Maruman A5 150-Sheet Spiral Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's always room in my stationery stash for another basic, utilitarian notebook — especially when it has a large number of pages.

The Maruman A5 Spiral Note is a 150-sheet (300-page) thick notebook that uses the great paper that Maruman is known for. While I call this "basic," I only mean that in a positive way. Yes, the design is basic and minimal, but the quality is there where it counts. There's not much branding or fluff — just lots of pages.

On the outside, the covers of this notebook are thick craft cardstock that should provide plenty of protection against minor scuffs, but it won't hold up to moisture very well. The covers are plenty to protect the pages from other things inside a bag. Outside of the print on the front cover, there is zero marketing or printing on the inside or back covers. Inside, the first non-page is the only marketing material you'll find, and it's easy to remove if you don't want it.

The paper is the same as other paper I've used in Maruman notebooks. The 80 gsm paper has a 6.5mm ruled line, and there space at the top for a subject, topic, date, or other metadata that you can use or ignore. The pages are all perforated, making it easy to rip individual sheets out. The outer corners of the pages are also rounded off, so they won't easily get caught on things in your bag.

In my testing, all types of ink and graphite work well on this paper. It's mostly smooth with a little bit of feedback. It definitely feels like there's a coating on the paper, but it's light and doesn't keep ink from drying quickly. It's not the same paper that Maruman uses in their Mnemosyne line, but it's still a great paper that performs well.

The binding on this notebook is a stout wire spiral that has a brass finish. I don't think it's real brass, but the color/finish matches the craft aesthetic of the covers. The thick wire will bend if enough force or weight is applied, but it's sturdy enough to be resilient against the typical forces inside a crowded bag.

This is a fantastic line of notebooks from Maruman. I love their sleek black notebooks, but I've always got room for the craft paper style that these notebooks pull off so well. While you can choose from lined or dot grid in some of the notebooks, the large capacity 150-sheet versions only come in lined rule. And, they even come in A4 and B5 sizes too.

At $8.50 for this notebook, it's an incredible value. You get a lot of great paper for this price, and that makes it easy to recommend. This is great if you want a lot of capacity for a single purpose or just something that will last a long time provided you take care of the covers. The Maruman Spiral Note is now one of my top recommendations for no-frills, great quality notebooks available in A5, A4, and B5 sizes.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Notsu To-Do List Cards and Case Giveaway

Review yesterday, giveaway today! The Notsu To-Do List cards have been a great addition to my desk setup, especially knowing that I can use any pen or pencil with them. I’m giving away one set of the Notsu To-Do List Card Case With 50 Cards, so read the rules below and enter away!

Notsu To-Do List Cards and Case Review

“Where are all of the fountain pen friendly note cards?”

As an avid note card/index card user (I use those terms interchangeably,) I’ve always been on the lookout for a card that performs well with all pens, including fountain pens. And yes, at Nock Co., Jeff and I made some of the best there have been. Unfortunately, the paper we used was long ago discontinued, and the search for the next needle in the haystack has stopped - for now.

So where does that leave us? Are Exacompta cards the only choice? They have been a recommendation from me and others for years - and still are - but your choices are limited. I moved into the Foglietto system a couple of years ago, but they are now out of business (selling paper goods is brutal - as me how I know!) Analog cards, by Ugmonk, are beautiful, but only average for fountain pens. Shockingly, the Kraft card is the most ink friendly, which I love.

As you can tell, I have a thing for cards, as does Kimberly, who did all of the reviews linked above.

New note cards are few and far between, but my eyes are always peeled to try something new. New is what I found at the recent Atlanta Pen Show in the form of Notsu, carried by my friend Joe at The Gentleman Stationer. What’s funny is that I didn’t notice them on my first pass at his table, when I was focused on picking up some ink and Traveler’s Notebook inserts. But on second glance I saw them, and saw Joe’s writing samples, and inquired as to their fountain pen friendliness. He assured me they were, and one test line later, I confirmed that was the case.

The design of the Notsu To-Do List Card is purposeful. The front of the 3”x5” card is where you list goes, with 16 lines and boxes for any tasks you need to handle. There is a date line at the top, and room for another header above that, next to the Orange Notsu logo. Flip the card over, and you are met with Notes section on the top, using faint dotted lines, and a Sketch section on the bottom, with a 5 mm dot grid. I often like to segment and separate my cards, so this is a nice framework to work with for someone like me who uses one card for multiple things.

On top of those design elements, Notsu has done something extra for this specific product. Cards made for the accompanying Card Case (and specified refills,) are scored in the middle, allowing you to easily fold the card, or display it as part of the magnetized card case setup. This is a great option for those of you who will use these cards at your desk, or need an extra visual of the tasks at hand.

No feathering, bleed, or ghosting. These cards are thicc!

I took this pic when writing so you can see how much ink these cards handle without issue. You won’t see a lot of ink characteristics (shading, sheen,) but the page is smooth for all types of nibs.

“But Brad, I don’t need all of that nonsense. How about a simple card?” Notsu has you covered there, too, with their Dot Grid Index Cards. I haven’t tested those yet, but they use the same card stock as used in their other sets, so assumedly they are equally as nice. I’ll pick some up soon.

My final word on Notsu: Great quality, fun layout, absolutely usable with fountain pens. What’s not to like for a note card user? Even the price is nice. My review set, the Notsu To-Do List Card Case with 50 Cards, is $11.99. Refill packs of 50 To-Do cards run $8.99, as do the standard corner Dot Grid Card 50-pack (Rounded corners are $11.98 for the same quantity.) I think that is all fairly price for a nice card like this. and I look forward to using them frequently.

(I bought this pack from The Gentleman Stationer at the Atlanta Pen Show at regular price. Joe then gave me a second pack for free to give away tomorrow, so stay tuned!)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!