I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the average person knows, at most, 4 or 5 types of knots. For most of us, the only time we need to know how to tie a knot is when we are lacing up a pair of sneakers or tying off a bit of thread while working on a sewing project. And yet, knowing how to tie a knot is a really useful life skill, one of those skills that, when you need it, you’ll kick yourself for not knowing how to do it perfectly. If you never got to be in the Boy Scouts or learn how to tie knots from some other youth organization, Knots 3D can get you caught up quickly with this surprisingly useful life skill.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Knots 3D teaches you how to tie 85+ different types of knots! These knots can be used in all kinds of useful situations, from outdoor sports to moving/hauling, sailing to entertaining children.

Pros

• Excellent visual representations of the knots, often bi-colored so you can better see how the knot comes together
• Each knot’s uses and history are clearly outlined, making this app of interest to history buffs as well as people who need to use knots for work or play
• Rotate the knots so you can see them from any angle, or zoom in to get a closer look
• Localized for one dozen different languages
• Works without an internet connection
• Browse knots by category/use
• Create a favorites list to quickly pull up the knots you find most relevant to your needs and interests
• Includes alternative names for a knot

Cons

• No ability to search by name: you have to browse by category or type, or scroll down through the long list of knots in alphabetical order
• You can view a knot from all angles, and do a bit of zoom, but you can’t go fully full screen (there are still nab tools and headers on the “full screen view,” and zoom is somewhat limited.
• You can search by category (pioneering, fishing, first aid, etc.) but it would be nice to be able to type in specific key words (“hauling wood” or “lifting injured body over 150 lbs” to get recommendations for what knot is best suited to a specific situation)

Discussion

Overall, I was very impressed with this app. There is a huge variety of knots here, and they are well-organized. The animated 3D diagrams make it really easy to see how a knot comes together, even if there are multiple strands involved.

As a history nerd, I particularly enjoyed the descriptions that come along with each knot. Having some background about how the knots were used and devised in centuries past is actually very helpful when you are trying to figure out what knot it best for a certain situation.

I do wish there was a robust search feature here, the better to find a knot quickly by name, or find the perfect knot to solve whatever problem you are contending with. There are no “step by step” directions here, either. The animations stand in good stead for a step by step breakdown, however.

If you never had the chance to be in the Boy Scouts and always wanted to learn a useful (and potentially life saving skill), then it’s high time you downloaded this app while it’s still free.

Conclusion and download link

Whether you’re an outdoorsman, a sailor, a mover, a big fan of camping, or just like to learn useful life skills, Knots 3D is an app that teaches you a huge array of knots. The visual aids are immensely helpful. I tend to be a bit rubbish at knots or anything that requires me to use my hands, but this app made learning new knots very easy!

Price: Unknown

Note: At the time of this writing, Knots 3D is temporarily available for free

Version reviewed: 3.2.4

Supported OS: Requires iOS 4.3 or later

Download size: 46.4 MB

Knots 3D on Apple App Store