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Moderators: feel free to move this. I thought General is appropriate though, as interest would be of a general nature for forumites.
Recently I had a birthday and my lovely cat Noel, with the help of my lovely wife Lyndsey, got me two knife books. BLADE's new guide to knife making, and this Tactical Knvies book by Dietmar Pohl made fine presents for this knife knut. I'll review the bLADE book later. Below is my review of the Dietmar Pohl book.
This book is a newer book on tactical knives. Its original publishing in Germany was in 2001, its US printing in 2003. Roughly speakign on my part, the book covers historical developments of the tactical knife through WWI, WWII, the Vietnam war, and modern hygh speed low drag warfare usage. The book covers fixed blades folders, materials, geometries, and even has a chapter dedicated to multi-tools.
The book is a rough thesis talkinb about the development of the tactical knife. The author sees a difference between the combat knife and the tactical knife. The thin killing daggers and large chopping, awkward knives of WWI and WWII developed into knvies of today that are tough, smaller generally, have synthetic materials, subdued looks and have secure, quick access sheaths. This is a wonderful side of this book. I like this thesis that the author develops. Thigns like pocket clips and kydex really did make a real change in the way warriors can use their edged tools more effectively. Another point the author argues for though the book is that tactical knvies are tools that may be used for killing, and so Dietma Pohl emphasizes the utiliyty functions of knives. Again, this makes sense, reflecting much of what I have read on knife use by warriors. The author does cover daggers somewhat in the book (especially since Dietmar Pohl is a big guru at Boker and is intimately involved in the Applegate/Fairbairn knives produced by Boker.) However, the author stresses that daggers aren't tactical knvie sin the sense that they are more for killing and less for utility usage; again, the author stresses that a tactical knife is tool first that can be used for killing.
I think a neat feature of this book is that it is by a German author who knows the North American knife market. So a lot of the knives in the book are familiar; there are knvies from Mission, Chris Reeve, Al Mar, Gerber, and so on. But there is also coverage of a really neat inegral handmade by Stefan Steigerwald and coverage of German WWII knives includinf the "Infanteriemesser 42" and the "Fliegerkappmesser M". Never heard of those last three? Neither did I! So the book has, at least for me, a bit of an exotic flair. It is a window into German (and other) knives that I otherwise wouldn't have come across (well maybe by some of you folks eventually!)
I found the chapters on materials, geometries and sheaths to be nicely done, though I was wanting more. This is not to say that those chapters are bad! Its just that I think there is a real opening in the knife book market for a LARGE volume on the anatomy, materials and construction of tactical knives. But what info that is in this book is good.
The pictures are FANTASTIC! THe quality seems great, fantastic color images, and there are plenty of pics. As I am a Canadian, I do want to draw your attention to pages 94 and 48 which depict Master Smith Wally Hayes' TAC Custom. this book is worth the price just for the pictures.
I'd like to mention that since Dietmar Pohl works for Boker and is an accomplished knife designer (he co-designed the Orca dive knife, for example), one might expect and understand a more than healthy coverage of Boker knives. Well, I'd say that Boker got no more or no less coverage than other manufacturers. I like that because, as I have mentioned, I see this book as a thesis on tactical knife evolution and design, so emphasis on one manufacturer over others would be detracting. Just wanted to note this professional point.
Was there anything I didn't care for? Well, there are typos in the book, and that drives me nuts. I'm not talking about translation funnies either (though I am sure that Dietmar Pohl is a fine English speaker, as far as I know.) There are repetitions of bits of sentences, and there is even some kind of editing reference in brakets in one paragraph! I wonder is this is a Krause Publications issue, as the BLADE knife makign book I'll be reviewing later had similar errors. Also, there are some surpising omissions in the coverage. There is no talk about cord wraps, and the only Strider mentioned is a Buck/Strider large folding tanto. I just found that a little odd.
I would recommend this book to all knife nuts interested in tactical knives. this book is an interesting thesis on tactical knife development, and gives you much to think about. The pictures give you much to drool about too! Coverage is of knives is definitely mostly of American and German knifes, just FYI. This is truly a modern book on tactical knives, well written by a biggie in our knife world. I say go for it, you won't be disappointed!
Recently I had a birthday and my lovely cat Noel, with the help of my lovely wife Lyndsey, got me two knife books. BLADE's new guide to knife making, and this Tactical Knvies book by Dietmar Pohl made fine presents for this knife knut. I'll review the bLADE book later. Below is my review of the Dietmar Pohl book.
This book is a newer book on tactical knives. Its original publishing in Germany was in 2001, its US printing in 2003. Roughly speakign on my part, the book covers historical developments of the tactical knife through WWI, WWII, the Vietnam war, and modern hygh speed low drag warfare usage. The book covers fixed blades folders, materials, geometries, and even has a chapter dedicated to multi-tools.
The book is a rough thesis talkinb about the development of the tactical knife. The author sees a difference between the combat knife and the tactical knife. The thin killing daggers and large chopping, awkward knives of WWI and WWII developed into knvies of today that are tough, smaller generally, have synthetic materials, subdued looks and have secure, quick access sheaths. This is a wonderful side of this book. I like this thesis that the author develops. Thigns like pocket clips and kydex really did make a real change in the way warriors can use their edged tools more effectively. Another point the author argues for though the book is that tactical knvies are tools that may be used for killing, and so Dietma Pohl emphasizes the utiliyty functions of knives. Again, this makes sense, reflecting much of what I have read on knife use by warriors. The author does cover daggers somewhat in the book (especially since Dietmar Pohl is a big guru at Boker and is intimately involved in the Applegate/Fairbairn knives produced by Boker.) However, the author stresses that daggers aren't tactical knvie sin the sense that they are more for killing and less for utility usage; again, the author stresses that a tactical knife is tool first that can be used for killing.
I think a neat feature of this book is that it is by a German author who knows the North American knife market. So a lot of the knives in the book are familiar; there are knvies from Mission, Chris Reeve, Al Mar, Gerber, and so on. But there is also coverage of a really neat inegral handmade by Stefan Steigerwald and coverage of German WWII knives includinf the "Infanteriemesser 42" and the "Fliegerkappmesser M". Never heard of those last three? Neither did I! So the book has, at least for me, a bit of an exotic flair. It is a window into German (and other) knives that I otherwise wouldn't have come across (well maybe by some of you folks eventually!)
I found the chapters on materials, geometries and sheaths to be nicely done, though I was wanting more. This is not to say that those chapters are bad! Its just that I think there is a real opening in the knife book market for a LARGE volume on the anatomy, materials and construction of tactical knives. But what info that is in this book is good.
The pictures are FANTASTIC! THe quality seems great, fantastic color images, and there are plenty of pics. As I am a Canadian, I do want to draw your attention to pages 94 and 48 which depict Master Smith Wally Hayes' TAC Custom. this book is worth the price just for the pictures.
I'd like to mention that since Dietmar Pohl works for Boker and is an accomplished knife designer (he co-designed the Orca dive knife, for example), one might expect and understand a more than healthy coverage of Boker knives. Well, I'd say that Boker got no more or no less coverage than other manufacturers. I like that because, as I have mentioned, I see this book as a thesis on tactical knife evolution and design, so emphasis on one manufacturer over others would be detracting. Just wanted to note this professional point.
Was there anything I didn't care for? Well, there are typos in the book, and that drives me nuts. I'm not talking about translation funnies either (though I am sure that Dietmar Pohl is a fine English speaker, as far as I know.) There are repetitions of bits of sentences, and there is even some kind of editing reference in brakets in one paragraph! I wonder is this is a Krause Publications issue, as the BLADE knife makign book I'll be reviewing later had similar errors. Also, there are some surpising omissions in the coverage. There is no talk about cord wraps, and the only Strider mentioned is a Buck/Strider large folding tanto. I just found that a little odd.
I would recommend this book to all knife nuts interested in tactical knives. this book is an interesting thesis on tactical knife development, and gives you much to think about. The pictures give you much to drool about too! Coverage is of knives is definitely mostly of American and German knifes, just FYI. This is truly a modern book on tactical knives, well written by a biggie in our knife world. I say go for it, you won't be disappointed!