Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

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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Posted on February 6, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Rhodia, Notebook Reviews.

Write Notepads In The Pines Limited Edition Pocket Notebook Review

In my never-ending quest to buy fewer notebooks, I did exactly what I was not supposed to do: Buy more! I couldn’t help it though. The Write Notepads Winter 2016 release, titled “In The Pines”, was too nice to pass up. I had some experience with Write before, but buying and using these sealed the deal for me. Write Notepads are amazing.

In The Pines spoke to me on several different levels. First off, the design is stunning. The deep forest green cover with the silver stamping is clean, and not overdone. I appreciate the minimal look. The packaging the notebooks come in is a knockout, as with all of Write Notepads limited releases. The design makes you pick them up. The quality found on the inside keeps you coming back.

In my previous experiences with Write Notepads, pencil has been the name of the game. They are wonderful for graphite, and In The Pines is no exception. There is something about the feel of a pencil on their page that is different than other brands. It’s a match made in writing heaven.

I convinced myself I would only be using pencil in this notebook, specifically the Caran d’Ache Swiss Pine I recently bought on sale at Anderson Pens. How perfect is that matchup? But, for this review, I needed to throw some ink at the page as well, and I was happy with the results.

Fountain pens are at the forefront of my usage, and this notebook handles them as well as expected for a non-fountain pen specific paper. My fine and dry nibs were fantastic, with no feathering or bleed. My wide and wet nibs didn’t feather, but there was some bleed. Not much though, as you can see on the back side of the page. All in all, In The Pines handles fountain pens better than many pocket-sized notebooks on the market. Gel, ballpoint, and rollerball pens all behaved nicely, too.

Shipping a paper product that is usable for the vast majority of people is no easy task, and Write Notepads has accomplished that.

We discussed Write Notepads subscription service on the podcast last week, and lo and behold, look what is now available. Memberships are now open, and with my wonderful experience with In The Pines, there was no doubt I was going to sign up. The newsletter announcement didn’t make it easy though. In fact, the newsletter was a full-on train wreck. I’m glad I’m paying them for notebooks, not marketing. Stick to the analog gang!

Of all the things I don’t need, I’m excited to have more notebooks coming my way from Write Notepads. The writing experience is excellent, and I find myself reaching for them constantly because they are enjoyable to use. Check them out if you are looking to add more high-quality notebooks into your life.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Write Notepads, Notebook Reviews.

Plumchester Square Sketchbook Review

When Lee and Sarah Rubenstein of ArtSnacks let me in on the creation of their own art supply company last year I was excited to see what they would come up with. The secret was revealed to all in the November ArtSnacks box with the introduction of the Plumchester 1.5 Fine Brush Pen. It was met with excellent reviews, and seeing it in action on the Plumchester Instagram feed, I could tell it was well done.

With a successful launch behind them, it was time to branch out and expand the brand. Enter the Plumchester Square Sketchbook.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a sketchbook guru. Watercolors, charcoal, brushes, and other media with a more artistic bent are not my forte. But I know what I want in a notebook, I have a plethora of pens, pencils, and ink to throw at one, and I know how paper should act. I think Plumchester nailed it across the board right out of the gate.

If nothing else is obvious from the pictures, this is not your old school black sketchbook. For that, I am thankful! The purple vegan leather hard cover is vibrant, and the yellow elastic closure and bookmark ribbon add the perfect amount of pop. The branding is minimal, with only the Plumchester “P” logo stamped on the back cover. Inside contains 48 pages of blank, white, acid-free, 160 GSM paper, all bound to lay flat when in use.

I wasn’t sure what to throw at it first. The Sakura Pigma Micron seemed like the obvious choice, as well as other drawing pens. They went down on the page as expected. The feedback from the paper is smooth, not rough, so it’s not exactly made for the products I mentioned above, like watercolors. There is no feathering or bleed. Gel pens, ballpoints, and pencils worked as expected also.

Fountain pens on sketchbook paper is generally a no-no, but not with the Plumchester Sketchbook. None of the nibs I tried dug into the paper, and the inks behaved as if they were writing in any other fountain pen friendly notebook. The ink dried quickly, with no bleed to speak of. I didn’t expect this at all, but I’m certainly happy about it. Even Sharpies worked well, and were the only pen to show even a hint of ink on the back side of the page.

One format that I enjoy that doesn’t get used enough, for various and valid reasons, are square notebooks. For a sketchbook this size, it is wonderful. It is the right amount of space all the way around. 8.3” in each direction to be exact, sort of like a double-wide A5. It’s an ideal size for sketching and still fits easily in your bag or backpack.

For $18, this is close to no-brainer territory. Even if you are not an artist, as I clearly am not, this is a sketchbook that you can find a myriad of uses for. Using it is an enjoyable experience. It gets out of its own way and does its job. Simple as that.

My thanks to Plumchester for sending me an advance copy of the Square Sketchbook at no charge for purposes of this review.

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Plumchester, Notebook Reviews.