Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Dominant Industry Takasago Fountain Pen 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

The Dominant Industry Takasago Notebook is one of those notebooks that makes you want to write in it. Notebooks like this are practically a cure for writer's block, because you can't look at these empty pages without wanting to fill them up.

This notebook is made with paper specifically formulated for fountain pens, with superior ability to show off sheen and shading, prevent bleeding and feathering, and showing off all the best qualities of liquid inks. Notably, this paper does all that while solving the dry-time issue that many coated papers have. While it still takes a moment for the liquid inks to dry, it does so much faster than with other fountain pen friendly papers, like Tomoe River.

Apart from the dry time, this paper reminds me a lot of the old Tomoe River paper. Like TR, this paper is part of an old tradition. Made in a 110-year-old mill, it's a legacy recipe that has taken a lifetime to perfect.

The one issue some users might find fault with is the ghosting. I declare this paper extremely haunted. Just about all writing shows through the page, even pencil. I can even see my fingers through it when I'm turning the page. That doesn't bother me--I still use both sides, but some folks hate that, so it's worth mentioning.

This A5 notebook has 86 sheets of 87.9 gsm white paper. This version is blank, but lined and grid pages are also available. The cover is cardstock textured to look like pebble leather. The cover also has a fold-over on both the front and back, which can be used to tuck notes into or folded over pages to serve as a bookmark. The binding allows the notebook to lay flat easily with no training.

Overall, it's a good construction, good quality, and a pleasure to write in. It does have a slightly high price tag of around $25. Back in the olden days, you could get 200 A5 sheets of Tomoe River paper bound in a lovely linen cover for that cost. But that's not the norm anymore, and this is still a decent amount of very good paper. While the cardstock cover may not be as fancy as some other materials, it makes it lightweight, flexible, and easy to use. It's the perfect format for a trip journal or class notebook, or for a commonplace book. The blank pages may also appeal to artists.

(Brad purchased this notebook from Smruti Pens at regular price at the 2023 Orlando Pen Show.)

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Posted on December 14, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Dominant Industry, Notebook Reviews.

Clairefontaine Triomphe A5 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

Clairefontaine were my first introduction to good paper. I found them when I was a student in my freshman undergraduate year, and I used them all through school--though back in those ancient times, I had to order them from Europe. It was worth it. Now? I can get as much Clairefontaine as I want from JetPens. I am limited only by the volume of my house.

The Triomphe A5 Notebook is one of their fabulous middle-of-the-road books, as far as cost and quality go. You can get nicer ones for slightly higher cost, and less fancy ones for very low cost--but this one is the Goldilocks. It is A5 size, with lined, white, acid-free paper. There are 48 sheets at 90gsm, and the heavier weight minimizes ghosting, so you can easily use both sides of those sheets.

At 8mm, I do find the line spacing a bit wide for my comfort, but it's the perfect layout for testing broad, juicy fountain pen nibs, as this paper can happily handle it all. Every pen I tried felt great on this paper, and the medium nib I ultimately chose to write with felt like it was gliding across the page. Only the Sharpie, the laser of pens, dotted through at all.

The cover is cardstock, with minimal branding. The single signature is stitched with thread that runs the whole length of the spine, so the notebook lies flat without any worry about pages coming loose. It feels durable. My Clairefontaine notebooks from college, which were the less expensive staple-stitched ones, were tough enough to last an entire semester of daily use, and this one is considerably stronger than that. This nicer one is still only $12 at JetPens, which is a great price for the quality.

These notebooks are perfect for students, for commonplace books, work notebooks--any use where you need a moderate amount of fabulous paper. It almost makes me sad I don't have classes anymore. Almost.

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

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Posted on September 28, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Clairefontaine, Notebook Reviews.

After Travels with the Traveler's Notebook

(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, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

I knew there was going to be a lot of travel for me in 2023 and that I'd be attempting to travel light for a lot of it, so at the beginning of the year I set up a passport size Traveler's Notebook from Traveler's Company. I outfitted it with all the accessories and extras so that I could experiment and see what worked for me and what didn't. After the better part of the year using it in a lot of different contexts, I have a good idea of its pros and cons for my particular use.

As a notebook cover: Wonderful. It's simple, but good quality. It always felt good in my hand and the customization options are amazing. Its one weakness is the elastics, which wear out over time. They can be fairly easily replaced, though.

As a notebook: Pretty good. The paper quality on the inserts I used was great. I didn't love doing a lot of writing on the small pages, but it was good enough for trips where I didn't want or need to be carrying a large notebook. So, great for minimal travel. Not great for when I want to write a lot. I usually do want to write a lot, though. For me, this works better as portable scrap paper and not an actual journal/notebook. Great if I'm scribbling down a phone number or quick list; not great if I need to write a whole story.

As a planner: It didn't work for me. I wasn't able to use it as my solo planner for very long. Until May, when I was still in school, I needed a huge planner to plan huge amounts of plans, so there was no way the wee insert would work. I had lovely daydreams about post-school simplicity and only having small plans that would fit the diminutive stature of this monthly insert, but life does not work that way. I ran out of room constantly and had to move back to a full-sized planner. Maybe someday I'll lead that simple life! But I doubt it.

As a wallet: Effective, but annoying. The cardholder and zipper pouch accessories are great for carrying around the wallet essentials. They fit everything I need. It's just a bit of an extra step to get through the elastics and zips and flips to get to everything, and I often found myself not putting things back in their place when I was in a hurry.

As a complete package: As its name might suggest, it's perfect for travel. When I don't need my whole planner, but just a basic calendar, it's great. When I want all my wallet essentials and my planner and my notes--it really is everything I need in one compact, well-made package. For everyday use at home, it's not quite right for me. The place I need my planner most is when I'm out on the floor at work, and it frequently stays on the service desk while I run around. I don't want to leave my wallet sitting on a public service desk, so my wallet and my planner can't be the same thing. And when I need my wallet, I want an easy-access quick grab. So for now, the TN is on my desk and not in my bag. But next time I travel, I'll definitely be setting it back up to come along.

The accessories: The bulk of my setup was accessories! I had one monthly planner insert and one notebook insert, and the rest of the space was taken up by the folder, zip pouch, card slot, etc. I found all of the accessories useful. The brass clip, which I previously reviewed, is now moved to my daily carry notebook because it's so useful. The only accessory I don't love is the pen loop. The loop is too narrow for bigger pens, and the clip part itself is too bulky and isn't super secure. The clip slides around quite a bit, and it made me nervous that I might lose a pen. I plan to replace it with something else.

Overall, I still really love this setup and I wish it worked better for me for everyday! If my job wasn't running around in a public building all day--if I had an office job or even my own desk, it would still work fine for me, I think. Though I've switched to other setups, I think the TN is more elegant, and I prefer its compact minimalism. For now, I'll have to consider that simplicity aspirational.

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Posted on September 14, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Traveler's Notebook, Notebook Reviews.