The Paper Mind Mitsubishi Bank Paper Notebooks (Sponsor)

Introducing The Paper Mind, a new stationery brand with a focus on ultra-premium paper. The launch product is a Mitsubishi Bank Paper notebook featuring a flexible stitched binding and a Japanese paper cloth soft cover. And this week, The Paper Mind is offering Pen Addict readers 10% off their orders - read on to find out more.

What makes these notebooks so special is how comfortable they are to use, thanks to the high-quality paper and ultra-flexible lay-flat binding. You don’t have to worry about inks bleeding or getting the notebook to stay flat. The Paper Mind Bank Paper Notebook allows you to focus on writing, free from distractions.

Mitsubishi Bank Paper is a unique watermarked paper made from a proprietary blend of wood pulps and cotton. When released in 1960, it was designed specifically for bank passbooks; this meant that paper had to be high-quality, long-lasting, and most importantly, it had to be compatible with a wide variety of pens, including fountain pens.

The Paper Mind has taken this hard-to-find paper and put it into a new notebook, The Paper Mind Mitsubishi Bank Paper Notebook. Not only do these notebooks contain 192 pages of this special fountain pen friendly paper, but they also feature a coverless spine and stitched binding with 360 degrees of flexibility.

The notebooks are bound in Tokyo, Japan by a multigenerational family bookbinding company.

The Paper Mind is offering 10% off to The Pen Addict readers with code “TPA10”.

My thanks to The Paper Mind for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Pilot S30 Drafting Pencil Review

Last week, I reviewed the Pilot S20 Drafting Pencil, and this week I’m tackling it’s pricier sibling, the Pilot S30 Drafting Pencil, to see if the premium features - and price - are worth it.

If you didn’t read last’s week’s review of the S20 you should, but if you want the short version you should know this: I adore the S20. I’m still in the honeymoon phase with it, but I can tell it will have a long-term spot in my writing arsenal.

The S30 takes the straightforward S20 pencil platform, and turns it up a notch or three. At a quick glance, these two pencils look the same, but on the inside, the S30 uses a different mechanism to auto-advance the lead when the empty tip is pressed against the paper. The traditional knock-advance mechanism is still in place, so you have a choice how to advance the lead when using the pencil.

In addition, the S30 has a retractable pipe. This allows for a bit of added safety when storing the pen away. For some, this is a mandatory feature for any mechanical or drafting pencil.

Those two mechanism changes increase the weight of the S30 to 21 grams, versus 18 grams for the S20. The approximately 15% increase in weight is noticeable.

What else is noticeable is the shiny chrome finish of the S30, as well as the matching wood treatment on the knock. The packaging of the S30 also gets upgraded to a more traditional hanging box, compared to no packaging for the S20.

Last but not least, the S30 checks in at $40. If the $25 S20 is in the premium pricing category, then the S30 levels that up even more.

So, is it worth the premium price for the premium product? To me, no. I prefer the lighter weight and matte hardware of the S20 more than I need a retractable pipe, touch-advance lead, and a box that I will throw in the garbage. For others, the retractable pipe will be worth every penny of the premium if they like the pencil overall.

That’s the takeaway here. If you like the style of the S20 or S30, then it boils down to which features you are willing to pay, or not pay, for. No matter the choice, there is a high likelihood that you just found your new favorite pencil.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Misfill, Rules of Walking Edition

Each week in Refill, the Pen Addict Members newsletter, I publish Ink Links as part of the additional content you receive for being a member. And each week, after 10 to 15 links, plus my added commentary on each, I'm left with many great items I want to share. Enter Misfill. Here are this weeks links:

— The 'Rules' of Walking — Ridgeline issue 134 (Craig Mod)

— My fountain pen drawings in 2021 (Inkcredible Colours)

— 2021: Looking Back at a “Heavy” Year (Writing at Large)

— Ink Review #1724: Vinta Laguna (Mountain of Ink)

— Reflection: Journaling for Clarity (Comfortable Shoes Studio)

— Cutting your screen time in half with Apple Notes (Morgan Harper Nichols)

— First look at the Lamy Neolab smart Pen and Digital Paper (Good e-Reader)

— 6-part Seinfeld system to build any skill (@chrishlad)

— Color Traveler Seto Inland Sea Blue Black on Midori MD (Inkcredible Colours)

— ippo! x MONO (Bleistift)

— Finding a remote teaching rhythm (mnmlscholar)

— Product Review: Yamato Tape Roll Sticky Notes (The Well-Appointed Desk)

— Nike's World: Photographs of classic sneakers matched with incredible set design (Creative Boom)

— Female Bolivian Skateboarders Shred in Traditional Dress (Kottke)

— In case of podcast problem, push button (Six Colors)

— John Ching’s Tropical Chimeras (Design You Trust)

— Undated Nolty Daily Book Dailybook Diary from Japan (Notebook Stories)

— 75 Post-Punk and Hardcore Concerts from the 1980s Have Been Digitized & Put Online: Fugazi, GWAR, Lemonheads, Dain Bramage (with Dave Grohl) & More (Open Culture)

Want to catch the rest, plus extra articles, reviews, commentary, discounts, and more? Try out a Pen Addict Membership for only $5 per month!