Life Stationery Noble A5 and B6 Notebook Review

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

The Noble Note line of notebooks from Life Stationery has long been on my radar of notebooks to try out since they get so much attention and are easily recommended. It's taken me a while to try these out because I have a first-world problem of having too many great notebooks to choose from in my stationery stash. But finally, I have a couple of these popular Japanese notebooks on my desk, and I've spent some time with them to see what the hype is all about.

I have the Life Noble A5 notebook in grid format and the Life Noble B6 notebook in lined format. Both of these are available in either grid, lined, or plain paper, and you can also get them in other sizes, like A4, B5, and more. The cover colors are locked to the paper format, though! I wouldn't normally pick lined over grid, but I just had to have the lovely blue cover in hand.

One of the first things that struck me about these notebooks is how well-made they feel. The binding is tight and clean, the edges are straight, and the cover design is crisp. Quality control on these notebooks is obviously very stringent.

Both notebooks have 100 sheets (200 pages) of ivory 84.9 gsm acid-free paper. The binding uses the perfect-bound technique, which involves several sections that are bound with thread and then connected to each other with an adhesive spine. It makes for a clean look where you can see the four sections from the side, and then the characteristic black spine tape. This also makes it easier for the notebook to lay open on its own.

The 84.9 gsm paper is a joy to use. I'm not a huge fan of ivory paper — I prefer white paper — but it's easy to look past that preference in this case. The paper doesn't feel thick, but it performs like thicker paper. I haven't noticed any adverse behaviors like feathering, bleeding, or skipping when writing in these notebooks. There's a bit of ghosting or show-through on the back of the page, but not enough to prevent you from writing on both sides of the sheet. When writing, the feel of the paper through the pen tip is smooth with subtle feedback that lets you easily control the pen. A little bit of texture in paper goes a long way, and these notebooks nailed the balance of smoothness and texture for great writing feel.

If I were to point out a couple of flaws that I've found with these books, it would be these two things: I wish the corners were rounded a bit to prevent them getting bent, and I wish the pages were numbered. Outside of that, it's tough to find anything wrong with these. The paper is excellent, the outside is aesthetically pleasing and functional, and the price is in line with the level of quality you're getting from the product.

These notebooks are slightly more luxurious than other notebooks I commonly use, but they're still well within reach for anyone that has chosen to pursue this hobby and appreciates good paper.

The Life Noble A5 is $23, while the Life Noble B6 is $17. They have plenty of great paper and will last a while with regular use. For the amount of paper you get with these notebooks, they're a great deal and the paper quality is really tough to beat. At this level of performance, it really just comes down to personal preference. If you've already found the perfect notebook and paper for you, then I'm really happy for you and I hope we all find that perfect match! But, if you're always looking for the next possible perfect match, then put the Life Noble notebooks at the top of your list.

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

Kaweco Skyline Sport Sea Spray 2025 Limited Edition Fountain Pen

Well hello, new little sparkly bright blue limited edition Kaweco Sport! Sea Spray, their latest collaboration with Goldspot, had me hooked from the jump. And of course if I bought one for me, I had to buy one - with a Fine Steel nib - to give away to one of you, too. Read the rules below and enter away!

Kaweco Skyline Sport Sea Spray 2025 Limited Edition Fountain Pen

Meet Your Maker: Braxton Frankenbery, Divine Pens Plus

(Caroline Foty's first fountain pen was a 1970s Sheaffer No Nonsense that still writes perfectly. Since she discovered pens by independent makers, she wants "one of each, please" and wants to meet all the makers. Maybe you do, too. She lives in Baltimore with pens, cats, and all kinds of fiber arts supplies.)

Some makers start small, getting drawn into the wood crafts with kit pens or small boxes. Braxton Frankenbery came from the other direction. A longtime process analyst for a large telecom company, he had a high-end furniture business on the side. Then one weekend in 2002 he went to a woodworking show near his home in Ohio, and a store rep was giving a demo on making a pen on a wood lathe.

“This got my interest instantly. I stopped at the store on the way home and bought a wood lathe.” Having previous experience with metal lathes and CNC machines, it seemed like familiar territory. He’s made pens ever since.

When his employer moved to a fully telework model, it became possible to relocate to just about anywhere, and the Frankenberys chose the Florida Keys. Divine Island Designs was born. As pens gradually took over the business, the name changed to keep up.

Frankenbery concentrated on the most interesting and high-end kit pens he could find, pushing the limits of the genre by working with proprietary materials made in-house. His wife Erica quit working to become caregiver to her aging mother, and needed a creative hobby for balance. At the time, their son was casting some blanks for pens, and Erica began dabbling with resin, making jewelry. The family had a storefront in the Keys. “It opened right before COVID…” but after two years it was unsustainable and they closed it.

Kit pens proved unsustainable too, from a creative standpoint. Just before COVID, Frankenbery became acquainted with some of the custom pen makers, especially Rich Paul and Jim Hinze, through attending pen turners’ gatherings. At the same time he was getting bored of making kit pens. “It was time to do my own stuff. I love going into the shop and creating whatever I want, not limited by anything like the parts of a kit.”

In Florida, surrounded by beach landscapes, seaside imagery quickly became an important part of Divine Pens’ portfolio. “The Seashore series includes real sand, and little starfish and sand dollars.” Erica designed a pen stand to match the pens, including the blue resin and some of the sand.

Some of the most eye-catching pens in the Divine Pens portfolio are the “watch part” pens, made with actual watch parts cast within clear resin. “Those blanks first became popular for kit pens. You can cast anything around a brass tube.” The blanks alone are nearly $200, even before a maker begins to turn the resin down; the look is a bit steampunk depending upon the type of watch that’s involved.

Both Frankenberys have had health problems recently that prompted them to return to Ohio, but that is not slowing down their business. In addition to pens and accessories, Divine Pens has their own line of blank casting supplies – base colors and colored glitters. Frankenbery has a fiber laser, and makes his own clips, as well as finial coins for a number of makers. He no longer sells his blanks, but he continues to make them for his own pens. “I’m really picky about material. I try to make my pens different from everybody else’s, and being able to do my own resins helps with that.”

Despite making his own materials, Frankenbery is a fan of the work of some other blank makers, notably McKenzie Penworks’ Diamondcast colors. He particularly likes McKenzie’s Oil Slick rainbow colorway. “I’m the father of a transgender child so we’re all about the rainbows.” One of his favorite pens is an Esterbrook Estie made from blue Diamondcast material for the Miami pen show in 2019. “Kenro approached me, but I couldn’t do what they wanted, like making such long rods, so I sent them to Tim McKenzie.” His own first custom pen was made from his Autism Awareness blank by Jim Hinze after they sat beside one another at the Raleigh show that same year. “I never used fountain pens until I started making them, and now I use them all the time. And the thing I love about pen shows is being able to hang out with those guys!”

Like many makers, Frankenbery can think of a pen of his own that got away. “I’m a Corvette guy. We got some fordite from the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, KY, and my son made some fordite blanks. I made a pen from it for myself. I had it on the table at a show, and a guy made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I still regret selling it!”

That regret is not because he’s lacking other pens. “I have about a hundred pens. A lot of them are kit pens from swaps with friends at pen turners’ gatherings. A lot of them I’ll never use, but it’s a cool collection.” His oldest son went with him to a pen turners’ gathering and got interested so he also has a number of his son’s first pens. “I also have some of my first ones that aren’t worth selling.”

Inspiration and ideas are not lacking. “I have lots of ideas, if I can get to them!” He may see a photo of a pen and like the colors, and try to create his own blank from his pigments. He has some interesting wood in his queue, which will require sleeving and sealing processes and which is intended for this year’s DC show. “I may find something unique for a pen and once I find that I’m really interested. A pen is all about the material, the story.”

An unlikely story to inspire a pen is that famous one about a shark. “I’m a huge Jaws fan. This is the fiftieth anniversary of Jaws so I’m working on a Jaws pen, I’m mulling it over in the back of my head. I’ve made kit pens with shark teeth and vertebrae and I still have some blanks. Could I get some wood from the boat used in the movie??”

If the pen happens, you’ll probably see it online. Frankenbery says, “I’m not a big social media guy. Generally if I have time, I’m making pens. But you really need to market yourself.” He does want to begin doing some videos on TikTok and Instagram to show things off. Technology isn’t going to rule, though. “I know CNC but I like making my pens by hand. My day job is busy. This is my break time.”

Braxton Frankenbery’s work can be seen on his Instagram @divinepensplus, his website Divine Pens Plus, on his Etsy shop, and at shows in DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, Miami, and Ohio.

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