Everybody's Knife Bible

Rating:
Summary: There's got to be something better
Review: After reading through this sloppily-printed, cliche-filled volume I didn't feel like I'd learned much. The author sees knives as tools of endless uses and suggests that the knife owner make any number of novel modifications to the owner's blades. The fact that no knife manufacturer offers any blade with these modifications already incorporated testifies to the value most people see in doing so.

Practical information on knife selection and brands is lacking as is any substantive background in history or metallurgy.

Rating:
Summary: There's got to be something better
Review: After reading through this sloppily-printed, cliche-filled volume I didn't feel like I'd learned much. The author sees knives as tools of endless uses and suggests that the knife owner make any number of novel modifications to the owner's blades. The fact that no knife manufacturer offers any blade with these modifications already incorporated testifies to the value most people see in doing so.

Practical information on knife selection and brands is lacking as is any substantive background in history or metallurgy.

Rating:
Summary: A knife bible that needs a few prayers.
Review: Everybody's Knife Bible by Don Paul, 4th edition isn't much of a high tech manual on the practical uses of man's oldest tool. I was very disappointed with this book. I had the 3rd edition and wasn't impressed but wanted to see the "updated" edition and looked forward to the improvements that the older book lacked.

There weren't many improvements. First of all the photographs are very poor as are the sidebars and tables. They look as if the author made them up in his paint program in his word processor. The graphics are just so fuzzy and basic that it detracts from any technical illustrations that the author is trying to make. Some in fact are just barely readable. Most of the illustrations are the same from the 3rd edition. The photo quality was better in the older edition.

Any knife "How To" book in my opinion needs to discuss the various types of steels available. Discussions on edge retention, corrosion resistance, and the practical application, ease of sharpening and carry methods of sheaths, etc. are a must. I see none of that here. It is as if all the knives presented are equally effective for each situation the author is teaching and it is just not so. Some the of the modifications the author recommends would compromise the integrity of any knife not to mention voiding the warranty. For example he recommends lightening a heavy knife by drilling holes in the blade (pg. 141). In my opinion, anyone who does something like that is just asking for trouble. If your knife is too heavy, just get a lighter one. Don't drill holes in it! Would you trust a knife that was drilled by someone to make it more practical? The R & D teams spend a lot of time and money designing their products. If they wanted holes in them, they would have put them there.

Some of the technical instruction is very hard for me to understand. Perhaps it is just me, but I do not think I could practically apply making a clinometer with my knife. Now, I will take one of my old knives and try to do what Mr. Paul is teaching but I don't think copying and pasting the clinometers onto a knife will be very practical for most folks. Perhaps Mr. Paul should design a knife with a clinometer and market it. It would be worth the extra cost to have a truly practical tool with appropriate etchings & engineered holes than for me to try to jury rig it. By the time I get all the drills, engravers, etc. I would have spent more than if the knife was already available.

Most of the knives pictured in the book are from Cold Steel. Now granted, CS makes some fairly decent mid-level knives but I almost get the impression that he is advertising for them. He does have some pictures from Buck and Kershaw but there are other knives out there that have the same or even higher qualities as these brands such as Spyderco, MicroTech, REKAT and Chris Reeve Knives. Also, where are the customs? I don't want my "How To" books just teaching me about the economic plan; I want to hear about what is really good and then I can make my mind up on what I can afford. A chart on the different models and costs would have been helpful.

There is some practical info here and one must always look past the cosmetics to see if they can learn something and I will read this book before I go into the wilds but I think the average knife enthusiast would be better off getting a subscription to one of the modern knife magazines or better yet, visit a site like BladeForums.Com and visit their wilderness section and general discussion forum to get really practical day-to-day info.

I'm sorry this is the way I read this book...hopefully someday, someone will write a book that will really be on the "cutting" edge (sorry!) for the practical application of knives.

Rating:
Summary: Great book at a great price!
Review: Everybodys Knife Bible is a gem! As an Infantryman and former Ranger Instructor, I thought I knew everything there was about survival, but I was wrong. Don brings us to a time before computers and techno-wizard gadgetry and teaches us to use our knives the way they were meant to be used! From telling time to navigation, this book will enlighten even the most field worthy enthusiast! Don's wealth of experience and humor make this one of the most enjoyable knife books ever. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the great outdoors. I eagerly await your new book: Conquer Crime, Be Your Own Bodyguard. God bless you, Don Paul.

Rating:
Summary: Great book at a great price!
Review: Everybodys Knife Bible is a gem! As an Infantryman and former Ranger Instructor, I thought I knew everything there was about survival, but I was wrong. Don brings us to a time before computers and techno-wizard gadgetry and teaches us to use our knives the way they were meant to be used! From telling time to navigation, this book will enlighten even the most field worthy enthusiast! Don's wealth of experience and humor make this one of the most enjoyable knife books ever. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the great outdoors. I eagerly await your new book: Conquer Crime, Be Your Own Bodyguard. God bless you, Don Paul.

Rating:
Summary: Fourth Edition keeps best of old, adds new.
Review: Not a book for knife art lovers. Illustrations and photos are included to enable the outdoors person to understand the new and novel concepts of outdoor knife use. Not a book on metals. This book is THE #1 ANSWER for someone who wants to USE a knife outdoors. It's the companion book for NEVER GET LOST (video), the only navigation system in the world that teaches you to go anywhere without a map and bee line home without having to backtrack. This book has sold through three editions because the book teaches hundreds of tips and outdoor uses about how to use your knife, including how to light up your foot path at night, find directions by resting it on your thumb, tell time (critical for returning hikers) or cross a river safely by using the clinometers, modify your handle so it fits your hand, drill the pommel so you can extract it from places you could never pull it out of with your bare hand, and sharpen it beyond razor-capability. Older versions of this book replaced by publisher at half cost. Translated into Russian. Sold all over the world.

Rating:
Summary: BEST ALL AROUND KNIFE BOOK!!!!
Review: This text is the only one I know of that takes the reader through all aspects of knife selection, usage, and maintainence.
Everyone who uses blades on a regular basis will profit from the info contained. Even if you do not use all of the techniques that Paul reveals, the expanded knowledge of what your knives can do for you makes the book well worth the purchasing price. As far a discussing brands, Paul is smart enough to avoid jumping into the fray, as the market is so crowded and companies and styles come and go frequently. He merely discusses features to look for depending on what you are mainly going to be using the blade for.