Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Tsubame Fools E-Style Horizontal 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!)

Don't let the name fool you--the "Fools" comes from the foolscap paper that's featured in the Tsubame Fools E-Style Horizontal Notebook. Foolscap paper used to refer to inexpensive paper that was a little larger than A4, and while this notebook is indeed fairly inexpensive, you're no fool if you love it.

This horizontal notebook has a lightweight cardstock cover in a flecked grey color decorated with lovely ornate scrollwork. It has a spot to write your name or subject and some minimal branding.

The binding is sewn and reinforced with black fabric tape. It's survived several outings in my overstuffed backpack with very little wear despite its minimal reinforcement. Inside the binding are 40 sheets (80 pages) of lined paper. 40 isn't a ton, but the quality of this paper makes using both sides of the sheet easy.

When held up to the light, this paper shows the grid pattern of traditionally made paper, but we discerning types would be able to tell just from the way it handles all our favorite writing instruments. It has just the right amount of texture to make pencil writing pleasant, but it's smooth enough to handle fountain pens of any nib width. Liquid inks do just fine with no feathering, no bleeding, and very little ghosting. Even marker does great--though a fresh Sharpie did bleed through.

My favorite thing about this paper, though, is the landscape orientation. It's different from most of my notebooks, and the layout took some getting used to, but once it clicked, it was indispensable. It's fantastic for creating columns or handmade spreadsheets--there are guide lines along the top margin to assist. It makes an excellent ledger and would be perfect for hand-drawing calendar pages. And because of its shape, it just seems to work better on a desk than standard notebooks. Taking notes in this book quickly went from "this feels weird and different" to "I need more of these."

Fortunately, more of these are accessible, as the notebook only costs $10 for B5 or $12.25 for A4 at JetPens, which is not too bad for nice big sheets of quality paper. I'm not above wishing there were a few more pages in it for that price, especially as the portrait-oriented B5 version, which has 30 sheets, is only $6.50, but this 81.4gsm paper does seem to be a bit better than in that notebook. So, it's certainly fair.

In any case, the horizontal notebook layout is a great brain-hack. Changing perspective can be a good way to kick-start your creativity, and the different shape might be just the trick. If it works, it will be handy to have all those fresh pages at your fingertips.

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

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Posted on April 25, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Tsubame Fools, Notebook Reviews.

JetPens Kanso Noto 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!)

Do you need 320 pages of Tomoe River S paper? Of course you do. Well, here it is, in the Kanso Noto A5 Notebook from JetPens. There's something so magical about a notebook you can fit a whole novel draft into that is still slim enough to fit in a purse. The minimalist design of this book is perfectly practical while inviting the imagination to fill in all those blank spaces.

The notebook has sturdy kraft cardstock covers with grey endpapers. The slim signatures are bound with thread and glue binding reinforced with a fabric tape. The construction allows the notebook to lie open flat at any page with no training or creasing. The minimalist look is nice on its own, with only the embossed logo on the front, but it's also the perfect surface for stickers, washi, sketches, or any sort of customization that strikes your fancy. It does show fingerprints if you grab it with lotion on, though. So while it can take some wear and tear, it will show that wear--and wear it quite well, in my opinion. I love the look of a well-worn notebook. This one comes in light or dark brown, or light or dark grey.

The construction is simple, but sturdy. It has stood up to being lugged around in my commuter backpack, where it has survived encounters with water bottles, coffee cups, lunchboxes, overstuffed tech pouches, and up to seven other notebooks fighting it for space.

Between those covers is the paper--the new version of Tomoe River, which we all pretty much agree is not as nice as the original, but it's still an excellent paper. It is lightweight, acid free, smooth, doesn't bleed or feather, and it shows off the fun properties of fountain pen ink. The new version also has a much better dry time than the old one, with an average liquid ink drying between 15-20 seconds. That's still long enough that you might want some blotting paper (unless you want that pooling effect that comes from letting ink air dry). The thin 52gsm paper does show ghosting, which I quite like, but which some folks can't stand. Still, with this many pages, you still have a substantial notebook even if you only use one side of each sheet.

The pages have a very faint 5mm dot grid pattern. It's almost too faint to see in low light, and while I like a grid that disappears when you want it to, this one is almost too pale to be useful as a guide. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Overall, I highly recommend this notebook. It's sturdy, functional, inviting, and has my favorite amount of pages (a lot). Best of all, it's only $19, which is a great value for such a nicely bound stack of good paper. It fits all of my "I would happily stock up on these and use them for years" criteria, as well as that "When I hold this notebook it makes me want to write" vibe that I need in all my notebooks. It's perfect for writers on a deadline, or anyone who sees a blank slate and feels compelled to create.

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

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Posted on March 21, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Kanso, JetPens, Notebook Reviews.

Mark's Storage.it 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!)

You would think, with all the notebooks I have going at all times, that I'd never need to just grab another notebook, but you'd be so wrong. Sometimes a project comes along that doesn't fit into any of my existing project books, and I need another word-dumping container. Nothing fancy. I'm not selecting it for the aesthetic or the writing experience--I just need some paper. So I grab a notebook off the "just paper" pile, and I'm pleasantly surprised.

The Mark's Storage.it Notebook looks pretty plain at first glance. An A5 notebook refill in a clear PVC cover with a zip pouch and some pockets. But the design of this has really worked well for me, and the paper quality was better than I expected.

The cover is formed of a vinyl sleeve that's clear on the front and has an opaque backing that comes in several muted colors. This one is a slate grey-blue that is very lovely. The front cover is a zipper pouch with a plastic slide that allows you to carry pens, notes, slim accessories, or even add decorations. The pocket extends far enough past the edge of the notebook so that the zipper slide doesn't become a lump under the writing surface--but anything you add to the pocket could be an obstacle. A pen is a good choice, as you'll likely take the pen out of the pocket to write in the notebook, but you wouldn't want to put rolls of washi or a pair of scissors in there and then try to write over the topography.

The back cover has several folder-like pockets, three card slots, and a pen loop. It's a great place for business cards, wee notes or lists, and all the random scraps of paper that follow us around like confetti at a parade.

The PVC cover slides onto the covers of the notebook insert like a pocket-plentiful jacket. It would fit a variety of A5 notebooks, but the one it comes with is quite good.

The paper is very smooth and holds up well to a variety of inks. Only the Sharpie bled through, though there is some ghosting with darker liquid inks. But my favorite thing about the paper is the layout. It has 5mm dot grid on the left (back) side of each page, and a 6mm dotted line on the right, with added vertical dot guides, if you want to create columns. It's fantastically versatile--dot, grid, line, and column all in one. And the ink is faint enough that you can ignore it altogether. I even found myself taking some notes diagonally across the page this week. Order and chaos existing in harmony.

There are a few things I don't love about this notebook cover. One, the heat-pressed PVC seams feel a bit flimsy, as does the plastic zipper slide. While the cover is refillable, I wonder how many insert rotations it will realistically survive. I also don't care for the huge branding on the front cover. And I wish it had a bookmark.

These small issues are easy to ignore, considering the notebook comes at a decent price. The cover and notebook together are $17, and the refills are $9.25, which is considerably less than many similar products. There are some less expensive options with even better paper (Clairefontaine, Kokuyo Campus), but they don't have this unique layout that I've come to enjoy a lot.

Last week I just needed some paper, and I ended up with a treat. It's wonderful when our stationery tools can take a menial task and elevate it by being extra pleasant and useful.

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

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