(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
There's something to be said for the allure of a plain and simple tool when compared to the luxurious. Fine luxury items have their place, but no matter how expensive your tastes might become, it's difficult to ignore a good basic option. To me, that's exactly what the Apica Blank Twin Ring notebook line exemplifies. It's a no-nonsense, no frills, basic notebook with zero branding and good paper. The latest version I've added to the notebook collection is the Apica Blank Twin Ring A5 lined notebook. It's a spiral-bound notebook that gets the job done for a low price, and I love it for that.
This notebook is a slim spiral-bound format with 30 sheets of 70 gsm white paper with lines spaced out by 6.5mm. You have your choice of either red or blue rings, but that's where the customization ends. The plan brown cardstock covers are lightweight but also offer a fair bit of protection against everyday use. The corners of the cover and sheets are rounded off, meaning they won't snag as easily on bags and other objects. Apart from the retail SKU/barcode sticker on the back cover of the notebook, there's zero branding to be found. I like this minimalism quite a bit, and it adds to the sparse feel of this notebook.
The 70 gsm paper is thin but highly effective. I only notice writing showing through from the other side of the sheet when using a large stub nib or extremely wet nib/ink combinations. For everyday conditions and "normal" EF-B nibs, it works great. The paper feel is smooth with a small amount of feedback, and it doesn't cause any weird bleeding or feathering like other papers I've tried in cheaper notebooks. It's a great paper, and I really enjoy using it. I know that lined paper is not everyone's favorite style, but it's a fantastic notebook option if you like lines.
This notebook (and brand) is ubiquitous and utilitarian in Japan, but not in the US. I'd like to think that this notebook is similar to how someone who grew up in the US might think about standard Mead spiral notebooks. They're incredibly cheap, available at basically every store, and you go through dozens of them while in school. They're not the most robust notebooks, but you can't beat the price! It's this utilitarian and minimalist design that I really like about this notebook, and it's also whey I always have one going in some way or another around my desk. If you haven't checked these out and could use a great "throw-around" notebook, the Apica Blank Twin Ring A5 notebook is a fantastic option.
If A4 isn't your thing, you can also pick these up in semi-B5.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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