The Pen Addict

Kikkerland WritersBlok Notebook Review

Pocket sized notebooks are a great utility item. I keep one on my person when I leave the house (even though I also carry an iPhone), one in my car center console, and one in my backpack when I take it to work out of the house. I have tried many - Doane Paper, Field Notes, Moleskine, Behance, Ecosystem - and across the board they are all good quality notebooks. The Kikkerland WritersBlok Notebook, on the other hand, is not so good.

I added these to a recent Amazon order, and I could tell before I even took off the shrink wrap there was going to be a problem. The cover of the notebook has a raised rectangle area for you to apply a label. It was out of alignment by several degrees on the top notebook, and progressively worse through the next two in the pack. I could let that slide if it were just the cover, but unfortunately, it transferred to the paper too.

You can see clearly in the photos what I am referring to. If I used blank pages it wouldn’t be an issue, but trying to use grid paper cut like this is not going to work. I’m not sure how a product like this leaves the factory to be quite honest. It’s too bad because this could be a decent option for a pocket notebook.

Kokuyo Campus Todai Series Pre-Dotted Twin Ring Notebook Review

I mentioned a few weeks back that I am way behind in paper/notebook/journal reviews, so I am glad to finally start to get caught up on some of these. The Kokuyo Campus Todai Pre-Dotted notebook is a unique notebook in the fact that it combines both lines and dots for a really unique writing background. I think I have had this one laying around for 6 months or so - it's about time I tested it out!

This notebook was created as the result of a joint research project on students in Japan, and that is definitely who this notebook is targeted to. At just 40 sheets, it is not going to take the full brunt of daily note taking, but it is the perfect compliment to math and science classes with any type of lab work. The lines allow for clean written notes, and the dots are perfect for diagrams and sketches.

Since I am not a student, and didn't really excel at math or science, I bought it for another reason - the cool cover! While I am not a full fledged map nerd, I have always enjoyed the technical aspects of maps, especially subway/train type maps. Something about how chaotic they can be, but still remain very clean and focused fascinates me (if you browse through my Tumblr you will see many examples). The map on the cover of this Kokuyo Campus is of the Tokyo Subway system, and is the same on the yellow version of the notebook.

All of the inks I threw at this paper did exceptionally well, including the liquid ink pens. There was no bleed, feathering, or show through of any type. You can check it out on the back page for yourself. A pretty impressive performance if you ask me.

You can find the the full range of Kokuyo Campus Todai Series Pre-Dotted Notebooks at JetPens.com.

Behance Dot Grid Cahier Review

Aside from the plethora of pens I have laying around to review, I have so many notebooks that I am running behind on. Bryan got that ball rolling for me last week, and I am picking it up this week with the Behance Dot Grid Cahier.

This is one of those notebooks that grabbed me the first time I saw it online and I knew I would have to pick some up. My wife bought me a two pack this past Christmas from Barnes & Noble (I'm not sure they even stock them anymore), and I have been very happy with it so far.

One of my favorite things about the Dot Grid Cahier is the size. Most notebooks in this category (Moleskine Cahier, Field Notes, Doane Paper Utility Notebook) are 3 1/2" x 5 1/2". The Behance model checks in at 4"x6" and for regular every day use I like that size better. I still use the Doane as my back pocket notebook because of its size, but the Behance gives just a bit more writing room overall.

Behance chose to use 60lb New Leaf 100% recycled paper, which I had never used before, but it does a nice job. It is not as smooth as Rhodia paper, but it handled every ink I threw at it nicely. Gel and ballpoint inks were the best, while the liquid ink pens had a slight bit of soak into the page, but didn't bleed or show thru too badly.

What I haven't been able to figure out yet is how to approach the dot grid layout. Being the huge fan of regular grid paper that I am, the dot grid is visually appealing to me, but doesn't feel as functional. When I write, I get the feeling that I am lost on the page. I can see a ton of uses for this though, but I couldn't personally use it for straight journaling. To do lists, brainstorming, or what it is intended for - the Behance Action Method - would be nice fits though. It is a notebook definitely worth giving a shot.

BookFactory Scientific and Engineering Notebook Review

Thanks to the team at BookFactory.com for sending me this sample of one of the many lab notebooks they carry. I was really impressed with the quality and the layout of the notebook, but being a lab book, I wanted to make sure it got a good once over in its intended environment. Enter my good pen friend - and favorite lab rat - Bryan, now formerly from Okinawa. Take it away Bryan...

I received this Bookfactory lab notebook sample from Brad "The Pen Addict" Dowdy and I have to say that I am quite impressed with what this little puppy can do!  Let's break it down from front to back!

At first glance, this lab notebook looks like just another Moleskine clone, replete with Smyth sewn binding (for durability) and what feels like vinyl over heavy paper backing.  However, the differences become obvious when you open up the cover and see the first page.  It contains a really interesting lesson on what a lab notebook is, how to keep one and how to properly document ideas and findings.   Then, you'll see a table of contents with plenty of space for writing in whatever you like, followed by the taped binding.  This part impressed me the most is the heavy stock paper and the thoroughness of the design.  You can really see that they crafted this notebook to allow a scientist or engineer or any other professional to get notes and data on the page and do so in a manner that protects the idea or data.

Next up, I tried many different kinds of inks in various fountain pens.  I assumed that most writing will be done with a gel or ballpoint pen (and the paper would be chosen specifically for gel or grease ink), so I wanted to check fountain pen ink in case any readers out there like to keep notes with their Lamys (^_^)  As you can see on the reverse scan, some inks fare better than others (Noodler's Black being the only Noodler's that didn't showthrough), but the winner seems to be Diamine's Registrar's Ink, which is a permanent iron gall ink that didn't bleed through even with a wet M nibbed fountain pen.  Rollerball ink could be expected to perform similarly to most fountain inks, with some performing better than others.

Next, I tried to envision the uses for this kind of notebook.  Note that each page is numbered AND there is a space to note the book number, as well.  The signature blocks at the bottom are tailor made for patent documentation or scientific data entry verification, so I thought I'd pretend I was a designer and working on a new idea.  The grid system isn't so small to be useless, but isn't too large, either.  It's like Goldilocks and it's JUST RIGHT!  I then picked up a Zebra Surari 4C (available from Jetpens.com!) and went to town on some hypothetical data to show how the grid can be useful in many ways.  I can see this notebook being used in various ways.  Here are some suggestions:  dungeon maps for pencil and paper roleplayers, pixel art mapping, flowcharts, clothing design, language/vocabulary flowcharts, and indexing a collection.

Overall, this book is excellent and I'd definitely recommend this line of notebooks as an alternative to Moleskine notebooks, with a few caveats:

1.  The paper is designed for gel or ballpoint, it seems.  Your favorite fountain ink might not work well with this and you'll get show or bleedthrough.

2.  The black cover, while attractive, isn't good for writing on.  You might need labels to catalog books with.

3. A science bench notebook would have to be larger (A4 or 8.5"x11"), but this little A5 size is PERFECT for everyday carry.

When inspiration hits, you don't want to be caught without a notebook.  Make sure you're ready for creativity with this notebook.

The Field Journal Notebook from Tom Bihn

I was contacted by the fine folks at Tom Bihn a few weeks back wanting to know if I would like to give one of their new Field Journal Notebooks a test run.  Having been familiar with their product line but never having tried one of their products, the answer was of course a resounding yes!  Just from browsing the Tom Bihn website and looking at all of their Made in the U.S.A. goods I was expecting the highest quality product, and I was not disappointed.

After a quick exchange of emails, I had a Cocoa Field Journal on the way, along with samples of the three paper styles that are offered with the Field Journal: Crane's Crest 24# 100% Cotton Paper and Harbor 100 60# from Gray's Harbor Paper in Grid or College Ruled.  Just from feel alone, you can tell this is a well made and well thought out product.  The heavy duty nylon material, zipper, straps, and seams are all nice and tight and scream quality.

From a feature standpoint, the Field Journal is the Swiss Army knife of notebooks.  The list is endless, but here are some of the high points:

-- Front zipper pocket plus rear flat pocket
-- Accepts 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" paper
-- Ring Mechanism can be rotated 180 degrees to accommodate left-handed users
-- Weight: Exactly 1lb
-- Shoulder Strap, Key Strap, Leaf, and TOM BIHN Logo Plastic Ruler Included

(The full specs can be found on the product page)
As you can see in the photos, I could fit four pens (including a fountain pen and stainless steel Sharpie), a thumb drive, my iPod Touch, and the provided Tom Bihn plastic ruler easily within the pockets on the inside front cover.  The zippers are designed to zip far enough back so the journal can lay flat on any surface.  The handle options are nice as well, with a removable shoulder strap or attached briefcase handles depending on your carrying needs.

From a paper perspective, the writing experience was nice, but not exceptional.  Like I mentioned earlier, there are three stock paper choices - Crane's Crest 24# 100% Cotton Paper, and Harbor 100 60# from Gray's Harbor Paper in Grid or College Ruled - all of which I sampled.  The grid and lined paper are your basic choices.  They both handled my Lamy Nexx fountain pen without issue, and I saw no trouble with bleed or feathering with any other ink types either.  The only real pause is the page isn't as smooth compared to Rhodia or Clairefontaine, but that is also a tradeoff with the environmentally friendly Gray's Harbor (Watch the Gray's Harbor Paper story here).  I also found on the graph paper that the lines faded out from left to right across the page, which you can see slightly in the picture below.

_{Highlighter test performed by sneaky 4 year-old}

The Crane's Crest is a beuatiful paper, with an ivory color, perforated page, and a little more tooth.  For me personally, it is not my style, but I can see why it would be a popular choice and it was the best of the three samples.  If none of those are your style, feel free to add any standard three-punch 5-1/2 x 8-1/2" paper to your Field Journal, which is a major plus.

I honestly could go on and on and on about all of the things the Field Journal Notebook has too offer, but the product page on the Tom Bihn website does a great job laying everything out, showing all of the colors, features, accessories, photos, and even a video of this cool product.

_{Photo of sneaky 4 year-old}

The Field Journal Notebook retails for $75.00 at TomBihn.com.

Many many thanks to Tom Bihn for providing this review sample at no charge.

See more photos in the slideshow below: