Posts filed under Maruman

Maruman Cover Note B5 Notebook Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Maruman Cover Note is a B5 size notebook (176 x 250mm/6.9 inches x 9.8 inches) inside a black leatherette cover. The cover looks quite classy, with a textured surface, the words “Cover Note” embossed on the front, and gold-colored metal corner protectors.

The notebook itself is cardboard with thread binding. Two ribbons in black and red are sewn into the book as bookmarks. The notebook contains 88 pages.

Each page has a large upper section for titles. The remaining lines are 8mm apart and are printed in light gray ink.

The paper is ivory colored and is 78gsm, but it’s unclear what kind of paper it is. Is it cotton? Tomoe River? Linen? Wood pulp? I couldn’t find any information about the paper content.

Unfortunately, the paper is definitely not fountain pen friendly. First, I wrote my calligraphy alphabet with an Opus 88 fitted with a Regalia Labs Crossflex nib. The ink is Montblanc Corn Poppy Red. Not only did the ink bleed through the paper, the individual letters feathered as well.

Next, I tested the paper with various pens and inks. All the fountain pen inks bled through the paper. The only pens that did not exhibit any problems were gel pens and brush pens.

Except for Montblanc Corn Poppy Red, the other fountain pen inks didn’t seem to feather, at least not as noticeably.

I copied a quote from Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary using my Montblanc 149 inked with Kobe Mikage Grey. The ink didn’t feather and writing on the paper was pleasant. But, once again, there was significant bleed through.

As much as I like the way the Maruman Cover Note looks, with its classic black cover, gold corners, and ribbon markers, the notebook paper inside is not at all impressive. I cannot recommend this notebook for fountain pen use. However, it appears to handle gel pens and brush pens adequately. Usually, I am impressed with Maruman products, but the paper in this notebook is a major disappointment.

You can purchase the Maruman Cover Note from JetPens for $25.50.

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

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Posted on February 1, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Maruman Into-One Binder Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

It's probably hyperbole to say that ring binders have changed the world, but is it, really? They've certainly changed the school supply world, and the basic technology is so simple and effective that they themselves have remained almost unchanged for as long as I've been around. As with any technology, if you can't improve it, make it smaller. The Maruman Into-One Mini-Sized Binder is the perfect example of a classic product made useful in whole new ways just by making it wee.

The binder has a flexible polypropylene cover with a light texture. It's very light and thin, so it keeps the binder's profile slim enough that it can fit in a back pocket. The spine is held together with rivets to the ring plate. The rings are plastic and have a pinch-to-open mechanism. They work well, though I worry about the durability of the clear plastic. The binder lies perfectly flat when open. The cover does bow a bit when lying closed.

For being so small, it holds a surprising number of sheets. The paper is available in 5 mm grid, lined, scrap paper, or drawing paper. As with other Maruman papers I've tried, it behaves very well. It's smooth, holds a crisp line of writing, and doesn't allow for feathering or bleed-through. The paper is strong enough that it doesn't tear away from the rings easily, so I've had no trouble with pages falling loose. The sheets are slightly larger than a 3 x 5 card. They'd make great flash cards or study notes.

There are also card and zipper pockets that fit into the binder, much like those for Traveler's Notebooks. And with the different papers available, these could easily be a customizable journal or planner system. I've been using mine primarily for making lists and writing down reminders--like a commonplace book where I can decide how much of each sort of paper I need. It's like an auxiliary planner. A place to dump my raw brain data before I organize it into my actual planner.

I think this is a great little product. I love being able to customize my notebook and the small size makes it easy to carry around. I can scribble down an important address, grab a stamp from the pocket, and store the post office receipt all in one place. Oh, hey, that's probably why they call it "Into-One". I love it and I'll get good use out of it until one of my kids steals it.

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

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

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Sarah Read and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Maruman Reccer Memo Pad Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I feel like I need scratch paper every few minutes. At work, every few seconds. I often carry a perforated pocket notebook for this purpose, and the Maruman Reccer Memo Pad has been an excellent companion.

Don't let the word "large" fool you--this is a wee memo pad. It's almost exactly the size of my iphone 6 (the old, smaller one), so it fits nicely in a pants pocket, or in the phone pocket in your bag that no longer fits your phone because your phone is now the size of a small country. It's tall and narrow, so there's plenty of room to write, but it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.

The cover is textured, flexible plastic. It has the "RECCER" name on it, with a quote that hasn't quite translated clearly: "Have always on hold a reliable records organizer. Records are the wisdom and guides you obtained up to the present time." A bit cryptic, but I think we're on board with the general sentiment. Behind the cover is a blue sheet with some Japanese that I'm afraid I can't read (feel free to drop a translation in the comments, if you're able!). But I suspect that the blue sheet is blotting paper--it has a similar texture. Behind the blue sheet are 50 sheets of 5.5 mm lined 70 gsm paper.

Like many other Japanese papers, including others from Maruman, I can't help but assume my ink is going to bleed straight through. And then I'm always enchanted when it doesn't. Even a zoom nib loaded with black ink barely shows through. Everything I tried, including all my inked fountain pens and a Copic fineliner, behaved well on this paper. It was a little slick for pencils, though.

Every other line on the page is subtly dotted, so if your handwriting is too large for the 5.5 mm spacing, you can easily take up two lines without feeling like you've trespassed into the next space. But it still comfortably accommodates small writing. There are some dot and arrow margin marks, if you feel like taking your memo notes very seriously.

The perforation tore cleanly with no folding or prompting needed. It did take a few pulls to get started, but I've had no torn pages.

The only thing I don't like about this memo pad is the ring binding. I don't prefer ring binding anyway, but I especially don't like it on a pocket notebook. It's not comfortable to carry, it's not good for fabrics, and the rings are doomed to destruction. I don't mind them on a notebook that's meant to stay open on a desk, but this is clearly a carry-around book.

I can't complain too loudly, though. With paper this nice, and at only $2.25, this is a gem. It's a perfect gift for coworkers or pen friends--or anyone who runs through life leaving a trail of small, pertinent papers in their wake.

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

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