Franklin-Christoph 5.3 Notebook Cover: A 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.)

Franklin-Christoph’s 5.3 Notebook Cover is a versatile cover that can be used with FC Bamboo notebooks, Field Notes, and other pocket-sized (3.5 x 5.5) notebooks. It measures 3 and 11/16 inches x 5 and 15/16 inches (=94mm x 151mm) and it is about 5mm thick.

The cover comes in various materials and colors: Ashen and Umber waxed canvas; Napa black and boot brown leather; Suit gray and dark blue; and Linen brown and blue. My cover is Suit gray. The material is soft to the touch with light texture and the edges are stitched. The diagonal-shaped corners are an elegant and unique touch.

The cover is adorned with the Franklin-Christoph “F” logo in contrasting fabric. A smaller logo appears on the back.

The inside cover is also nicely stitched and has a cut-out shape. Attention to detail and design is a characteristic of the Franklin-Christoph brand.

One Franklin-Christoph 5.3 ruled notebook comes with the cover. The paper is white bamboo with 6mm spacing. Each notebook has 32 pages. You can get 3-pack refills in ruled, dot grid, or grid for $10.00 or a 4-pack medley for $12.00.

The paper is definitely fountain-pen friendly. I tested it with all my currently-inked fountain pens. None of the inks feathered or bled through.

I also did ink swabs from various brands. None of the swabs bled through. Although the shimmer in Diamine Purple Pazzazz was visible, this paper doesn’t show off the sheen in Lamy Dark Lilac or Sailor Yama Dori. Sailor 123’s unique characteristics were visible, however.

I tested a variety of regular pens--gel, rollerball, Sharpie, and brush pens. All performed well, but the Sharpie did bleed through the paper (as Sharpie pens usually do).

I am genuinely impressed with Franklin-Christoph’s 5.3 notebook. It is super thin and light, weighing only 69 grams with a notebook inside. Pocket notebooks shouldn’t be bulky or heavy, and this one will slip neatly into a purse or a jacket pocket. Keep in mind that there’s no closure and the notebook doesn’t lay completely flat after you’ve opened it. Still, this is a classy little notebook that will fit right in at the office.

The Franklin-Christoph 5.3 Notebook Cover is $20.00. Leather versions are $22.50.

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

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Mark's Velessera A5 Notebook Cover 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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Even though I am a very dedicated notebook user, I still accumulate an alarming number of small scraps of paper of extreme importance, and various other detritus that I need to keep track of for weeks or even months. A notebook cover with lots of compartments is probably my most essential stationery item, and I'm never more than a few feet from my kit. I'm always excited to try new designs, and this is one that caught my eye right away.

The best thing about the Mark's Velessera A5 Notebook Cover is all the pockets. It can hold an A5 notebook OR a notepad, with slots for either style of cover. Or both, if they're not too bulky! It also has a folder slot on the other side for loose papers...or, you know, another notebook. There are also two small card slots that hold a decent stack of cards, and one pocket on the outside that can hold additional items (or, you guessed it, another notebook). There's also a generously sized pen loop inside the spine, which I think is a much better position than on the edge. It's wide enough to hold just about any clipped pen, but it is not elastic, so pens without clips will not stay in the loop.

The case closes with a zipper that has a good-sized pull tab. The zipper fabric is not as hardy as the synthetic leather of the case itself. The inside of the case is lined with textured fabric.

It's a well-made case, and a good design, but there are a few things I didn't like about it. There isn't much extra space at the edges, so my notebooks that have tabs or ribbon bookmarks interfered with the zipper closure. The zipper even shredded the ribbon for my planner. That lack of space also affects my ability to really use all of the pockets. I know this case isn't meant to hold three notebooks, but even with one medium thickness notebook (my planner), if I put things in the other pockets, I felt like I was straining the zipper when closing it, and the soft fabric around the zipper doesn't feel like it would weather much strain. Overall, I would say that the case is great for light use, but it doesn't suit my needs, as far as being a rugged carry-all that gets dragged everywhere.

For what it is, though, it's a good case and is very reasonably priced at $32. It comes in navy, gray, blue, and pink—all in muted, marbled tones. I think if all you're carrying is a (one) notebook, a pen, some business cards, and a few stray papers, this is a product you'd enjoy.

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

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Lamy Softcover A5 Notebook Review

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

You'd have to look carefully to notice what brand notebook I'm using in this review. The medium gray cover is almost completely devoid of any branding. But if you turned the notebook over, you'd find a classy Lamy logo debossed into the lower portion of the back cover. The Lamy Softcover A5 Booklets are very familiar while also sporting an unassuming style.

You might pass over this notebook thinking it's just another paperback A5 notebook, but you'd be wrong. The Lamy Softcover notebooks feature their own "Lamy ruling," which is a combination of lines and grids. This isn't the first time we've seen a paper line format like this (Doane Paper comes to mind first), but it's definitely nice to see some variety in the different line formats available in affordable notebooks. The lined ruling lines are a little darker than the dotted grid lines, and I wish all the lines were a little lighter. It's a busy pattern, and it's a little difficult to ignore if you want to do something more free-form. Still, it's a good pattern and provides a lot of structure if need it.

Aside from the unique ruling, the paper in these notebooks is really nice. It's 90g/m², which I think is a great trade-off between light weight and great performance. In my tests, only the thickest, wettest nibs are able to cause ink to show through on the back of the page. I haven't noticed any bleeding or feathering with the variety of inks and pens I've used so far, and I really couldn't be happier with the performance of this paper. It's smooth, but also has a slight tooth that provides a satisfying amount of feedback when writing.

These notebooks are exceptionally plain. There is zero branding and fluff inside the covers. Both inside covers are blank, and the first page of the notebook is exactly that — a ruled page. There's no subject boxes, contact info blocks, or witty, interesting facts printed anywhere. There also aren't any page numbers. This really is a utilitarian notebook.

Even though the covers are a soft paper material, they're coated with some extra protection to stand up to normal use. The exterior of the cover also has a nice tweed tactile feeling like they used actual fibers in the cover material. Not sure if it's real or synthetic, but it feels great in the hand.

The 64 pages of each notebook are held in place with pale yellow stitching. The binding is tight and feels like it will stand up to a lot of use. Even though the stitches are tight, the notebook still easily lays flat when writing, but also has no trouble staying closed when not in use.

The set comes with three identical notebooks and will set you back $15 from Goldspot. Considering the size and the quality of the paper in these notebooks, this is a great deal. Assuming you're interested in the paper ruling, you really can't go wrong with these notebooks.

Pick up a set along with your next order!

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

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