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.