Review: Maruman Mnemosyne Inspiration Notebook

This notebook is a big time winner.  In fact, the Mnemosyne Inspiration is the best notebook/paper/sketchpad I have reviewed since getting my first Doane Legal Pads.  As odd as it sounds, it is the landscape layout that really gets me going.  I know, just take any sheet of paper or notebook I own and turn it sideways, right?  Well, it's not the same of course.  The design and construction of the notebook are fantastic, and makes me want to attack each page with great vengeance.  My sketch above (click for larger view) isn't exactly creative, but this is what I see this notebook being used for.  It is the perfect layout.

I haven't run my standard battery of ink tests yet, but the pen I used for this review is the Lamy Safari EF with the standard Lamy black ink.  There was no bleed, no feathering, and very little show through on the back of the page (see below).  If fountain pen ink holds up this well on the page, that says a lot about the type and quality of the paper.  Another feature I like about this notebook is the extra thick and rigid backboard.  You can take the Inspiration anywhere for inspiration and have a great writing experience.

I received this sample from JetPens, where they sell for $26.00 for a pack of three.  More details on the Mnemosyne Inspiration:

Measures 6.25 x 8.25 inches and contains 70 graph lined A5 size (5.8 × 8.25 inches) micro perforated sheets. Ideal for brainstorming and sketching. Graph lines are light gray for subtlety. Each page has a space on the top line for “Title/No” and features a small gray arrow in the middle of the top to signify the midpoint of the page. Pages are acid-free so they won't yellow over time.

These new Mnemosyne notebooks are an “it” product in Japan. They are perfectly designed with the professional in mind and are great for drawing down inspiration and ideas. Everyone from a college student to a working professional will find this notebook useful and particularly well-designed. Named after the Greek goddess for memory, each Mnemosyne notebook features a sturdy cover and is firmly bound with a dual ring system.

These are not the cheapest notebooks out there, but this is a case where I believe you are getting what you pay for.

Reminder: Big May Copic Giveaway

There is just one week left to get your entries in for the Big May Copic Giveaway!  Follow the directions on this post and send me your entries via the email address on the sidebar.  The response has been good so far, but there is always room for more.

Elsewhere on the giveaway front, Office Supply Geek is giving away a stack of the new to the U.S. market Uni-Ball Kuru Toga pencils.  I have loved mine ever since I got it from JetPens last year, and as I told OSG yesterday, this is the only pencil I carry with me.  He has eight to give away, so be sure to head over and enter.

And don't forget, there are some coupon codes for Jac Zagoory Designs and JournalingArts.com that are good through the end of May especially for Pen Addict readers, so hop to it!.

Review: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Muscat 0.3mm

Can you make that out?  No?  Lean in a little closer.  A little more.  Still no?  Yeah, me neither.

I had a conversation a few months back - I can't remember if it was on the comments section here, on Twitter, Flickr, or where exactly - but we were talking about favorite/least favorite Pilot Hi-Tec-C colors.  I mentioned I would review my least favorite color soon, but I didn't want to give it away until I finished.  Well, here it is in all of its glory - Muscat.

If you think the picture is hard to make out, you would be interested to know that it is just as hard to write with.  I honestly had to keep stopping to go back to read what I just wrote because I wasn't able to make it out on the page.  The Doane Paper doesn't help, but the Muscat would be too light even on a plain white background.  And you can forget anything resembling the off white of Moleskine paper - it's as good as invisible ink on there.

But in all seriousness, this really isn't a color I should be writing with anyway, which is my day in and day out requirement for all of the pens I review.  This is a pen that I could see being used by artists and doodlers alike for shading, coloring in, texture, etc.  Just not so much for writing, at least in my book.

What makes pens so great is that we all have our own little individual traits that make us love or hate a pen.  Color, feel, performance, durability, the list goes on and on, and we will all defend our favorites until the end.  Just like the person who I was talking to about what her favorite Pilot Hi-Tec-C color was.  Yep, Muscat.

Click Here for the XL review - where you may actually have a chance to read it.