Ogami Professional Stone Paper Notebook Review

I have yet to find the perfect paper. There are sacrifices to be made, even with brands and styles many consider to be the best on the market. It all comes down to what sacrifices you are willing to make when choosing paper. Ogami Stone Paper is asking me to make too many.

Stone paper has become all the rage across the blogosphere, even spawning a Kickstarter project. It's a great idea in principle: A paper made from a natural byproduct of water and limestone that is tear-resistant, waterproof, and fully recyclable. It is the ultimate paper, right?

Wrong.

To have any stone paper product become a regular part or your writing arsenal you will need to limit the types of writing instruments you use. Ballpoints work well, and pencils are fine. Anything else is going to take some thought and consideration. Plastic and fiber tip pens are ok, but something like the Montblanc Fineliner is terrible. Gel ink pens are passable, but any fine tip that breaks the top layer of the page will bleed, and the paper is so pliable that your letter shapes are transferred to the page behind the one you are writing on. It's like the spy letter game you played as a kid. Run the pencil lead over the blank page lightly and you will see every letter you wrote on the previous page.

Fountain pens are a non-starter. The ink bleeds profusely and takes a long time to dry. I could barely finish my sample sentences in some cases. And the feel of the paper is just weird. It's marketed as "rich, creamy, and luxurious" but read further: "super fine nibs / points may "grab" the paper a little." It's more like writing on a cushion, which is not as neat as it sounds.

Another devil in the details is a big issue in my mind. Stone paper is far from archival. In fact, "Repap is photo-biodegradable. It will break down after 14-18 months exposure to UV light." I don't store my paper directly in sunlight or necessarily concern myself with archival paper qualities, but some people do. Keep these things in mind where considering stone paper.

The Ogami brand makes some of the best looking notebooks on the market, stone paper or not. The covers are beautiful, the size and layout are nice, and the attention to detail is top notch. The usability is not there for me though, and that's what it is all about. There are too many sacrifices I need to make to use stone paper on a regular basis.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Ink Links

-- Nakaya Naka-ai Negoro Shiro-tamenuri Fountain Pen Review (THE UNROYAL WARRANT)

-- Caran d’Ache 849 Metal Ballpoint Review (Pen Pursuit)

-- My Journey to Better Penmanship (The Cramped)

-- The Colors Challenge (The Newsprint)

-- Kaweco Liliput Fountain Pen Review (Ed Jelley)

-- Lamy Safari (inklode)

-- Easy Green: A short review of Waterman Harmonious Green Ink (A fool with a pen)

-- J. Herbin Cacao du Bresil (Inkdependence!)

-- Unboxing of my Midori Traveler's Notebook Passport size (Seaweed Kisses)

-- Review: Palomino Prospector (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

-- Pen Review: Omas 360 (Old Version) (The Gentleman Stationer)

-- Fun Find #2: Monteverde Invincia Deluxe Nighthawk Ballpoint (From the Pen Cup)

-- Review: Hightower Pen Case by Nock Co (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Kaweco Classic Sport: A Review (The Finer Point)

-- Davis Leatherworks Simple Notebook Cover Review (I Laike Pens)

-- Jaw-Dropping Pen and Ink Cityscapes That Seem to Sprawl into Infinity by Ben Sack (Colossal)

-- A Quick look at Nock Co (Pen Paper Ink Letter)

-- Review: Copic CIAO Markers (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- The beautiful M101N tortoiseshell brown (Bleistift)

-- Organics Studio Nickel Teal ink review (Pens! Paper! Pencils!)

-- Pensieve: Caran d’Ache Delicate Green (A Review | Scribalishess)

-- Pelikan M205 (the Illustrious) Fountain Pen - F Nib (The Clicky Post)

-- Pen Review: Montegrappa Espressione - (The Pen Habit)

The Move Pen Review

Mini pens are difficult to get right. For a product that, by design, should be very simple, it is tough to nail all the important elements and have those elements work together as a cohesive package. Size, feel, fit, finish, refill, mechanics - all of these things have to be considered, and the small size of the pen leaves no room for mistakes. The Move, designed by Oliver Sha succeeds where others have tried and come up ... short.

The premise is simple, right? Make a small pen for pocket or keychain carry. I've tried many, such as the Fisher Space Pen, Kaweco Lilliput, Lamy Pico, and more. None are able to bring to the table what The Move can. Oliver sent me the polished Titanium Move Pen to check out and I knew it was a winner the moment I opened the package.

The feel and finish of the pen were noticeable immediately. Smooth lines, well machined seams, and one of the best bolt action mechanisms I have used highlight the design of The Move. I could really tell the time and thought that was put into this pen by the smooth grinding around the keychain attachment hole. It is silky smooth and honestly I couldn't stop looking at it I was so impressed.

To keep the profile of the pen as small as possible, Oliver chose to design it around the Lamy M22 refill. I recently picked up a Lamy Pico (review coming soon) which was my first M22 experience and I was plesantly surprised. I especially like that there is an 0.5 mm blue option which is my preferred ammo. The lines are smooth, clean, and mess free. The M22 is not a pressurized refill like the Fisher Space Pen so keep that in mind if that is a requirement for you.

From L to R: Kaweco Lilliput FP and BP, The Move, Lamy Pico, Kaweco AL Sport

When writing with the pen unattched to a keychain it is just long enough for me to use comfortably. I have average size hands and could see an issue for those with larger hands than myself. Attaching it to a keyring would probably help with that. You can see where it falls in the size spectrum compared to many popular pocket pens in the picture above, although I will say The Move is in a different product category than some of those.

Right now, Oliver is weighing his options to see if it is worth making another production run. He still has some inventory left from the Kickstarter campaign so email him at osdesignstore@gmail.com if you are interested. Prices are the same as the Kickstarter campaign: $52 for the aluminum versions and $98 for the titanium, both with free US shipping.

Thanks again to Oliver for sending me this review sample. Be sure to follow his work at OS Design Store and get in touch with him soon if you would like to pick up The Move.