Rhodia A6 Pad Holder Review

Finding covers for your favorite notebooks is not the easiest task. I should know, seeing as I own a company that makes pen cases which also hold notebooks. Sure, finding something to hold your favorite 3.5” x 5.5” memo book is not that difficult, but the choices dwindle quickly once you start looking other paper sizes.

Rhodia is a big player in the aforementioned other paper sizes, featuring a range of pads from A7 through A4, and outliers like the mini 2” x 3” note pad, or the popular 3” x 8-1/4”, which is used frequently for task lists. If anyone has incentive to add accessories to their product lineup it is Rhodia.

There are six different pad holder sizes, each available in Black or Rhodia Orange, plus a single stray Silver pad holder with orange stitching for their 3-3/8” x 4-3/4” No. 12 pad. My choice for this review was the Rhodia Pad Holder Black 4.5 x 6.25 Graph Notepad, which holds Rhodia’s A6 sized note pad. This size and format is perfect for on the go writing, which is also a situation where I am most likely to use some type of cover.

The pad holder is simple to use. The back cover of the note pad slides into a sleeve on the inside back of the pad holder, covering about two-thirds of the cover. The front cover slides in similarly on the inside front of the pad holder, covering around one-third of the cover. When closed, it provides a perfect fit and good protection. When opened, the pad holder allows the front cover to slide enough to allow for the pad to flip back, while still staying inside the pad holder.

One issue I ran across is I have to use my non-writing hand to hold down top flap while writing on the bottom page. This is due to the smaller notebook size. The smaller the pad, the more likely the cover is to flip up. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means, and you may already do this as a habit with your smaller pads. I was able to fold the top of the cover under the pad easily, which helped when writing.

The pad holder itself is well made. It is soft to the touch, and has solid stitching. It even has a pen loop, although it is only designed to hold normal-to-narrow barreled pens. Most fountain pens will have a tough time sliding in the loop. The paper, well, what can I say. It’s Rhodia, so it is some of the best on the market.

The pad holder I reviewed is only $15.50 at Goldspot, and comes with a matching note pad on the inside. The smallest size, for the A7 note pad, is $11.50, and the big A4 size runs $42. These prices are very fair for the product, and the fact paper is included. If you are looking for added protection for your top-bound note pads, Rhodia might have the perfect pad holder for you.

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

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The Rhodia DotPad Notepad Review

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

For the last couple of years, I've used the same notebook to do reviews for pens and paper, so I thought it was about time to put the spotlight on this workhorse notebook for a while.

The Rhodia DotPad Notepad No. 16 is an A5-sized notebook that has served me well for quite a while. I use the notebook exclusively for reviewing pens and inks, but it's such a great notebook that I've started using it for other things as well.

Size and usability

The A5 size is a personal favorite of mine. It's not too big, and not too small. That, combined with the staple top-bound layout really make me a happy camper. It's like a legal pad done right, but sized for notes and scribbles.

The cover of the notebook has a couple of pre-made seams that make it easy and clean to fold the cover back over the spine of the notebook. This keeps the cover out of your way when writing, and Rhodia even thought ahead and put their logo on the inside cover so that it's prominently displayed on the top of the binding.

Another thing I love about this notebook is the perforated sheets. In a notepad like this, perforated sheets seems like a standard, but the Rhodia has some of the easiest, cleanest perforations I've ever used. I rarely have any jagged edges when ripping out a sheet, and it looks clean even when you get down to the last pages of the pad.

For me, I think this notebook was meant to be ripped as you progress. Sure, you could leave the pages attached and fold them over, but that would become a problem after about 30 sheets. There's something refreshing about finishing a page of something and ripping it out to store, send, or whatever. It's also nice to open the notebook to a fresh, clean sheet on top.

Paper quality

The notebook contains 80 sheets of Rhodia paper (80gsm), which is a favorite among many, many people. Rhodia makes fantastic paper, and this notebook is no exception. It can handle anything you throw at it, including ink swabs from cotton balls, fat brush pens, and wide calligraphy nibs. If you've ever used Rhodia paper, you know what to expect. If you've never used Rhodia, you're in for a treat.

To sum up the paper, it's smooth, bright, and well-behaved. It's a bit on the thick side, but this isn't Tomoe River paper — it has substance.

Dot grid pattern

Finally, the namesake feature. Personally, I love a dot grid pattern on paper. It provides a lot of structure, but plenty of room to breathe at the same time. Graph ruling is helpful, but the lines can take over the page visually, and can get in the way of your work sometimes. The dot grid provides the same benefits of graph paper, but has a more minimal footprint. It's there when you want, but easily fades in the background if you don't want it. The flexibility of this pattern is why I love it so much, and Rhodia does a great job with it.

Conclusion

Wrapping up, the Rhodia DotPad is an essential notebook in my opinion. They aren't very expensive (less than $10 for the A5 size), have plenty of sheets, and work well with all types of pens and pencils. They're incredibly simple notebooks that are well-made and delightful to use. I heartily recommend them, or a comparable Rhodia notepad if dot grid isn't your jam.

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

My Favorite Products Of 2015

I thought I would do something fun to wrap up what has been an amazing 2015. These are the products I got the most enjoyment out of this year. They didn't have to be new this year, just goods that I used and loved and stood out in a very crowded desk. Some of the products are mainstream, some are one of a kind, and all are loved. By me!

Blackwing 602

The pencil revolution has always been televised, I just wasn’t tuned into the right channel. That changed in the past year or two as I dug deeper into woodcase pencil scene and listened and learned to my friends at the Erasable Podcast. The Blackwing 602 was one of the first that I tried years ago, then fell by the wayside when I discovered the Tombow Mono 100. Something changed this year (was it the orange erasers?) and I couldn’t put the 602 down.

Rhodia Ice Pads

Paper draws the short end of the stick around here for some reason, and I need to try and review more in 2016. A handful of brands live on my desk at any time, and all are in use in some way, shape, or form. Rhodia dominates though, and the design of the Ice Pads are my favorite. Hopefully these become a mainstay of the product line.

Montblanc JFK Ink

It’s not a shock that a blue black ink is one of my favorite products of the year, but it is a surprise - even to me - that it is from Montblanc. JFK is a fantastic navy blue that looks great and performs exceptionally. I never have an issue with it in any pen, and I’ve used it in many. The only kicker is it is a limited edition, so these two bottles are going to have to last me for a while.

Edison Pearl G10 Orange

The first completely unfair item on this list is the Edison Pearl G10 in orange that I purchased at the DC Pen Show in August. It is a one of a kind prototype, made by Brian Gray to see how the G10 material performed as a pen barrel. One orange and one black were for sale, and it was all I could do to not buy both. It was expensive, but this is the best pen I bought in 2015.

Pen Type-B

This one may be a bit unfair as well, as I received a pre-release prototype of the Pen Type-B from CW&T during their Kickstarter launch. They were available to everyone though, but haven’t arrived in mailboxes yet. I’m in love with this pen and it rarely leaves my pen case. It reminded me how much I love the 0.3 mm Pilot Hi-Tec-C too.

Karas Kustoms Ink v2

I was all about the original Karas Kustoms Ink when it launched, even option for a second one in the famed Iron Man colorway. Karas upped their game with version 2 of the Ink, giving it a hooded nib design and switching over to Bock nibs. I’ve only had this pen for a month or so but it is already a mainstay.

I used a ton of products in 2015, and many more desrved to make this list. These rose to the top of the unofficial usage charts. For 2016, how about official usage charts! I’ll plan on doing that and see how it goes.

What were your favorite produts you used in 2015?