Bellroy Tokyo Folio 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 her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I love bags and I love notebooks, so there are few things better than a bag for my notebook--or a good notebook case. And this is a very good one. Bellroy is known for their excellent bags and accessories. The only one of their products I've tried before is the lunch bag, which is the best lunch bag I've ever owned, so I was very excited to meet the Tokyo Folio.

The premise of this case is that it's designed to carry both your analog and digital tools in one handy package. Specifically, it's designed to hold an iPad Mini in the sleeve behind a slim notebook, and the pockets on the left are perfect for carrying cables, Air Pods, etc., and the pen sleeve is designed to fit an Apple Pencil. I don't have any of that stuff. So here's what I put in all those pockets.

The notebook: The case comes with a slim A5 notebook with a cardstock cover. It's decent, with good paper and nice binding. But you know I love a chonky notebook, and unfortunately this case only holds slim ones. I could fit a softcover Leuchtturm notebook--but that eats up too much of the space needed for the other pockets. So slim notebooks it is. While it won't work for bigger writing projects, it's still very useful for meeting notes or a commonplace book, which is closer to its intended design.

Retro 51 - nope!

Pilot Precise - yep!

The pen: The pen loop, which is a long, narrow leather channel in the inside of the spine, is designed to hold an Apple Pencil, so it doesn't hold most pens. It's very slim. It does hold very narrow pens, like a Bic or a Pilot Precise. But it's not going to hold many of the pens that I prefer to use. That was a bit of a bummer.

The tech: This promises to hold an iPad Mini, so long as the tablet is not in a protective case. Happily, it holds my Kindle Paperwhite just fine, even with its case and pop socket on. The tablet sleeve is gusseted, so it isn't squeezing the device.

The accessories: The wee side pockets are also gusseted, so you can fit some handy tools there. Ear buds, pocket notebooks, a small pen case (yaknow, cause your pen won't fit in the pen sleeve) all fit nicely here. And the zipper pocket on the back is perfect for a phone.

Overall, it holds a great kit. It might not be everything I'd want for my own perfect gear configuration, but it's very well designed for what it's supposed to do. As a small, portable office kit, it's perfect. Take your notes, send some emails, keep your phone and music handy--fabulous. Personally, I'd trade the tablet pocket for a larger notebook capacity and expand that pen loop. Or maybe I just need to finally cave and get an iPad, just so I can carry it around in this snazzy case.

The case itself is very snazzy. The raven-colored nylon is elegant and practical. It looks office-y, but it's also waterproof. The zipper pulls are soft leather, and the wee silver owl logo delights me. This is totally the case Athena would carry to her meetings.

All that good quality does come with a price tag on it. The 8” Folio costs $119, while its 12.9" sibling costs $175. It's a bit on the steep side. I do have some folio cases that hold more but cost less. You can certainly feel the quality in this case, though, and I don't think the price is too out of line. It's nice enough that it's tempting me to try some of Bellroy's other bags, which is a dangerous path to tread, for my wallet. Of course Bellroy also makes wallets, so ...

Ultimately, this is a very good case and very well designed for what it is supposed to do. My only gripes with it are that it does not do what I wanted it to do, which is not what it was designed to do. I'm still going to use it, though, because I just like it. And it has a little owl on it.

(This product was purchased at regular retail price from Bellroy.)

---

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!

Pebble Stationery Co. Notebook Leather Cover V2 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!)

Notebook covers are the perfect combination of my love for bags and my love for notebooks, and trying new ones is always enlightening. Because how can something so simple be continually surprising? I've tried dozens of them, across brands and price spectrums, and the Pebble Stationery Co. Leather Cover V2 version is up there with my favorites.

To start with, it's real leather--very soft calf leather. And it's only $60. For me, those two facts by themselves are reason enough, but there are even more reasons!

The outside of the cover has no branding or decoration. It looks very office chic. Inside the left cover, there are three card slots, one folder slot, and the debossed Pebble Stationery Co. name. The card slots are deep, so only an edge of a card peeks out, but they are lined with smooth fabric, so cards are very easy to insert and remove. The folder is also lined, and it's large enough to hold a small pocket notebook.

In the fold of the inside spine, there are two cuts in the leather that are a clever pen holder. Either clipped or clipless pens can be inserted through these slots, and the pen is kept safe along the spine of the case. It's my favorite sort of pen storage in a case, because the pen isn't pressed up against the notebook or hanging out of the edge of the case. Because this slot isn't lined, the raw leather inside keeps pens securely in place. The right inside cover is plain, but the right edge has a zippered pocket that is the full depth of the cover flap. It's a metal zipper, smooth and strong, and the inside of the pocket is also fabric lined. There is an elastic band closure to keep the case closed.

The flaps inside the case can hold two slim notebooks, one on each side, or a larger notebook. The Pebble Stationery A5 Cahier with Tomoe River Paper (to be reviewed next) is the perfect insert, but it also worked excellently well with my Seven Seas Writer, which is a fairly large notebook. It will also fit hardcover notebooks, like a Leuchtturm1917. The inside of the cover flaps are lined with the same smooth fabric as the other pockets, so there's no wrestling required to get the notebooks in.

The biggest question about this case is, how does it work to have a zippered pocket in the back flap of the notebook cover? Won't you be writing on top of whatever is in the pocket? Yes, possibly. It's a slim pocket, so you wouldn't be putting anything too bulky in there, anyway. It's great for planner supplies, like rulers, stencils, or a card of washi tape. A small notepad can fit in there, or some sticky notes. Flat things. What I use mine for is my phone. I often have no pockets in my work clothes, so a folio like this is perfect for carrying a notebook, pen, scratch paper, and my phone around with me. Having slim things in that pocket doesn't bother me when I'm writing--but often I am using whatever was in that pocket while I write, so the stuff has been removed before writing happens. YMMV.

What it all comes down to is that this really is the perfect work folio for me. It has room for business cards, scrap papers, a notebook, a pen, and my phone. That's my essential kit, and it wraps it all up in a very professional-looking, luxurious-feeling package. For an incredibly fair price. I've had this in use for a while, now, and I don't intend on putting it away anytime soon.

(Pebble Stationery 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, 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!