Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Write Notepads In The Pines Limited Edition Pocket Notebook Review

In my never-ending quest to buy fewer notebooks, I did exactly what I was not supposed to do: Buy more! I couldn’t help it though. The Write Notepads Winter 2016 release, titled “In The Pines”, was too nice to pass up. I had some experience with Write before, but buying and using these sealed the deal for me. Write Notepads are amazing.

In The Pines spoke to me on several different levels. First off, the design is stunning. The deep forest green cover with the silver stamping is clean, and not overdone. I appreciate the minimal look. The packaging the notebooks come in is a knockout, as with all of Write Notepads limited releases. The design makes you pick them up. The quality found on the inside keeps you coming back.

In my previous experiences with Write Notepads, pencil has been the name of the game. They are wonderful for graphite, and In The Pines is no exception. There is something about the feel of a pencil on their page that is different than other brands. It’s a match made in writing heaven.

I convinced myself I would only be using pencil in this notebook, specifically the Caran d’Ache Swiss Pine I recently bought on sale at Anderson Pens. How perfect is that matchup? But, for this review, I needed to throw some ink at the page as well, and I was happy with the results.

Fountain pens are at the forefront of my usage, and this notebook handles them as well as expected for a non-fountain pen specific paper. My fine and dry nibs were fantastic, with no feathering or bleed. My wide and wet nibs didn’t feather, but there was some bleed. Not much though, as you can see on the back side of the page. All in all, In The Pines handles fountain pens better than many pocket-sized notebooks on the market. Gel, ballpoint, and rollerball pens all behaved nicely, too.

Shipping a paper product that is usable for the vast majority of people is no easy task, and Write Notepads has accomplished that.

We discussed Write Notepads subscription service on the podcast last week, and lo and behold, look what is now available. Memberships are now open, and with my wonderful experience with In The Pines, there was no doubt I was going to sign up. The newsletter announcement didn’t make it easy though. In fact, the newsletter was a full-on train wreck. I’m glad I’m paying them for notebooks, not marketing. Stick to the analog gang!

Of all the things I don’t need, I’m excited to have more notebooks coming my way from Write Notepads. The writing experience is excellent, and I find myself reaching for them constantly because they are enjoyable to use. Check them out if you are looking to add more high-quality notebooks into your life.

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 January 30, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Write Notepads, Notebook Reviews.

Plumchester Square Sketchbook Review

When Lee and Sarah Rubenstein of ArtSnacks let me in on the creation of their own art supply company last year I was excited to see what they would come up with. The secret was revealed to all in the November ArtSnacks box with the introduction of the Plumchester 1.5 Fine Brush Pen. It was met with excellent reviews, and seeing it in action on the Plumchester Instagram feed, I could tell it was well done.

With a successful launch behind them, it was time to branch out and expand the brand. Enter the Plumchester Square Sketchbook.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a sketchbook guru. Watercolors, charcoal, brushes, and other media with a more artistic bent are not my forte. But I know what I want in a notebook, I have a plethora of pens, pencils, and ink to throw at one, and I know how paper should act. I think Plumchester nailed it across the board right out of the gate.

If nothing else is obvious from the pictures, this is not your old school black sketchbook. For that, I am thankful! The purple vegan leather hard cover is vibrant, and the yellow elastic closure and bookmark ribbon add the perfect amount of pop. The branding is minimal, with only the Plumchester “P” logo stamped on the back cover. Inside contains 48 pages of blank, white, acid-free, 160 GSM paper, all bound to lay flat when in use.

I wasn’t sure what to throw at it first. The Sakura Pigma Micron seemed like the obvious choice, as well as other drawing pens. They went down on the page as expected. The feedback from the paper is smooth, not rough, so it’s not exactly made for the products I mentioned above, like watercolors. There is no feathering or bleed. Gel pens, ballpoints, and pencils worked as expected also.

Fountain pens on sketchbook paper is generally a no-no, but not with the Plumchester Sketchbook. None of the nibs I tried dug into the paper, and the inks behaved as if they were writing in any other fountain pen friendly notebook. The ink dried quickly, with no bleed to speak of. I didn’t expect this at all, but I’m certainly happy about it. Even Sharpies worked well, and were the only pen to show even a hint of ink on the back side of the page.

One format that I enjoy that doesn’t get used enough, for various and valid reasons, are square notebooks. For a sketchbook this size, it is wonderful. It is the right amount of space all the way around. 8.3” in each direction to be exact, sort of like a double-wide A5. It’s an ideal size for sketching and still fits easily in your bag or backpack.

For $18, this is close to no-brainer territory. Even if you are not an artist, as I clearly am not, this is a sketchbook that you can find a myriad of uses for. Using it is an enjoyable experience. It gets out of its own way and does its job. Simple as that.

My thanks to Plumchester for sending me an advance copy of the Square Sketchbook at no charge for purposes of this review.

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Plumchester, Notebook Reviews.

The Moo Hardcover Notebook: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I’ll be honest. For journaling, I’m a die-hard Nanami Seven Seas Tomoe River Paper Journal fan. I usually buy two or three at a time because I haven’t found a journal I like better, and they’re almost always out of stock.

That said, there are a couple of notebooks that definitely tempt me: one is the Baron Fig Confidant. The other is a new kid on the block: the Moo Hardcover Notebook.

I was sent a review copy of the Moo Notebook, and all I can say is, “Wow!” The notebook comes in terrific packaging—exactly what you would expect from Moo (makers of incredibly classy business cards). There’s an outer box that says, “Open. Write Now.”

The inside contents are tucked in rice paper with the statement, “Almost too nice to use. (Almost).” I love Moo’s sense of humor.

Next is the notebook itself which comes in a slip cover, so when you’re finished with it, you can store it.

Underneath is a foam insert with a mint green pencil engraved with “Go forth and write.” They really want me to write! Thanks, Moo!

When you pull the notebook out, the first thing you’ll notice is how delicious it feels in the hands. It is a dark gray, felted hardcover, and your hands simply glide over it.

Perhaps the most unique thing about the Moo Notebook is its open binding. Although some might think this makes the notebook look unfinished, I love being able to see the Swiss-sewn binding. I’m fascinated with book-binding, and seeing how the notebook is put together tickles the book-nerd in me.

Plus, the binding is practical because it allows the pages to lie flat no matter where you are in the book.

The first page is thick cardstock that provides a smooth writing surface for the left-hand pages. The notebook has 160 lined pages of white, non-glare Swedish Munken Kristall paper (100gsm). The paper will not yellow as it ages. The lines are a light gray color and are 6mm apart. At the bottom outer corner of each page is a circle where you can write page numbers or use for checkmarks or make smiley faces.

In the middle of the book are 16 pages of G. F. Smith’s Colorplan Park Green paper (135gsm). This paper feels more like cardstock or index card paper than regular paper. It’s thicker, unlined, and has some texture. These pages are for doodling or sketching.

Additional features include a pocket you can stick to the inside cover for business cards and there’s a dark gray book ribbon.

I tested the paper with several different fountain pens. There was absolutely no bleedthrough, even with the thickest, wettest nibs, though there’s a bit of show through.

I also did some ink swabs thinking that surely such wet, thick swipes would cause bleedthrough. Nope. The paper handled the swabs easily.

Writing in this notebook is a joy. The paper is fantastic, the lay-flat binding works as advertised, and the hard cover means your work will last. I’m very impressed with this notebook. It’s incredibly well made—so nice, in fact, that you do almost feel like it’s too good to use. Almost.

My only criticisms are that I wish the unlined paper in the middle was white or off-white instead of green. I realize that the green pages stand out and make for a nice color scheme, but white would be more versatile (for watercolors, for example). I also wish some (or all) of the pages were perforated so that you could remove them easily.

The Moo Hardcover Notebook is 5.12" x 8.15”. It costs $19.99 at Moo, but as of January 16 they are out of stock (they expect to have more soon). At present, the only paper choice you have is lined, but discussion on the Moo website indicates that they’re open to producing it in other formats including grid, dot-grid, and plain paper.

If you want a comparable hard-cover notebook that is slightly smaller, the Baron Fig Confidant is $18.00. It’s 5.4" X 7.7" with 192 pages for $18.00. The Baron Fig also has lay-flat binding, excellent paper, and comes in lined, dot-grid, and plain styles. Plus, it has 12 perforated pages at the back.

Although I don’t think I’m ready to abandon my Seven Seas Writer as my journal quite yet, I may use my Moo Notebook to keep track of my inks. The crisp white pages and sturdy paper make it perfect for swabs and pen testing.

(Moo 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!