Posts filed under Kokuyo

Kokuyo Twin Ring Edge Title Notebook Review

A lot of Pen Addicts are looking for a new favorite paper right now, due to the uncertainty of Tomoe River's future. It can be frustrating when favorite products fade away, but I find a lot of joy in the quest for new favorites, because you have to play. And playing with stationery is the best.

If you're a paper nerd, you probably already have your runners-up to favorites that you can fall back on that are enjoyable and reliable and will do just fine. But one paper brand that doesn't get the paper nerd worship it deserves is Kokuyo. People are starting to pick up on its awesomeness, but I still feel the need to sing its praises from the rooftops because I don't see it mentioned often enough in "I love this paper" discussions.

For all my playing with paper, this is the closest I've found to a substitute for Tomoe paper in thickness, texture, and performance. It doesn't have quite as much of the sheen-popping power of Tomoe, but it has the thin, crispy texture with the ability to handle puddles of ink with no bleedthrough. You can get it in a variety of formats, and it is remarkably inexpensive.

The specific notebook I'm playing with this week is the Twin Ring Edge Title A5 notebook that came with the Systemic cover system I reviewed a few weeks ago. It's a double wire-bound book with 50 sheets in a unique and useful format that is ideal for work, school, or custom planner pages. Each page is divided into sections, with space on the margins for you to add color coding with markers or highlighters. Each section can be assigned to a task, a day, a journal entry, or you can ignore the label spaces and use it as a 6mm lined notebook.

The paper is archival quality, pH neutral, and acid free, so it will never turn yellow or brittle. It has enough texture to handle pencils of any type, and doesn't bleed or feather with any fountain pen I've ever tried. Even marker sits neatly on the surface with very little show-through. The Sharpie bled slightly, only where the tip of the pen paused at the beginnings or ends of letters.

If you are currently on a paper quest, I highly recommend you try this notebook. It's also only $7. If that still feels too steep for an experiment, you can pick up some of their Campus notebooks for around $3, which have the same excellent paper qualities. And don't forget to enjoy the quest! Discovering a new favorite stationery product is always rewarding, but it's rarely as fun as the search itself.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on May 20, 2021 by Sarah Read and filed under Kokuyo, Notebook Reviews.

Kokuyo Systemic Cover Notebook Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

When I first opened the Kokuyo Systemic Cover Notebook up and started exploring its features, it reminded me of the times when my kids would bring me their transformer robots and ask me to make them back into cars. What goes where? Are there three arms? Sorry, kid, Bumblebee wants to stay a robot forever. But after working with it and seeing all the cool stuff it can do? Now I'm a fan.

The cover is a tri-fold design, and each of its thirds is full of features, so I think it makes the most sense to describe it from left to right. The first third is the piece that forms the front cover. on the front it has a canvas pocket over the faux leather that's big enough to hold a small notebook or some pens or papers. Inside that flap is a flexible plastic sheet split into two parts. This can be used as a folder for papers, or as a sleeve to insert an A5 notebook cover behind, or, thanks to the split, a sleeve to fit a top-bound notepad.

At the fold between the first and second parts, there is a double-ribbon bookmark. One can be used for the left notebook, and one can be used for another notebook that can be inserted into the sleeve that's in the middle section. The middle section forms the back of the cover itself. On the outside, it has another canvas pocket just like the front does. Inside, it has a canvas sleeve for notebooks or papers. And stitched on top of that pocket are three smaller card-slot pockets.

The final third of the cover is a plastic sleeve, where the Kokuyo A5 Twin Ring notebook fits. The cover comes with one notebook, but refills can also be purchased. I'll review the notebook another day because it's also full of unique features worth talking about at length. Other A5 notebooks would also fit in this space, and because this sleeve is also split, a top-bound notebook would work as well. This plastic sleeve also has a card slot and ribbon bookmark to use in that notebook. On the right side is an elastic pen loop. When all is folded up together, it can be secured with an elastic band that stretches around from the back of the cover.

You can fit a lot of notebooks in this bad boy (slaps hand on Kokuyo Systemic Cover). And that is my love language. I have five notebooks in mine right now, and that's not counting the small sticky note pads that are tucked away in the pockets. Granted, all of them are slim books. I was, however, able to fit my Seven Seas Writer in the right-hand side, and still keep a slim Midori and Field Notes in the other two spots, and a Field Notes Dime Novel edition in the front pocket. It's stuffed, and I can't use the smaller interior pockets, but it fits. I also managed to fit three Leuchtturm softcover notebooks, which also works as long as you don't plan to use the small pockets. It's full of notebooks AND surprises.

The last surprise is that it's only $25. I think it would be great for work and even better for students. It works perfectly for my writing, too, as my everyday writing uses a three-notebook system. It comes in several muted, professional colors. But the plastic sleeves are perfect for placing stickers, if professional isn't your vibe. Whatever your purpose, this transformer of notebook systems can almost certainly meet your needs.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Sarah Read and filed under Kokuyo, Notebook Reviews.

Kokuyo NeoCritz Flat Pencil Case Review

When you love bags and you love pens and pencils, pen cases tend to be an intersection of many joys. They are for me. And Kokuyo generally makes good ones, but I don’t love the NeoCritz Flat Pencil Case. I say this with full awareness that I'm a bit particular. But I feel like "flat" is not the best shape for storing three-dimensional objects, especially more than a few of them.

The adorable, limited-edition floral patterns are what first caught my eye on these--plus the Kokuyo brand, which is one that often delights me. The design also seemed innovative, and I have to try every new kind of pen case.

The concept here is that the case, which has two zippers, can unzip into a standing wedge shape and serve as a handy pen cup--then it can be zipped closed and taken on the go. When in cup form, the top can also fold down. It's a great idea in theory, but doesn't quite work for me in practice.

The biggest limitation to this case is its capacity. The slim design only holds a few pens, and the smaller front pocket--which is great and convenient when the case is in cup form--has to be essentially empty for the case to close at all. Anything larger than a slim eraser will block the zipper. And maximum zipped capacity is around ten skinny pens. When it's in cup form, though, it can hold at least twice that. I love this way more as a pen cup than as a case.

I think this could work well if you only need a few supplies, like a sketch set or a handful of paint brushes you want to take out on an adventure. But it doesn't work terribly well as storage, or if you, like me, want to bring All The Colors with you at all times.

I am happy to use it as a cheerful pen cup. The colors are wonderful, and the polyester fabric cleans up well. And the double zipper does make access easy, even when the case is nested in a crowded backpack. It does have a lot going for it, and I expect it would delight many users. As I said, I'm a bit picky. You could probably hand me a pen case the size of the Hindenburg and I'd say that I wish it held more pens. But I really do wish this one held more pens.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)