Kunisawa Find Smart Note Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

A couple years ago, I reviewed a collection of Kunisawa Find Smart notebooks. I wasn't terribly impressed by these notebooks in 2018, but it's curious what a difference two years can make. I don't think anything changed regarding the notebook materials, but after a second try I've decided I like these notebooks a lot more than I did originally.

The Kunisawa Find Smart Note Notebook is a small hardcover notebook that's slightly taller and less wide than a standard A6 notebook (the Hobonichi Techo is a popular A6 notebook for comparison). The size makes it easy to slip into most pockets, but the top will certainly stick out of the top of most pockets and bag dividers. At 5.9 inches tall and 4.1 inches wide, it's a bit awkward. Shorter than the regular Traveler's notebook, but a little wider than your standard pocket notebook (Field Notes), it took my brain a few minutes to determine if the paper size worked for me or not. In the end, I decided that I really like the additional height and width over the standard pocket notebook. Sadly, it still doesn't fit in any cases or pockets that are specifically designed for pocket notebooks (5.5x3.5 inches).

The hard cover is wrapped in a tough fabric-like material that has a pleasing texture and tactile feel. The only branding on the exterior of the notebook is an embossed Kunisawa logo with gold foil. The cover feels durable and sturdy without losing any elegance. The gold edging on the paper also adds to the elegant aesthetic of this notebook, which pairs well with the black cover. Inside the notebook, the front inside cover features a quote, "I do not seek, I find." This doesn't mean much to me, and I have to wonder if the meaning is somewhat lost in translation. Either way, it's subtle and doesn't detract from the overall aesthetic. The back interior cover features the same Kunisawa logo in a dark ink. Branding is minimal with this notebook, which just adds to the sleek elegance.

Inside the covers, you're greeted with a smooth ivory/cream-colored paper with a 2.5mm grid pattern. I'm not a fan of the paper color or the grid size, but I will say it's grown on me. I don't mind it as much after using the notebook for a while, but my eyes are glad to see a generous 7 or 8mm graph or dot grid after a while. The small grid just seems too busy. I appreciate it can be extremely helpful with architectural and design sketches that require a lot of precision, but it's still too much for normal use. Once you get comfortable with how small or large to make your writing in order to fit the grid properly, you quickly get into the swing. After a while, this became a convenient and stylish way to keep quick notes and lists during the day.

The paper is 81.4 gsm (precise!) and does a fair job of handing all the inks I threw at it. I haven't noticed any bleeding or feathering, but the ink shows through to the back of the page quite a lot. If you're using anything besides a wet fountain pen, water colors, or other really wet ink, the show-through isn't bad at all. But, if you like wide and wet nibs, this paper is really only good on the front page of each sheet. Speaking of sheets, this notebook only has 40 of them. Not a lot to work with by any means.

At almost $15, the Kunisawa Find Smart Note Notebook is hard to recommend. The materials and build quality more than justify the price, but the simple fact is that you can find lots of notebooks that provide more utility and value than this one. This is one of those cases where the aesthetic or form factor needs to grab you before you consider purchasing it. The paper size really is an interesting experiment in seeing how big a pocket-able notebook can be, and the durable covers just feel great in the hand. Despite all that, money is money and there are many other notebooks to recommend at the 10-15 dollar mark.

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

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Ink + Volt Executive Notebook Review

I’m not going to lie. If Ink + Volt didn’t reach out to me about their recent collaboration with Kunisawa, I might have missed it. Or even skipped it altogether if I did happen to see it.

Yes, I’m familiar with both brands, and have reviewed several Kunisawa products in the past. Their products are good, but not make me rethink what I already use good. With Ink + Volt, I’ve been aware of the brand for years, but never made the effort to get to know their products better. There is no particular reason why, other than there are a lot of notebooks on the market to discover.

Not long ago, Ink + Volt reached out to me, and other bloggers, to test out some new products on their shelves, made in collaboration with Kunisawa. The Executive Notebook is what landed on my desk, and I’m impressed with what these two brands have created.

You’ll notice quickly that this notebook is plain on the outside. The firm, but flexible, black cover (also available in grey and navy blue) wraps 192 pages of bronze-gilded dot dash paper. It is indeed executive looking, if that’s what you are into.

I myself would have dismissed it on appearances alone if Ink + Volt didn’t send these to me. And that would have been a mistake on my part, because I’m impressed at how good this notebook is.

Looks and construction are important aspects of any notebook, but nothing is more important to me than how the paper performs. Not just with fountain pens, but with any type of writing instrument. Ballpoint, gel, rollerball, pencil, marker - they all need to work well, too. That’s what Ink + Volt and Kunisawa executed perfectly with the Executive Notebook. And that’s what made me see this notebook in a different light than if I were solely trying to judge it on a website.

Every pen and pencil I threw at it behaved perfectly. There was no bleeding or feathering with any of the water-based inks. Gel inks were dark, ballpoint inks were smooth, pencils had some feedback, and markers were consistent. I drew some line art on one page, coloring in some of the areas as I went, with a wide stub nib and Sailor Manyo Yomogi ink. Only one tiny dot made it through to the backside of the page, in an area where I filled in the same square repeatedly.

I used the same setup for the handwritten portion of the review, and never saw a stray fiber runner on the front of the page, nor any bleed through to the back of the page. The paper also allowed the ink to show off shading and sheening properties without an extended dry time.

I’m very impressed with the paper, and the entire setup of the Executive Notebook. Could it be better if I were designing my own notebook? Sure. Whiter paper stock (they call this one cream), more format options besides only dot grid, internationally recognized sizing (this one measures a random 7 ⅛” x 9 ¼”,) and a lower than $37 price tag. That said, the $35 Apica Premium C.D., which is one of my most recommended notebooks, costs more per square inch, and has a flatter fountain pen ink performance (less shading and sheen.)

So what I’m saying is the Executive Notebook from Ink + Volt, with Kunisawa, is a heck of a good notebook. If it fits your style and your budget I think you will be thrilled with it.

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

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Kunisawa Find Sticky Memo and Block Memo Pad 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.)

I often see Pen Addicts across the globe in search of sticky notes and memo pads with fountain pen-friendly paper. Well, hey, here's some good news: Kunisawa has recently released these memo pads, and they're the best I've used to date when it comes to liquid inks. They aren't perfect--if you've got a firehose of a broad nib with lubricated ink, you're still going to get feathering and show-through, maybe some pinpoint bleed-through, but for your typical usage, these work great.

Both pads are A7 size, or roughly 3 x 4 inches. Small enough to fit in a pocket, but large enough for a note of substance. The memo pad features 80 pages of perforated 2.5 mm grid paper. It's a lovely cream color with very fine grey printed grid lines that are not too obtrusive but also work well as writing guides.

The sticky notes are plain cream paper, also 80 pages. The adhesive is strong, so your notes will stay put, but it doesn't leave a gluey residue behind. There is some coating present, of course, so that the notes will stick to each other--so when I wrote with fountain pen along the top edge of a note, it beaded a bit, but it still wrote and the ink didn't smear at all. The sticky note pad also has snazzy copper foiled edges, so the world will know that your note is super important.

Both pads have a sturdy grey cardboard cover with the Kunisawa motto, "i do not seek, i find" debossed inside. The front cover has the Kunisawa brand and three-legged crow, "Yatagarasu" the god of guidance, stamped in copper foil. The whole effect is minimal but elegant and perfectly embodies the upscale business accessories vibe that Kunisawa embraces.

Despite that upscale look, the prices are reasonable. The sticky pad costs 900 yen (about $8) and the memo pad is 350 yen (about $3). It's a lot more than a pack of Post-it notes, sure, but the notes are much bigger and the paper is much, much better. They're certainly not priced for student use, or even frequent willy-nilly-notetaker use, but if you've got a snazzy business office in need of snazzy accessories, these should fit the bill. Or if you just really, really need pen-friendly memo notes. And who doesn't, right?

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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