Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Stifflexible Vintage Surfing Notebook Review

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

With winter just around the corner, a summer-themed notebook might keep thoughts of summer nearby as temperatures drop. That's part of what you get with the Stifflexible Vintage Surfing notebook, along with some decent paper with a variety of ruling.

This might be the first notebook I've used that contains ruled, blank, and graph paper all in the same book. With this Stifflexible notebook, you get 144 ruled pages, 32 blank pages, and 16 detachable graph pages. This is a unique feature that seemed odd at first, but is really useful in certain cases.

The big feature of this notebook (and possibly the namesake) is the flexible cover. Instead of a stiff, flat cover, this notebook has a couple of thin spots in the front and back covers that make it incredibly easy to bend. It doesn't quite fold, but it does make it easy to flip through the notebook. While it works flawlessly, I'm not sure it really adds anything to the notebook or elevates it above other notebooks with more "traditional" covers.

There's an elastic band that keeps the cover snug when not in use, and it has the perfect amount of tension for keeping the book closed without being too tight when pulling it aside. The band is also color coordinated with the different notebook covers.

Speaking of which, the cover designs are quite a statement. The notebook I have features the "Surf Rider Long Beach" variant, which includes some bold text and a graphic of a person holding a surf board. It's visually interesting, but I can guess that it might put some people off due to the overstated design and large lettering. The "Adrenaline" cover features a VW bus and has a more calm aesthetic that is centered along the notebook like a logo. All three covers feature some fun west coast imagery that paints a relaxing, chill vibe. The good thing about this notebook is that you'll know before you buy it if you'll like the design. Once you crack open the cover, it's just a regular notebook.

The majority of the pages are lined, and the lines are similar to a college rule, or 6mm. The lines are a tad dark for my tastes, but just barely. The lines are some shade of gray while the paper is ivory, making for a nice contrast.

The pages aren't numbered and there aren't any dedicated "subject" areas like many Japanese notebooks feature. The binding is also well done, even if it does take a bit of effort to make the notebook lay flat and stay open. With a little massaging, it breaks in nicely. The back inside cover also features a small pocket — and the pocket cover doubles as a bookmark. Additionally, each notebook contains a cardboard bookmark that also has a six-inch ruler printed on it.

According to the notebook, the paper is recycled, acid-free, and 80gsm. These are all good things, and I can say that the paper is mostly smooth with a slightly noticeable tooth. The main downside for me is the feathering and show-through. It's a minor niggle, but keep it in mind if show-through, feathering, or bleeding are qualities you dislike in paper. For my tastes, the amount of show-through in the paper makes the back of the page unusable. At any rate, it's an example that proves that 80gsm papers are not created equally; just because you enjoy one paper that is rated at 80gsm does not mean they all perform the same. Rhodia and Leuchtturm1917 are two brands that I use frequently, and they're also rated at 80gsm. But, the performance of those papers far exceed that of the Stifflexible paper. That being said, it's workable — especially if you aren't using fountain pens.

Finally, the pricing for this notebook is something of a perk, coming in at around $16 retail. You can normally find them a few bucks cheaper, coming in around $13, which make them a pretty good deal.

If you like the vintage surf aesthetic that these notebooks wear proudly, then these are right up your alley. The paper is acceptable, eco-friendly, and plentiful, and the added feature of having flexible covers is unique and (sometimes) useful. Check out all the colors and designs at Pen Chalet.

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

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Posted on October 18, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Stifflexible, 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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