Yamamoto Ro-Biki Shape Series Notebook Review

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

Always on the lookout for new pocket notebooks to try, I was keen to try out these the Shapes Series from Yamamoto Paper as soon as I saw them. I've had other notebooks from Yamamoto before, but not in this size. A little smaller than the common 3.5 x 5.5 pocket notebook size, I was curious to try out this slightly smaller version to see if I would notice the size difference.

The Ro-Biki Shape Series notebooks from Yamamoto Paper are small pocket-size notebooks that feature 60 pages of 80 gsm dotted ivory paper sandwiched between waxed paper covers with different designs.

The 3.5 x 5 inch (89 x 127mm) paper is the same size as the Passport size of Traveler's Notebooks, or the same size as a government-issued passport. This is a size that I'm sure many people are familiar with due to the popularity of the Traveler's Notebook system, but I haven't dabbled in this size before.

What really caught my eye were the cover designs. I went with Mountain Night and Wild Plants. There are many other unique cover designs that look great, but these two spoke to me. Getting them in hand, they look great in person and have a soft and pliable feel due to the wax coating treatment. According to Yamamoto Paper, the covers will patina in the same way as brass or leather as you use the notebooks. Aside from providing some protection from damage, the covers will also age and develop their own unique character with use. I'm looking forward to seeing how these covers develop their own story over the coming months of use.

The paper used in these notebooks is fantastic. It's 80 gsm paper that is 100% made from recycled paper with an ivory hue and light gray dots. Writing on the paper is a smooth experience, and I've really enjoyed it with any kind of writing instrument I've tried. I haven't seen any feathering or bleeding, which is great, and the paper works well with all kinds of ink and graphite. There is some minor show-through on the back side of the page, but it's not so bad that it makes the back side unusable. You can definitely see some ghosting, but it's easy to ignore when writing on the back side of the page. For a pocket notebook, I'm fine with sacrificing some paper thickness for lighter weight and thinner notebooks.

The notebooks are bound with both glue and stitching, and feel really solid in use. I have no doubts that these notebooks will hold up well, especially compared to the typical staple binding that a lot of pocket notebooks use.

The inside of the notebooks are completely empty. There's no marketing on the inside covers. The only branding is the small Yamamoto Paper logo on the back cover.

While the passport size notebooks look a lot smaller than the 3.5 x 5.5 inch notebooks I'm accustomed to, it's just an optical illusion. For my use, that half inch height difference isn't noticeable when writing, but it is noticeable when it comes to stashing the notebook in pockets or sleeves. After using these notebooks for a little while, I think I'm already starting to favor this passport size over the slightly larger 3.5 x 5.5 inch size.

At $8 per notebook, these notebooks are a little pricey. A more typical price for a pocket notebook is around $5. The waxed cover and nice paper definitely add a premium feel, but it still seems a little high. At the end of the day, I'd still choose to buy these notebooks again just because I really enjoy the cover designs and how the cover feels in hand. As with all things in this hobby, your mileage will vary, and your opinions are valid! If these little notebooks are calling out to you, you won't be disappointed once you have them in hand. They're high quality products that are a joy to use. Be sure to check out the other cover options!

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

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Lamy Al-Star Aubergine Ballpoint Pen Review

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

It's that time of year again: annual edition color schemes for Lamy's Safari and Al-Star pen lines. For 2025, we have several lovely options to choose from, and I decided to give the Aubergine Al-Star a whirl since the yellow-green section was calling out to me. While some people lean more toward either the Safari or Al-Star, I just tend to follow the colors that I like. They're both great pen designs in my book!

The Aubergine edition of the Al-Star is a dusty gray-purple body paired with a yellow-green translucent section and black hardware. When looking at the images online, I couldn't decide if I really liked the body color, but the section is what really got me. I'm a sucker for bright translucent anything.

I was hoping that the body would be a more striking color in person, but I was a bit disappointed by it. It's a unique color for sure, but it doesn't match up with my idea of aubergine. Here's a color swatch and then a photo of various aubergine fruits from around the world. I'm not crazy, right? Aubergine wasn't a great name for this color.

Naming issues aside, it's still a bit of a dull color in my eyes. There's a small hint of purple, but this is mostly a dark gray body. Despite the underwhelming body color, the section easily saves the pen for me. It's a bright, fluorescent color that just begs to be picked up and used or turned around in your hand to let the light do fun things to the material.

The cone is a matte black metal, the nock plunger is a soft black material, and the clip is Lamy's standard glossy black material. Nothing crazy, and I think they could have had a little bit more fun with either the clip color or the nose color (or both??). Oh well! The other Al-Star option for this year, Denim, also seems to have missed an opportunity to really capitalize on the fun colors, but it's also quite a looker.

Writing with the Al-Star ballpoint is a mediocre experience. The Lamy M16 refill is decent, but my main gripe with every one I try is that they take a little too long to start working after they've been idle for more than a few minutes. It's normal for ballpoint to take a second to wake up, but the M16 takes longer than most. It wouldn't be so bad if there were other options available to swap out the M16, but that's not the case. Lamy's proprietary refill is just about the only player in the market, outside of Monteverde's options, which aren't much better.

Personal gripes aside, the M16 refill is totally capable and works fine 99% of the time. I'm just spoiled by some of the other ballpoint options out there. I'll be (un)patiently waiting for Lamy to release M16 refills that use the Jetstream's ink formula.

If you've ever used a Lamy Safari or Al-Start before, then you'll know how this pen feels in the hand. The grip section has a unique shape that favors the standard tripod grip — index, thumb, and middle — to hold the pen steady when writing. This doesn't work for everyone, and means that it's not a great option for people that use different grips that are incompatible with this type of grip design. For me, I can use a standard tripod grip after a little adjustment period, and the Al-Star/Safari is comfortable for me after that. I just have to keep myself from subconsciously rotating the pen a bit when I reset my grip after a few words or sentences.

One of the things I love about the ballpoint versions of these pens has always been the covered nock mechanism. I love the squishy accordion-like design and the unique feel it produces when extending or retracting the tip.

Overall, the Aubergine is a fun color for the Al-Star. Yes, I wish they would have made better choices regarding the body color, but it's still a winner for me due to the grip section. If it speaks to you, then grab one! As always, they're available as ballpoints, fountain pens, mechanical pencils, and rollerballs.

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

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Wearingeul The Old Man and the Sea Ink Review

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

One of the inks I've been using recently takes inspiration from a work of literature that I'm sure many are familiar with. For me, it was required reading for 9th grade English in school. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway was my first exposure to his work, and it's also the inspiration for Wearingeul's ink of the same name. While the source material is about an epic struggle of human versus beast and nature, the ink focuses on the serene but unknown beauty of the sea.

The Old Man and the Sea is a deep teal ink with lots of shading and a heavy dose of red shimmer to mimic the sparkly reflection of the sun off the ocean's surface. I've used many Wearingeul inks at this point, and I've come to expect great performance. This ink is no exception.

I've really enjoyed the color of this ink. The dark teal is a pretty shade and there's enough shading to produce a good amount of color variation in even small nibs. Comparing this ink swatch to others in my collection, I was surprised by how similar it is to Sailor's Yama-dori. The main difference is that the Wearingeul ink has an additional red shimmer component.

While I'm not a huge fan of shimmering inks, it's really well-done with this ink. The ratio of glitter particles to ink is on the lower side to ensure it never overwhelms the beautiful teal color, and the choice of using red glitter is a fantastic complimentary color. There are many blue/green inks that use a red sheen for the same reason — they just go well together.

Writing with this ink is a joy. It feels smooth on the nibs and papers I've tried, and it flows well. Since this is a shimmering ink, you need to remember to shake the bottle well and ink your pen immediately to get a good sampling of red glitter. If you forget to shake the bottle, you will barely notice the red shimmer when you start writing.

The ink also dries in what I'd call an average amount of time. It's not setting any records (on either end of the spectrum), but it falls right in the middle at around 20-30 seconds to become smudge-proof. Not an ideal candidate for anyone that wants a fast-drying ink. That said, I think the color and shimmer is worth the extra hassle of waiting for the ink to properly dry if you know you won't be in a hurry. For left-handed writers, it will be challenging to keep your hand from smudging this ink as you write — even if you're using a really small nib.

It's been so long since I read The Old Man and the Sea, but I'm pretty confident that I can say that I've enjoyed using this ink for the past several week more than I enjoyed reading and writing about the novella. To each their own, right? Wearingeul really did a great job at designing an ink that pays homage to the source material, while also making it a fantastic ink on its own rite.

The Old Man and the Sea is $22 for a 30ml bottle, or you can pick up a small sample vial to try out first for a few bucks. Regardless of what you think about the book or the author, this ink is a great color that looks great on paper. If you like how it looks, you'll really enjoy using it.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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