screw.

This compass has a very sharp tip and gets any size you want with a threaded adjustment screw. It comes with an adjustment knob switch, so you can control the grip length of the pen. This is a simple tool that is well built and easy to use. It is easy to keep "sharp" and get good clean lines.

• Good brand reputation
• New and hot release

Best For Math: Les Yeu large Drafting Compass

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention les yeu large drafting compass for regular usage. It comes with universal adapter, extension beam for math, geometry, art, drafting and drawing. The length of the pen can be controlled by adjusting the knob switch.

• Great professional compass good for carpentry
• Great tool for making contours and circles, also used for edge marking
• A robust scribing and marking tool
• Professional compass with universal adapter, extension beam for math, geometry, art, drafting and drawing