Posts filed under Kyokuto

Kyokuto F.O.B. COOP To Do List Sticky Notes Review

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

If there's one thing I always wish there were more of, it's high-quality sticky notes. The brand that made sticky notes famous doesn't use the highest quality paper, which is a bummer. There are a few other companies that strive to make sticky notes that work with more than just standard ballpoints and gel pens, but they are few and far between.

I recently discovered the Kyokuto F.O.B. COOP To Do List Sticky Notes (what a name, right? I'll refer to them as Kyokuto sticky notes from now on.), which has renewed my interest in this category. The Kyokuto sticky notes come in three variations: To Do List, Daily, and Weekly. Each sticky pad has 30 one-sided sheets and measures in at 2 x 5.5 inches. This is a perfect size for attaching these small notes to the margin of another notebook, planner, or calendar.

The to do list variant has 15 lines with check boxes included. The Daily version has hourly markers starting at 9 and ending at 22. Finally, the weekly version includes all seven days of the week along with three small check boxes for each day next to the date section.

Each sticky note pad has a translucent protective cover that looks really cool. Yeah, it has some branding and example scribbles on the cover, but I like the frosty translucent look.

In use, I've found it easier to remove a sticky note and apply it to another surface before I start jotting down notes, but it works fine while still in the pad. Your mileage may vary.

On the surface, these sticky pads seem to do a great job of filling their utilitarian purpose. In practice, I think it will come down to personal preference and how small you can write. In every variation, I don't have a comfortable amount of room to write out my tasks, agenda, or events. I don't enjoy writing small, but I also don't think I write that large in the first place. 2x5.5" is a convenient size, but I'd love to see a 2.5x7" or something similar so I have a little extra room to breathe.

The quality of these little pads is top notch. The printing is sharp, the shading on different rows in the daily planner is great, and the idea is fantastic. The paper quality is great, but not resilient against certain fountain pen/ink combinations. In my practice, fine nibs with inks that have anti-bleed tendencies are best with these sticky pads. That said, these pads are only meant to be written on the top side, which makes bleed-through irrelevant as long as the bleed doesn't soak into the next page. I haven't had that happen, but I'm sure some inks are up to the challenge.

Gel pens, rollerballs, and ballpoints work great with this paper. It's a smooth, glossy texture that's pleasant to use. The top inch of the paper has an adhesive backing, so sticking these notes onto other surfaces is easy and secure. I haven't had any issues with corners pulling up or notes falling out of notebooks, so that's a good sign that Kyokuto have used a good adhesive in these pads. That said, the notes are still easy to remove or move around without any degraded adhesive performance.

I think my favorite of the three is the generic to do list variant. It's the most versatile of the bunch, but I like all three. They're a perfect companion to your favorite notebook, planner, or paper calendar.

The Kyokuto F.O.B COOP to do list sticky notes are $5.50 a piece, which means you'll spent over $15 for all three. At 30 sheets, this seems like a premium price, but they are well made. If these were closer to the three-dollar mark, it would be an easier sell, but the price still feels fair if you plan on using these every now and then instead of one or two per day.

You'll probably know from looking at the pictures here or on JetPens whether or not these will be something that you splurge on. If you pick some up, you certainly won't be disappointed by the quality! These cute planner assistants are a lot of fun and do the job well.


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Posted on August 8, 2018 and filed under Kyokuto, Sticky Notes, Notebook Reviews.

Kyokuto Papeleur Brume 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.)

In keeping with my back-to-school theme, here's another lovely notebook from Kyokuto. It's the perfect single-subject, semester-length notebook for those of us who like to use fun pens (and wild inks) on quality paper in the classroom. The thin profile and light weight make it easy to carry a stack of them around campus and it comes in five soothing colors to calm your exam jitters. The green is shown here--there's also blue, pink, yellow, and cream. The name of the notebook implies "colors through the mist", and the soft tones definitely reflect that. They also have a nice vintage look to them.

The notebooks have soft covers with a light cardstock back. It's not sturdy enough to comfortably write without a desk or table underneath, but it's enough to hold up to wear and tear. The cover has a really nice texture to it--an almost linen-like grid that feels smooth but adds a little grip. There's a handy space to write your name and the subject. The binding is one of my favorite features on this--it's an elegant thread and glue spine that allows for good flexibility without extra bulk or mess. The pages aren't perforated and the binding holds well, so this notebook works best for projects that you want contained to the book.

The size is referred to as "semi B5" and it measures 7" x 9.9". I don't think I could tell it apart from other B5 variations unless I held them up against each other--it should fit just fine in any B5 case (especially Kyokuto's, naturally).

The interior has thirty sheets of lined white 140 gsm paper. There are thirty lines per page and a header at the top for the title and date. There's also the handy Kyokuto dotted vertical line guide that comes in extremely handy for spacing outlines.

The paper itself feels very smooth to the touch. It does have a bit of feedback, though, and felt a bit snaggy with fine-point pens. Finer pens also showed through more and had more feathering, regardless of ink type. I think the paper may be too cushy for ultra-pointy tips. I had no feathering or bleed-through, and barely any show-through, with medium and broad pens. Even my wet zoom nib did fine. Mechanical pencil felt the same snagging as fine pens, but wood pencil worked very well.

With paper and binding this nice, I expected this notebook to be more expensive than it is. At $4.80, it's easily cheaper (sometimes by half) than similarly structured notebooks. The Apica notebooks are similar cost and quality, but a different aesthetic. Kyokuto keeps impressing me. This is another one of their products that makes me wish it was me going back to school.

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


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, which I am very grateful for.

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Posted on September 14, 2017 and filed under Kyokuto, Notebook Reviews.

Kyokuto Nordic Color Animal W Ring 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.)

My first impression of the Nordic Color Animal W Ring Notebook was that it's a cute little thing, fun for class notes. I didn't take it terribly seriously. I wasn't even sure if I would review it. But then--the paper. This paper, you guys. Behind this unassuming fluffy critter illustration is the paper of a beast.

The general specs: This notebook is A5 sized with W-shaped twin-ring binding. The coil appears to be copper--it's very sturdy and doesn't feel like it will mush in my bag. There are 40 sheets of non-perforated, 7mm lined white paper. It's a softcover, but the back cardboard is sturdy enough to use as a writing surface. The front cover is clear plastic with a pocket, and behind that is an adorable illustration by Shunsuke Satake. The lines of the paper are faint dashes--a good guide, but subtle enough to ignore if you so desire. Along the top line are also subtle vertical guides to assist with any outlining or other alignment. And at the top of the page is room for a date or other label.

This notebook is really ideal for class or meeting notes--particularly things you want to keep as one unit, since the pages aren't perforated. One downside is that using the front cover pocket will obscure the cute illustration--but that also opens up the option for some custom decoration, so it's not all downside.

Now, about that paper. Holy cats, guys. This is some pleasant paper. It has just the right amount of texture to it to feel smooth while also providing good feedback. I had zero feathering with any of my inks or pens, and no bleedthrough at all. And barely any showthrough, even with a juicy flex nib. I was definitely not expecting this level of performance, especially in a notebook that costs less than five dollars. If you've been wishing for a lightweight notebook that you can use your serious business pens in, give this one a try. I'm taking a closer look at Kyokuto's other paper products now, and kind of wishing there was a sewn-bound book of this paper with a few hundred pages, with or without the adorable critters.

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


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, which I am very grateful for.

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 August 24, 2017 and filed under Kyokuto, Notebook Reviews.