My primary experience is with those button ones that are not much bother if you take them along. There are few things that one can tell right away and some that may only come out with use. The face needs to be readable at a glance. Those that are not fluid filled will fail relatively soon, apparently breaking off the tip of the pin on which the needle sits. Some of those fluid filled may also fail in that way. Those that are filled with fluid will start performing poorly if they let air in. The air bubble interferes with needle/indicator movement. Some of them will already have air when you buy them and should be avoided. In all compasses I dealt with, except for Suunto, the moving element got remagnetized for a different direction after a while and became misleading.

The one I try to get is the Suunto Clipper:

https://www.amazon.com/Suunto-Clippe.../dp/B00NEPQSI6

Apparently now it is only produced with dark face. I liked the blue+red+white more and I hated one that glowed in the dark as its face was hardly readable in daylight. One should be able to get the Clipper just under $10.

Suunto compasses may be also marketed under other names such as Swiss Recta.