Hi, This is the best English language guide on Norte. My initial impression was exactly the same, it is not as good/convenient as the
Brierley's. The structure/presentation is different and takes some getting used to. But,
information given is precise. The maps are broken to fit separate pages and lacks a visual presentation of the elevation profiles, compared to the
Brierley's.
I was walking with a lot of Germans and they were using those outdoor guides. But would ask me for accommodation info from the Northern Camino guide. I got lost couple of times, and there was no one around to ask, I was able to look at the map, orient myself and walk in the right direction to re-connect with the Camino.
Every morning i would take a note of villages/bars and their distances expected on that stage. Then when i walk I just follow the well marked yellow arrows and keep track of my progress against my notes. Hardly ever look at the guide during the walk, except at stops/breaks.
I am sure you have seen other online resources like Eroski, Gronze etc. You can get good accommodation, village info for staging. But, none of them give any better direction/maps for walking. If you have a smartphone, why not just download the english version of the Northern route from here for elevation profiles:
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenidos/informacion/x65_folletos/en_x65/folletos/2011/santiago/Caminos del Norte INGLES.pdf
Are you doing the Primitivo?
Btw, like your new avatar.