In Episode 61 of The Pen Addict Podcast Myke and I are joined by Dan Bishop from Karas Kustoms. Dan discusses their latest Kickstarter project - the RETRAKT - which is off to a hot start. We dig into how the design came to be, the challenges of pen design, and what Dan and Karas may be up to in the future.
Don't miss the fantastic product video below...
I love pocket sized notebooks. I love making lists. Word. Notebooks combines both of those things into a simple system to keep you organized.
I am not a fan of overly complex GTD-like systems. I like my lists, I like boxes and checks, and I like to scratch things off. My system mostly resembles the Getting Sh-t Done system I came across several years ago, and Word. follows along a similar path.
What you will find on the pages of the Word. Notebook is lined paper with a bullet point surrounded by a circle in the margin of each line. This is where the Word. System takes place. It is simple in its execution: bullet point for a new task, circle for important, slash for in progress, and X for complete. It doesn't get more straightforward than that.
Aside from the task list system, how does the paper handle inks? From the About page, the paper is Lynx Opaque Ultra smooth white 60# text (for comparison, standard Field Notes is 50# and the America Is Beautiful edition is 70#). It does a good job with the pens you would expect it to, like gels and ballpoints of all sizes, is average with rollerballs, and fountain pen inks are a mixed bag. In other words, standard performance for almost any pocket sized notebook.
I am a fan of the overall design of the notebooks, and the people I shared them with were thrilled with them. They won't make my regular rotation because I can't handle lined paper on a daily basis but I can see Word. Notebooks meeting a lot of peoples needs. Even I may not be able to pass up the blue and red floral designs from their new Fresh Series.
Thank you to Word. Notebooks for sending me these samples to review. Much appreciated!
-- Zen in red (And All Other Tasks)
-- De Atramentis Jeanne d'Arc (East...West...Everywhere)
-- A Nice Write Up in Design World Magazine! (Edison Pen Company)
-- Franklin-Christoph Dark Denim (Inkdependence!)
-- Three Stephens' Inks or Concentrate wins the day (Palimpsest)
-- Stipula Twister Ti Demonstrator (Silent Seeing)
-- TWSBI Micarta V2 review (Fountain Pen Day)
-- Exacompta FAF Pad – Retro Desk Pad (OfficeSupplyGeek)
-- Review: Onion Skin Paper (Gourmet Pens)
-- Moleskine Better Have Some Thick Skin (Brand New)
-- Graffiti diary in Hobonichi Planner (Notebookers.jp)
-- Montblanc Noblesse Slimline (Goodwriterspens's Blog)
-- Crónicas Estilográficas (Pilot Inks at Flea Markets)
-- Diamine Music Inks (Pens Paper Inks...Whatever!)
-- Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo (Ed Jelley)
-- Pilot Down Force (The Clicky Post)
-- At Work With Aaron Draplin (A Continuous Lean.)
-- Luke Shuman (What Do You Carry)
-- Pelikan – Brilliant Black (Informal Scribble)
-- Just a Bad Batch (Notebook Stories)
-- A pen with a sea of clouds (Leigh Reyes)
-- Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen Review (Write to Me Often)
-- Pilot Elite95S (2013) (kmpn)
-- Tale of a Vandal Notebook User: Going Indie, Part 2 (Peaceable Writer)
-- Invincia Stylus (Ionsomnia)
-- Chronodex July - December 2013 Weekly Diary Free Download Released (Scription)
