ESV Thinline Bible in Buffalo Leather Review

My good friends at Crossway sent me the new ESV Thinline Bible in buffalo leather. I love Bibles, and I’ve been going through a bunch of different options and reviewing them to see which one is my favorite for use as a pastor. 

So today, I’m excited to review the new ESV Thinline Bible in Buffalo leather. 

Let’s be honest, could there be anything more American than wrapping a Bible in a buffalo? I mean, come on. That’s pretty awesome right there. 

But seriously, it’s a fantastic Bible, and I’ll tell you why.

How Is it Different From Other Thinline Bibles?

The buffalo leather Thinline Bible is the same as all the other Thinlines except for the cover. Compared to the ESV Thinline Bible in genuine leather, you can immediately see the difference. The buffalo leather is a major step up in quality. 

Overall, it’s simply a far better cover. It costs more, however, in my opinion, it’s worth it.

The ESV Thinline Bible is the most popular Bible that Crossway makes it for a reason. It’s a great size—big enough to read, but small enough to throw in a bag, in a car, or carry with you at church. 

It’s readable yet portable.

The side is about an inch thick and the dimensions are about an inch or so bigger than my hand. 

Opened wide, it’s barely smaller than a full sheet of printer paper.

Text And Features

Like all the other ESV Thinline Bibles, it’s a double-column Bible. The words of Christ are in red. 

It has an eight-point font size, which is smaller than the other Bibles I like. However, it’s still a very readable size. 

The paper is thin, but it’s not too thin where you feel like it will tear easily. You will see some bleeding of the text through the backside of the page, but it’s not too distracting. 

Unfortunately, it is not text aligned, meaning the ink from the text on the back is on the same line as the front. However, it’s still a very readable Bible. I definitely don’t have any big issues with it there.

In addition, there’s a concordance in the back, which is handy. And there are also some maps in the back.

Buffalo Leather Cover

The cover is where this Bible really shines. The buffalo leather is high quality. It’s not quite as premium as the goatskin leather, like in the Preaching Bible or Heirloom Legacy Bibles. Crossway’s goatskin leather Bibles are softer to the and more pliable. 

The Buffalo leather is a little thicker and stiffer. The goatskin leather flops like nothing. And the buffalo leather will keep its shape more. 

I’ve been using the buffalo leather Thinline every day for the last couple of weeks, trying to get it just worn in. It has become a little more flexible, but it’s still fairly stiff. 

On the other hand, if you compare it to Crossway’s genuine leather Bibles, like the genuine leather Thinline, it’s a noticeable upgrade in quality. 

I especially love the ribs that are on the side cover. It feels good in your hand, looks great on a shelf, and it just adds that extra something to make the buffalo leather Thinline Bible a step above the rest. 

I admire the craftsmanship of these ESV Bibles. After all, the Bible is the greatest book of all time. It is the holy Word of God and deserves a cover that reflects the beauty of the words within. 

The buffalo leather is a rich, deep brown color. It is so dark that it almost looks black in dim lighting. It’s actually the first brown Bible that I’ve ever owned. Every other Bible I’ve ever had is black. Apparently, I have a thing for black Bibles.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the brown at first, but it has grown on me. It gives off a more traditional look of a historic book.

The Downside

I would recommend this Bible to just about everybody. There’s a reason the Thinline is the bestselling Bible that Crossway makes. It’s a great size. It’s portable but big enough to still be good for daily reading. And the incredible quality of the buffalo leather makes it even better. I love it.

There are only two problems I have that keep it from being the perfect Bible for me.

1. IT DOESN’T PASS THE LAY FLAT TEST.

My first problem is that it doesn’t stay open on the early or last pages. 

If you turn it into like the middle of the Bible, it will stay open and lay flat. But if you were to be preaching from Genesis 1, it doesn’t pass the lay flat test. It will close on you. 

Also, if you’re at the end of the Bible in Revelation 22, it will close on you or barely stay open.

So if you were preaching directly from this Bible, it will hold in the middle, but not toward Genesis or Revelation. That’s a problem for preachers. 

A Bible like the Preaching Bible that was made for preaching with a flexible goatskin leather will stay open on any page without a problem.

2. IT’S SMALLER THAN A STANDARD PIECE OF PAPER.

The second issue also comes from a preaching perspective. 

I like to have one page, sometimes two, of sermon notes printed out that I preach from. I like to lay the paper horizontally inside my Bible. So I’ll have an outline with all of my Scripture. This saves me from thumbing through my Bible, wasting time, and possibly losing my place. 

Since the Thinline Bible is a little smaller than a standard piece of paper when opened, my notes are bigger than the pages.

It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s more difficult for me to work from. I may want to trim the paper to fit, which creates one more step to my preparation. More standard-sized Bibles will fit a standard sheet of paper no problem.

Overall: A Fantastic Bible for Just About Everything

I would recommend this Bible to just about anybody. The only place that it isn’t quite standing up to some of the other Bibles I’ve reviewed is for preaching. Other than that, you can’t go wrong with the ESV Thinline Bible in buffalo leather.

I love the craftsmanship and durability of the cover. It feels more durable than the higher-end goatskin leather that might fold too easily and damage the pages. And it is a thicker and higher quality leather than the genuine leather covers. I have no doubt that the buffalo leather will live up to its lifetime guarantee.

For an everyday carry Bible, I’m switching. This will live in my backpack, on my desk at work, and on my nightstand at home. But when I’m preaching, I think I’ll stick with a bigger Bible with a softer cover.