Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

Kokuyo Buncobon Dot Cover 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. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

These sweet little Kokuyo Buncobon Dot Cover Notebook is designed to resemble Japanese paperback novels--a charming paper cover, the perfect A6 palm-of-your-hand size--with an additional eye for usability.

The notebook measures 4.1" by 5.8" and will fit in your favorite A6 notebook case or cover. It does come with a paper cover over the plain cream cardstock, and then another plastic cover over that. I found the plastic cover to be crinkly and irritating, so I set it aside fairly quickly. The paper cover has a pretty dot pattern, and it stays on with a folding flap that also serves as the notebook's index. The paper cover isn't terribly durable, though. And considering the generous page count and the fact that the book will probably be in use a while, an additional cover might not be a bad idea.

The cover itself is softcover cardstock with blue tape binding. The binding is glue, and it claims to lie flat, but I found mine needed a lot of training to even come close, and then I worried about whether the binding would hold together after such abuse. I prefer sewn bindings, but this one is working well so far.

Inside the notebook you'll find 70 sheets of 5mm grid 70gsm ivory paper. The paper has a bit of texture and tooth to it, but in a crisp, pleasant way. It's surprisingly good paper for a notebook with a large number of sheets and a price tag under $5. It held up well with most pens. Not Sharpie, of course, but everything else did very well. There's a touch of show-through with a very wet, dark rollerball, but the fountain pen did great.

A nice feature of this book is its searchable function--there are spaces along the side edge that are designed for color coding that will be visible from the fore-edge, so you can flip to the section you need with ease. Combined with the index, it's a powerful little organizational tool. And it's got a sweet wee ribbon bookmark, too.

These are fantastic little notebooks. Not perfect, no, but the compromises are fair and worth it for what you do get. I love that there are enough pages to see me through a larger project, and that I can use my fountain pens, all without making my wallet weep. I think these would make great bullet journals or planners. They'd be wonderful for class notes. Perfect for novel research! I may use mine as a travel journal for an upcoming trip. Needless to say, it's a versatile book and very impressive for the price. Kokuyo knocks it out of the park again.

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

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Posted on March 7, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Kokuyo, Notebook Reviews.

Midori MD Goat Leather Notebook Cover - A5: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

In 2017, I reviewed the Midori MD A5 Notebook (Gridded). I use this notebook for poetry writing. The paper is fantastic, and the grid lines mean I can write in portrait or landscape as my mood dictates.

Every time I go to the Midori page on JetPens, I gaze at the Goat Leather cover for the A5 notebooks. I click through all the photos. I read the reviews. I imagine how goat leather might feel between my fingers. I think of the lovely leather smell. Then I look at the price ($84.00) and tell myself, “No. Too much. I mean, the leather doesn’t come in cool colors like blue or burgundy. It doesn’t have a closure. It won’t hold fountain pens. No. No. No.”

Well . . . obviously I caved, because here I am reviewing the Goat Leather cover.

It comes in a simple cardboard box with a label identifying it as the Midori Goat Leather cover (it even has a line-drawn goat).

The cover is wrapped in a simple black pouch to protect it from scuffing.

Made from a single piece of goat leather, the cover is a light cream color with simple stitching around the borders and a seam along the back.

Inside, there are two pockets for inserting the notebook.

Each one has a small cut in the leather that can serve as a pocket for cards or maybe even a smaller notebook, but both are really just slits in the leather, not actual pockets.

There is also a small pen loop. It’s so small even a thin fountain pen like a Parker 51 won’t fit.

But it will accommodate a small pen like the Caran d’Ache 849 Nespresso Ballpoint.

I carry my pens in dedicated fountain pen cases, anyway, so the fact that the pen holder is small doesn’t bother me. I’m sure I could stretch it to accommodate larger pens, but I like the simple aesthetic of the notebook and the pen holder sits flat if you don’t want to use it.

The only branding on the notebook is a tiny “Midori” imprint on the inside back cover.

The Midori A5 Notebook fits perfectly, of course, since the cover is made specifically for it.

Although the goat leather is a rather bland tan color, you’re supposed to place it near a window with lots of sun for two or three weeks. The cover will gradually change from light tan to beige to amber.

I really, really want to use my cover right away, but I’m going to leave it in our Florida Room for the requisite time and watch the color evolve.

And how does the leather feel? Well, it’s exquisite. It’s much softer than cow leather--so silky smooth, yet it also has a beautiful texture when you look at it up close. Even the inside grain is much smoother and softer than cow leather.

Although I still think that $84.00 is an extravagant price for this simple cover, I wanted something special to protect my Midori MD, since I plan to carry it everywhere for poetry writing. I expect it to develop a gorgeous hue the more I use it. I’ll follow up with pictures in a few months.

You can purchase the Midori MD Goat Leather Notebook Cover (A5) from JetPens for $84.00.

(I purchased this cover with my own funds.)

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Posted on February 22, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Midori, Notebook Reviews.

Elia Note Tomoe River Journal Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Once upon a time, finding Tomoe River paper was an exercise in frustration. You could find sellers on FPN or FPG offering looseleaf Tomoe River paper, but it was expensive and sold out quickly. Then the Nanami Seven Seas Writer Journal came along, and, if you acted quickly, you could purchase a couple of journals--one to write in and one to hoard for the future. Now Tomoe River paper is ubiquitous. You can find it on JetPens and Amazon and through various independent notebook makers.

Elia Note is one of those independent notebook makers. The company is located in Malaysia. It offers three different A5 sized journals with white 52gsm Tomoe River paper: blank, dot grid, and lined. Each version costs $29.45 USD.

Elia gave the Pen Addict a dot grid version for review. It comes in a tan colored box which you can use to store the journal once you’ve completed it.

The notebook itself has a black, cardboard cover without any branding at all.

Inside, the first page has the Elia logo along with information about the notebook. There are 496 pages of 5mm dot grid, white Tomoe River paper made in Japan.

Aside from the light grey dot grid, the pages are unmarked--no page numbers, headings, or logos.

The notebook is simple. It does not have any pockets inside the covers nor is there a ribbon bookmark.

The paper is, of course, fabulous. Unlike the disappointing Maruman notebook I reviewed last week, the Tomoe River paper handles almost anything you can throw at it without bleeding or feathering.

I practiced my calligraphy alphabet using my Opus 88 fountain pen with the Regalia Labs Crossflex nib inked with Montblanc Corn Poppy Red. The ink worked perfectly with the paper--no smearing, no bleed-through, no feathering.

Of course, because Tomoe River paper is so thin, there is quite a bit of show through.

I tested several different pens and inks on the paper. It handled every single one with ease. The only one that bled through (slightly) was the Sharpie, and I always expect that.

I wrote another entry from The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce (read it, it’s so funny!) using my TWSBI Eco T inked with Kyo-no-oto Adzukiro. It’s simply a delight to write on Tomoe River paper. It’s smooth, yet it doesn’t smear, and the results are so pleasing.

I also did ink swabs in the Elia notebook. Even wet Q-tip swabs didn’t bleed through this lovely paper. I really like that the paper in the Elia notebook is white rather than cream, because it shows off each ink’s color accurately.

I’m definitely impressed with the Elia Note Tomoe River Paper Journal. But, I noticed that it is almost an exact duplicate of the Nanami Seven Seas “MicroDot” Journal, from the A5 size to the black cover to the rounded edges.

The main differences are: the Elia has white paper whereas the Seven Seas is off white. The Elia has 496 pages whereas the Seven Seas has 480. The Elia costs $29.45 plus shipping from Malaysia (about $12), whereas the Nanami Seven Seas “MicroDot” Journal costs $26 plus shipping from the US (about $9.20).

I will happily use the Elia Note once I’ve finished my current journal (a Hippo Noto). But I’ll likely return to Nanami for my next A5 Tomoe River journal, simply because it’s a slightly cheaper option.

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

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