I love a good stationery collaboration, and given my long-standing love of Maruman paper, I was excited to see what Kleid could bring to the table in their recent collaboration series.
The Kleid x Maruman Mnemosyne notebook series features several different sizes and shapes, ranging from the large A4 Landscape edition, all the way down to the pocketable Modified B7 design. My selection was one off from the smallest with the B6 Top-Bound Memo Pad - a perfect desk companion.
What else does this Kleid series of Mauruman notebooks feature over the standard Maruman lineup? An Olive cover, 2 mm grid spacing, and a several dollar premium for the privilege of using those first two features. This is the price we often pay for collaborations. Depending on your needs and likes, the product could be perfect and worth the extra few bucks, or none of it could be additive to your experience and the classic stock version is the best version.
Performance wise, this notebook meets my already high Maruman expectations. The paper is some of the best for all types of pens and inks, handling most everything I threw at it well. The only outlier was Waterman Radiant Pink, which is an older ink I often have problems with. It seems to be overly watery, which will go through many different types of paper, this one included. Otherwise, everything else was as expected. Heavy rollerball ink, like in the Schmidt P8127 did ghost, and of course the Sharpie flew right through the page.
If there is any downside to the paper it is that there isn’t much tooth for graphite to grab on too. If you like a more tactile pencil feel, Maruman paper would not be my choice.
Aside from my enjoyment of the paper on the inside, Maruman constructs some of the world’s best wire-bound notebooks. They charge a premium for even the standard models, but you get a premium experience. The wire binding is strong and durable, the covers are sturdy while having some flex, the perf is clean, and overall these notebooks are perfectly executed. While mostly known for this style, they have recently begun making hardbound journals, if that is more to your liking.
0.5 mm pencil, left, staying within the 2 mm. 0.5 mm uniball Zento using 4 mm grid spacing.
Outside of the price, I think the 2 mm grid is the biggest hangup with the Kleid collaboration. That’s Kleid’s thing, and it isn’t for everyone. It’s not even for me most of the time, as I prefer a 4 mm to 5 mm grid spacing. The tiny grid causes me to lose my place more, which in turn makes me have to think about the lines more. I don’t want to think, just write. Larger handwriting works better, using two or three lines at a time, for a more traditional 4 mm or 6 mm spacing.
LAMY Safari EF, LAMY Safari Blue ink, trying to stay on 6 mm spacing. There were a few failures.
In the end, as beautiful as I find the Kleid x Maruman Mnemosyne notebook series to be, I don’t think they are worth the premium. The B6 model I’m using is $10, and a standard lined B6 is $8.20 at JetPens. While most of these formats aren’t a 1:1 match, something like the more traditional Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Dot Grid is only $11.25, which is a far better bang for your buck versus the A5 Kleid collaboration, which runs $16.
Unless you are an Olive superfan (I know you are out there,) have to have 2 mm grid spacing, or are a Japanese stationery junkie (raises hand,) I’d stick with the standards when it comes to the Maruman Mnemosyne.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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