Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Kyokuto Papeleur Brume 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.)

In keeping with my back-to-school theme, here's another lovely notebook from Kyokuto. It's the perfect single-subject, semester-length notebook for those of us who like to use fun pens (and wild inks) on quality paper in the classroom. The thin profile and light weight make it easy to carry a stack of them around campus and it comes in five soothing colors to calm your exam jitters. The green is shown here--there's also blue, pink, yellow, and cream. The name of the notebook implies "colors through the mist", and the soft tones definitely reflect that. They also have a nice vintage look to them.

The notebooks have soft covers with a light cardstock back. It's not sturdy enough to comfortably write without a desk or table underneath, but it's enough to hold up to wear and tear. The cover has a really nice texture to it--an almost linen-like grid that feels smooth but adds a little grip. There's a handy space to write your name and the subject. The binding is one of my favorite features on this--it's an elegant thread and glue spine that allows for good flexibility without extra bulk or mess. The pages aren't perforated and the binding holds well, so this notebook works best for projects that you want contained to the book.

The size is referred to as "semi B5" and it measures 7" x 9.9". I don't think I could tell it apart from other B5 variations unless I held them up against each other--it should fit just fine in any B5 case (especially Kyokuto's, naturally).

The interior has thirty sheets of lined white 140 gsm paper. There are thirty lines per page and a header at the top for the title and date. There's also the handy Kyokuto dotted vertical line guide that comes in extremely handy for spacing outlines.

The paper itself feels very smooth to the touch. It does have a bit of feedback, though, and felt a bit snaggy with fine-point pens. Finer pens also showed through more and had more feathering, regardless of ink type. I think the paper may be too cushy for ultra-pointy tips. I had no feathering or bleed-through, and barely any show-through, with medium and broad pens. Even my wet zoom nib did fine. Mechanical pencil felt the same snagging as fine pens, but wood pencil worked very well.

With paper and binding this nice, I expected this notebook to be more expensive than it is. At $4.80, it's easily cheaper (sometimes by half) than similarly structured notebooks. The Apica notebooks are similar cost and quality, but a different aesthetic. Kyokuto keeps impressing me. This is another one of their products that makes me wish it was me going back to school.

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

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Posted on September 14, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Kyokuto, Notebook Reviews.

Franklin Christoph Pocket Notebook and Cover Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

As my collection of pocket notebooks continues to grow, I try to be more selective in what I keep around and purchase. Still, it's hard to pass up a new entry to the popular size. Franklin Christoph have been making paper products for quite a while, but this is my first time trying them out. Whenever you purchase paper products from a fountain pen maker, you can usually assume that the paper will work well with fountain pens. Fortunately, this is the case with the Franklin Christoph Pocket notebooks, and they also have a unique flair to set them apart from the pack.

To start things off, let's look at the size of these notebooks. They are the standard 3.5" by 5.5" that we've come to expect from this genre. Each book contains 32 sheets (64 pages), and features some really great bamboo paper. The paper can be either lined, blank, graph, or dot grid. The version I have is lined, and it features a 6mm line spacing. This is the typical spacing size with most Japanese notebooks, and close to "college rule" here in the states. For a pocket notebook, this is a great line spacing. If you like, you can order a 4-pack medley (about $12) that contains one of each format. The normal pricing ($10) is per 3-pack of one kind of paper format.

One unique feature that sets this notebook apart is the corner trimming. Most notebook opt for some sort of chamfered, rounded corner to make sure the corners don't snag and become tattered. Franklin Christoph went with a straight chamfer, which gives the notebook a unique look. It doesn't affect the usability of the notebook, so it's fine by me. I'm not sure I prefer this look, but it certainly doesn't detract from the experience.

One minor nitpick I have regarding the paper is the darkness of the lines in the lined version I have. It's a bit too dark for my tastes, which distracts me from my own writing or doodling. I prefer a lighter line weight so it can easily disappear into the background when convenient.

The cover material is a bit thin, but no different than comparable pocket notebooks. The binding is a tight binding that looks to be high quality, and I've been pretty happy with how it's held up. The pages open easily and don't have much trouble staying open. The same is true when the notebook is closed. It doesn't have an issue staying closed. Depending on the paper format, the cover will be a different color. For the lined version, the cover is a deep red color.

There is branding on the front and back of the cover, but it's minimal. The inside covers feature no writing/branding at all.

Finally: the paper. Made from bamboo, this paper handles different inks pretty well. I've noticed a little bit of bleeding and feathering with some inks, but it's minimal. Same thing goes for show-through. Depending on the ink/nib, you'll notice a fair amount of show-through on the back of the page. For me, my results varied. For pen/ink combos that resulted in lots of show-through, I wasn't able to comfortably use the back page. In general, the paper is fountain-pen friendly, smooth, and a nice off-white color.

In general, the Franklin Christoph pocket notebook is a great option in the pocket notebook space. I'd recommend trying one out with your next order or pen show visit.

As a bonus, I've also been using a fabric notebook cover from Franklin Christoph. There are several options available, both fabric and leather, and they're priced competitively. And, since the notebooks are a standard size, these covers will also fit other pocket notebooks (like Field Notes, etc.) as long as they adhere to the same size and trimmed corners standard.

The cover I have is the Linen Blue fabric. It has a nice denim look and features a tasteful Franklin Christoph logo centered on the front of the cover, as well as a smaller logo on the back. The logos are also made of fabric and are sewn into the cover.

In the fabric covers, you have the option of Linen Blue, Linen Brown, Suite Gray, and Suite Blue. They all cost $20 each, which is a pretty good deal.

They also offer these covers in leather. The FxCel Black and FxCel Brown covers are only $25, which is also a great price.

The covers feature pockets in the front and back with which to hold the notebook covers. I'm using mine with only one notebook, and it's pretty snug and secure. Although, you can fit two notebooks into one cover. This presents a nice option if you'd like to carry more than one notebook in a convenient cover.

The size of the cover is large enough to protect the notebooks, and it seems to be made pretty well. I can't see any wear so far, but I'm sure the fabric will fade a bit as it is used more. The tan stitching around the edges is a nice touch to the overall aesthetic. If you purchase a notebook cover, it comes stocked with one ruled notebook.

Overall, I've been enjoying the Franklin Christoph cover as a compliment to the notebook. It adds a degree of protection and also convenience if you want to easily carry two notebooks as one. The fabric is a nice departure from the standard leather fare, but you also have a couple of leather options if that's your preference. Again, check them out next time you're at a pen show, or throw one into your cart with your next order!

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

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Posted on September 13, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Franklin-Christoph, Notebook Reviews.

Kyokuto Nordic Color Animal W Ring 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.)

My first impression of the Nordic Color Animal W Ring Notebook was that it's a cute little thing, fun for class notes. I didn't take it terribly seriously. I wasn't even sure if I would review it. But then--the paper. This paper, you guys. Behind this unassuming fluffy critter illustration is the paper of a beast.

The general specs: This notebook is A5 sized with W-shaped twin-ring binding. The coil appears to be copper--it's very sturdy and doesn't feel like it will mush in my bag. There are 40 sheets of non-perforated, 7mm lined white paper. It's a softcover, but the back cardboard is sturdy enough to use as a writing surface. The front cover is clear plastic with a pocket, and behind that is an adorable illustration by Shunsuke Satake. The lines of the paper are faint dashes--a good guide, but subtle enough to ignore if you so desire. Along the top line are also subtle vertical guides to assist with any outlining or other alignment. And at the top of the page is room for a date or other label.

This notebook is really ideal for class or meeting notes--particularly things you want to keep as one unit, since the pages aren't perforated. One downside is that using the front cover pocket will obscure the cute illustration--but that also opens up the option for some custom decoration, so it's not all downside.

Now, about that paper. Holy cats, guys. This is some pleasant paper. It has just the right amount of texture to it to feel smooth while also providing good feedback. I had zero feathering with any of my inks or pens, and no bleedthrough at all. And barely any showthrough, even with a juicy flex nib. I was definitely not expecting this level of performance, especially in a notebook that costs less than five dollars. If you've been wishing for a lightweight notebook that you can use your serious business pens in, give this one a try. I'm taking a closer look at Kyokuto's other paper products now, and kind of wishing there was a sewn-bound book of this paper with a few hundred pages, with or without the adorable critters.

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

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