Pilot Letter Pad for Fountain Pens Review

I was smitten with the Pilot Letter Pad for Fountain Pens from the moment I took it out of my banged up package from JetPens (thanks USPS!). The blue cover with the white and gold writing gives off a classic, sophisticated look, and that logo - wow. I don't know what it is about that logo that gets to me, but it is funky and I love it. The real story here is the paper though, so let's get to it.

In the grand scheme of things, the paper quality is elite. It is as smooth as any paper I have used with no bleed and no feathering at all. It is incredible to write on. It gives the same nib-to-paper feel as something like Tomoe River or Rhodia R but with the added durability of a thicker page. In my written review I used a Pilot Custom Heritage 912 Stub nib loaded with Akkerman #8 Diep-Duinwaterblauw and it performed wonderfully.

Where the rub lies with the Pilot Letter Pad is the value. If you consider that this is a special occasion pad used for written correspondance (it has envelopes to match even) then I'm somewhat ok with the 30 cents per sheet cost. Even then, you are going to need to mind the exceptionally wide line ruling (front side only) to not end up with a 10 page letter. I think this pad would be better suited with blank pages personally, or else try to fit two or three written lines between the ruling, which is easily doable.

To sum it up, this is a high quality pad that performs exceptionally well and is a pleasure to use. Is it worth the high price of admission? It depends on how much you like your friends. I wouldn't use this as a desk pad but rather to impress a pen pal halfway around the world. Maybe I should write Myke a letter.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Kokuyo Systemic Refillable Notebook Cover Review

In the endless search for the perfect notebook, I've acquired several softcover notebooks that don't hold up very well to every-day abuse and carry. While the soft cover usually makes the notebook more affordable (not always), they just don't seem to hold up for very long in my bag.

Turns out, Kokuyo has a product to solve my problem, plus a few more. The Kokuyo Systemic refillable notebook cover is a durable canvas cover that can hold two notebooks of your choice. Finally, a way to protect the various soft cover notebooks that I have. This means I'm much less picky about which notebooks I choose to carry about, because this cover essentially transforms the soft covers into a durable folio.

I ordered a semi-B5 cover from JetPens because I really enjoy the semi-B5 size that Kokuyo, Apica, and others sell. It's not huge, but it's still spacious. Of course, Kokuyo also sell a A5 and A6 size, and they all have two colors to choose from. The A5 and semi-B5 come in either Gray/Black or Gray/Red, and the A6 is available in Khaki/Brown or Khaki/Navy. Each cover includes one notebook, which is a nice bonus.

So, how does it work in practice? Awesomely.

The build

The cover is built well and should take years of abuse. The stitching is tight and accurate, and the transparent plastic sleeve that holds the notebook cover is thick enough to last a long time, but still pliable enough to make switching out notebooks a breeze.

It's difficult to tell in the product photos, but the two-tone color scheme is actually more than just an aesthetic touch – The top color (in my case, the gray) is a pocket on the front and back of the notebook cover. A deep pocket that has plenty of room for a smaller notebook, paper, or a couple of pens. I've really enjoyed have the outside pockets. This has been an awesome meeting companion.

A major downside for me is the elastic closure. Elastic closures are a big plus in my book for notebooks (ahem), but this one is weak. If you've ever used a Moleskine or a Rhodia, or any other notebook that has an elastic band to keep the book closed, I doubt any of them were as weak and wobbly as this one. I hoped that I might be able to tighten it if it were just tied to itself on the inside of the cover, but the ends are actually sewn into the outer seam. Bummer.

Apart from being weak, it still manages to hold the notebook shut – mostly. Don't put any loose papers inside thinking they will stay as you transport it.

Apart from that negative, I've been really pleased with the build of the cover. It also has a twin bookmark ribbon at the top so you can bookmark each book. Unlike a lot of notebooks that I've seen lately with ribbons, this one is nicely trimmed at an angle and finished (slightly burned, melted, singed, etc.) to keep from unraveling.

In use

From a practicality standpoint, the cover operates just like a folio. It lays flat on the desk or table (your lap works, but it's a little awkward since it doesn't have a stiff backing) and allows you open one of the two books. I've found it a bit awkward when first opening the cover because it always turns to the first page of the first notebook, and it takes a moment or two to open the second notebook. Not a big deal, and probably an error on my part due to clumsy fingers.

Unfortunately, the cover does not do well when turned back on itself. I've tried to do this a few times in the interest of saving space, but it just isn't comfortable to write on. The spine is thick and stiff and doesn't lay flat when it's folded back, so the writing service isn't level or steady. For some writers, this isn't a problem, but others I imagine it's a deal-breaker.

Like I said earlier, each cover comes with one notebook. In the semi-B5, it's a plain, black notebook that looks and feels like the standard Kokuyo bound notebook–like the Campus notebook.

It's a great paper. It isn't as great as Kokuyo's premium papers, like the MIO paper, but it's still a well-behaved and smooth paper for writing. Of course, it's also lined, so there's also that to consider.

Overall, this notebook cover is a home run for my use. If you're interesting in a sturdy cover for your soft notebooks, bound or spiral, check out the Systemic system.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

Ogami Professional Stone Paper Notebook Review

I have yet to find the perfect paper. There are sacrifices to be made, even with brands and styles many consider to be the best on the market. It all comes down to what sacrifices you are willing to make when choosing paper. Ogami Stone Paper is asking me to make too many.

Stone paper has become all the rage across the blogosphere, even spawning a Kickstarter project. It's a great idea in principle: A paper made from a natural byproduct of water and limestone that is tear-resistant, waterproof, and fully recyclable. It is the ultimate paper, right?

Wrong.

To have any stone paper product become a regular part or your writing arsenal you will need to limit the types of writing instruments you use. Ballpoints work well, and pencils are fine. Anything else is going to take some thought and consideration. Plastic and fiber tip pens are ok, but something like the Montblanc Fineliner is terrible. Gel ink pens are passable, but any fine tip that breaks the top layer of the page will bleed, and the paper is so pliable that your letter shapes are transferred to the page behind the one you are writing on. It's like the spy letter game you played as a kid. Run the pencil lead over the blank page lightly and you will see every letter you wrote on the previous page.

Fountain pens are a non-starter. The ink bleeds profusely and takes a long time to dry. I could barely finish my sample sentences in some cases. And the feel of the paper is just weird. It's marketed as "rich, creamy, and luxurious" but read further: "super fine nibs / points may "grab" the paper a little." It's more like writing on a cushion, which is not as neat as it sounds.

Another devil in the details is a big issue in my mind. Stone paper is far from archival. In fact, "Repap is photo-biodegradable. It will break down after 14-18 months exposure to UV light." I don't store my paper directly in sunlight or necessarily concern myself with archival paper qualities, but some people do. Keep these things in mind where considering stone paper.

The Ogami brand makes some of the best looking notebooks on the market, stone paper or not. The covers are beautiful, the size and layout are nice, and the attention to detail is top notch. The usability is not there for me though, and that's what it is all about. There are too many sacrifices I need to make to use stone paper on a regular basis.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)