Faber-Castell A5 Notebook Review

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

As far as notebooks go, my expectations are pretty simple. My needs can vary a great deal when it comes to size, legend (lined, grid, etc.), thickness, cover, and writing purpose, but a notebook is still a notebook at the end of the day. If I find a good notebook that I enjoy using, I don't really care what brand it is.

It seems that Faber-Castell is dipping their toes into the Moleskine / Leuchtturm waters by offering a new hardcover notebook that mimics the style of other popular brands. Seemingly every paper brand has a version of the hardcover notebook with an elastic closure and little pockets on the inside cover, but that doesn't mean they all perform well. If you're going to throw yet another notebook with almost identical specs into the pool, it better be good.

Luckily, Faber-Castell seem to have struck a fantastic balance when it comes to the paper quality in their hardcover notebook offering. It's rated as 100gsm, which is a little on the thick side, but it still feels lightweight and pliable. The writing surface is smooth with just the right amount of tactile feedback, giving you a great writing experience. With 194 pages, you also get a few more sheets than other comparable notebooks, but Leuchtturm still has them beat on this metric.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I opened this notebook because Faber-Castell is an unknown quantity in the notebook realm — at least in the US. I wasn't sure if it would be a serious competitor (like Blackwing's paper line) or just another half-assed copy cat meant to rake in some extra revenue through marketing hype and popular trends. I was pleasantly surprised when I started using this notebook. I found the writing experience quite enjoyable, and I would have no problem recommending this notebook to anyone.

The paper has a darker cream color than I normally prefer, but it's not too bad. The grid ink is also a bit dark for my taste, but this has more to do with the fact that I don't use grid paper very often (because dot grids are superior). I'm just not used to seeing this many lines on blank paper. But, when writing or drawing, the grids still easily get out of my way or help me stay aligned based on what I'm doing. In terms of paper and grids, it's great!

I tested this paper with several different pen and ink types and didn't notice any adverse effects. No bleeding, feathering, or splotchiness, and surprisingly little show-through on the back side. This paper is definitely safe to use on both sides due to how little show-through is there. I'm actually pretty impressed by this. Sure, the paper is rated at 100gsm, but it feels lighter. I was expecting more show-through because of this, but I'm happy to be wrong.

The other areas of the notebook are, frankly, boring. We've all used a hardcover A5 notebook — probably several different types from different brands. It functions great as a notebook. It stays open when in use, it stays shut when not in use. The pockets in the front and back are useful, and it also includes the token stickers for labeling the cover. There's even a couple of table of contents pages at the front of the notebook. The last page has a nice metric ruler, a la Field Notes style for making quick measurements in a pinch. And, of course, you get a bookmark and an elastic band to keep the notebook securely closed. Unlike many other notebooks, the elastic band is round instead of a flat ribbon. I like this change because it makes the band easier to pluck with your fingers when it's time to open the notebook. The flat band is great, but I usually have to slide it to the side to get my finger underneath it. The round band is just easier to use.

Overall, the Faber-Castell A5 hardcover notebook is a great product. I wasn't expecting much, but I'm happy to report that this is a real contender in the notebook space. At $23 MSRP, it's fairly priced.

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

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Hightide Puggy's Best 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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

In library world, we often say "for every reader their book, for every book its reader," which I think also applies in the stationery world. There are few things that we can say are objectively bad--and even those things likely have their fans. This is perhaps an ominous way to begin a review, but I say it because the people I know who have used the Hightide Puggy’s Best Notebook really did not like it. And I kinda do.

Like many stationery addicts, I have a very strict (if ill-defined) standard for what I consider a "nice" notebook. And I have strict standards for the kinds of things I want to write in my nice notebooks. The problem is, not all my notebooks can be nice, or I'd never get anything done. I need notebooks that I can hold in my hands and say, "I am going to totally wreck this book and it will be okay."

The Hightide Puggy's Best Notebook is the perfect wrecking notebook. This is the notebook you'll take to the beach and write bad poetry in it, you'll take it hiking and stuff it in the same pocket as your wet raincoat, you'll duct tape the cracked spine, you'll tear out random pages, you'll even write in it while you're eating Doritos and it will be fine.

Not everyone wants a wrecking notebook, but not everyone wants a nice notebook either. Some people like wrecking nice notebooks, too. It's all good.

If you think you might be a someone who wants a notebook to wreck, this is a great choice. The small (4.13" x 5.7") has 66 sheets and the large (4.92" x 7.28") has 150 sheets of blank recycled paper. That's a generous amount of pages. They're glue-bound in large signatures along a thick spine. There is a lot of glue happening, which makes for a crispy spine, but once you crack it it does lay flat. Mine has not split, but it feels like it wants to. If it does, I'll tape it. The cover is thick kraft cardstock with attractive vintage-style labeling.

Like any recycled paper, it's not great with liquid inks. Fine fountain pens snagged on the paper fibers, broad nibs soaked through, and even the medium ones feathered. Mechanical pencils were a little snaggy, too. But it did really well with wood case pencil, gel pens, and fineliners. Rollerball ink wrote nicely, but did have some minimal show-though. Rollerball is my preferred medium for wreck-it writing, so this works well for me.

One of the most important features of a wrecking notebook, though, is the price. No one wants to really wreck something they spent a lot on. Fortunately, the small version is only $7 and the larger $15—a very good deal, in my opinion, considering the number of pages. If you're looking for a notebook that you can pick up before your lotion is dry, jot down a quick list, tear it out, and then stuff your notebook into the bottom of your mudlarking kit--this is a fantastic choice. I'm enjoying wrecking mine, and I think I'll wreck more of them in the future.

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

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

Stalogy Editor's Series 1/2 Year Notebook A5 Green Grid Limited Edition 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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

The Stalogy Editor's Series 1/2 Year A5 Notebook is a minimalist everything notebook, which sounds like an oxymoron, but its secret lies in its flexibility.

By flexibility, I mean you can use this notebook in lots of ways. I'm not just referring to the cover, which is also very flexible. It has a soft woven-textured cover that reminds me of old books. I love woven covers, and this one is as nice as it is durable. The inside cover is lined with grey kraft endpapers. The corners are rounded, and the front cover has some gold-stamped branding along the left edge.

Inside are 192 pages of 4mm grid paper, enough to use the notebook as a 6-month planner or journal. The paper is very fine 52gsm, so the notebook is only .3" thick and fits easily in bags or cases. The thread binding means that the notebook will lie open flat after a bit of training.

The paper is a very pale cream-white color with faint grey ink used for the grid and guides, so the grid can be ignored if you prefer. At the top of each page, also very faint and in a typeface for ants, there are months and days of the week, and day numbers. You can circle the applicable month and day to label your page, or just pretend that tiny type isn't there. Along the left edge of each page are hourly labels from 1-24, so you can use it as an hourly planner as well. Because all of these labels are so unobtrusive, you can also just use the book as a journal or regular notebook. Or an everything book--planner and journal and commonplace book all in one. Which is why I call this the minimalist everything book.

I've used the smaller all-year Stalogy notebook before, so I already had high expectations for the paper. My old Stalogy paper felt exactly like Tomoe River paper, so that notebook was much like a Hobonichi planner, but minus all the fuss and labeling. This paper is a bit different from the older Stalogy paper I used, but it's still wonderful. It has more tooth and crispness, closer to Midori paper. Being very fine, it does have some mild show-through with darker inks and bolder nibs, but there was zero bleeding or feathering, and ink shading was pleasantly visible. I used one pen that I fully expected to bleed or feather--a gusher of a nib with a wet ink in it that flows like a firehose, and even that did not faze this paper.

If you're looking for a minimalist planner, or a well-made notebook with good paper, this is an excellent choice. The A5 1/2 Year size costs $21 at Jetpens, which is a little high, in my opinion. You can definitely find notebooks of comparable quality for a lower cost, and the non-limited edition Stalogy that is a full year's length (and twice as many pages) is $25. This limited edition green is very lovely, though, and I highly recommend giving Stalogy notebooks a try.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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