Posts filed under Notebook Reviews

JetPens Kanso Noto A5 Notebook 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

Do you need 320 pages of Tomoe River S paper? Of course you do. Well, here it is, in the Kanso Noto A5 Notebook from JetPens. There's something so magical about a notebook you can fit a whole novel draft into that is still slim enough to fit in a purse. The minimalist design of this book is perfectly practical while inviting the imagination to fill in all those blank spaces.

The notebook has sturdy kraft cardstock covers with grey endpapers. The slim signatures are bound with thread and glue binding reinforced with a fabric tape. The construction allows the notebook to lie open flat at any page with no training or creasing. The minimalist look is nice on its own, with only the embossed logo on the front, but it's also the perfect surface for stickers, washi, sketches, or any sort of customization that strikes your fancy. It does show fingerprints if you grab it with lotion on, though. So while it can take some wear and tear, it will show that wear--and wear it quite well, in my opinion. I love the look of a well-worn notebook. This one comes in light or dark brown, or light or dark grey.

The construction is simple, but sturdy. It has stood up to being lugged around in my commuter backpack, where it has survived encounters with water bottles, coffee cups, lunchboxes, overstuffed tech pouches, and up to seven other notebooks fighting it for space.

Between those covers is the paper--the new version of Tomoe River, which we all pretty much agree is not as nice as the original, but it's still an excellent paper. It is lightweight, acid free, smooth, doesn't bleed or feather, and it shows off the fun properties of fountain pen ink. The new version also has a much better dry time than the old one, with an average liquid ink drying between 15-20 seconds. That's still long enough that you might want some blotting paper (unless you want that pooling effect that comes from letting ink air dry). The thin 52gsm paper does show ghosting, which I quite like, but which some folks can't stand. Still, with this many pages, you still have a substantial notebook even if you only use one side of each sheet.

The pages have a very faint 5mm dot grid pattern. It's almost too faint to see in low light, and while I like a grid that disappears when you want it to, this one is almost too pale to be useful as a guide. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Overall, I highly recommend this notebook. It's sturdy, functional, inviting, and has my favorite amount of pages (a lot). Best of all, it's only $19, which is a great value for such a nicely bound stack of good paper. It fits all of my "I would happily stock up on these and use them for years" criteria, as well as that "When I hold this notebook it makes me want to write" vibe that I need in all my notebooks. It's perfect for writers on a deadline, or anyone who sees a blank slate and feels compelled to create.

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

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!

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Kanso, JetPens, Notebook Reviews.

Mark's Storage.it Notebook 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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

You would think, with all the notebooks I have going at all times, that I'd never need to just grab another notebook, but you'd be so wrong. Sometimes a project comes along that doesn't fit into any of my existing project books, and I need another word-dumping container. Nothing fancy. I'm not selecting it for the aesthetic or the writing experience--I just need some paper. So I grab a notebook off the "just paper" pile, and I'm pleasantly surprised.

The Mark's Storage.it Notebook looks pretty plain at first glance. An A5 notebook refill in a clear PVC cover with a zip pouch and some pockets. But the design of this has really worked well for me, and the paper quality was better than I expected.

The cover is formed of a vinyl sleeve that's clear on the front and has an opaque backing that comes in several muted colors. This one is a slate grey-blue that is very lovely. The front cover is a zipper pouch with a plastic slide that allows you to carry pens, notes, slim accessories, or even add decorations. The pocket extends far enough past the edge of the notebook so that the zipper slide doesn't become a lump under the writing surface--but anything you add to the pocket could be an obstacle. A pen is a good choice, as you'll likely take the pen out of the pocket to write in the notebook, but you wouldn't want to put rolls of washi or a pair of scissors in there and then try to write over the topography.

The back cover has several folder-like pockets, three card slots, and a pen loop. It's a great place for business cards, wee notes or lists, and all the random scraps of paper that follow us around like confetti at a parade.

The PVC cover slides onto the covers of the notebook insert like a pocket-plentiful jacket. It would fit a variety of A5 notebooks, but the one it comes with is quite good.

The paper is very smooth and holds up well to a variety of inks. Only the Sharpie bled through, though there is some ghosting with darker liquid inks. But my favorite thing about the paper is the layout. It has 5mm dot grid on the left (back) side of each page, and a 6mm dotted line on the right, with added vertical dot guides, if you want to create columns. It's fantastically versatile--dot, grid, line, and column all in one. And the ink is faint enough that you can ignore it altogether. I even found myself taking some notes diagonally across the page this week. Order and chaos existing in harmony.

There are a few things I don't love about this notebook cover. One, the heat-pressed PVC seams feel a bit flimsy, as does the plastic zipper slide. While the cover is refillable, I wonder how many insert rotations it will realistically survive. I also don't care for the huge branding on the front cover. And I wish it had a bookmark.

These small issues are easy to ignore, considering the notebook comes at a decent price. The cover and notebook together are $17, and the refills are $9.25, which is considerably less than many similar products. There are some less expensive options with even better paper (Clairefontaine, Kokuyo Campus), but they don't have this unique layout that I've come to enjoy a lot.

Last week I just needed some paper, and I ended up with a treat. It's wonderful when our stationery tools can take a menial task and elevate it by being extra pleasant and useful.

(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 February 1, 2024 by Sarah Read and filed under Mark's, Notebook Reviews.

Dominant Industry Takasago Fountain Pen 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 Takasago Fountain Pen Notebook is a simple softcover notebook that really delivers on its name since it handles fountain pen inks like a champ. The paper is from Takasago Paper Mill, which is where the name of this notebook comes from. With 86 sheets of white 88gsm paper with a 5mm grid pattern, you'll have plenty of space to think, record, or whatever else you decide to take down.

88gsm is fairly common for paper weight in notebooks that make the rounds in our stationery circle, but this paper has a particularly lovely smooth feel that sets it apart. It's not a thick paper, but it handles fountain pen ink so well. The smoothness is apparent both to your fingers and when writing. Nibs float across it with ease, and there's hardly any resistance or feedback. It's quite an enjoyable paper to write on.

Whenever you use a paper that feels this smooth, it's likely due to some sort of coating on the paper that reduces friction. This can have unwanted side effects, like slow dry times, feathering, and skipping. Fortunately, there aren't really any negative side effects with this paper. I have noticed that the couple of fountain pens that lean toward the dry side don't perform particularly well on this paper. They're totally usable, but I can tell that the ink flow is a little diminished. Aside from those two dry-ish pens, I've had a really good experience. For most pens and inks, this paper is fantastic.

The paper is smooth and maintains the true ink color once it dries. And speaking of drying, it does tend to shed a couple seconds off the dry time. It's not a magical difference, but it definitely helps. You'll still have to choose your inks wisely if you plan to jot down notes and close the book quickly, or if you're a left-handed or non-traditional grip user. The quick dry time is part of the marketing on this notebook, so that's why I paid special attention to it. I'm not sure if I'd notice the slightly faster dry times if it wasn't called out on the packaging and marketing materials.

One thing that really surprised me is the lack of show-through on the back of the page. Based on how thick the paper feels, I assumed there would be moderate show-through (meaning, it feels thin enough for that to be an issue). To my surprise, show-through isn't an issue at all. You can barely see the writing on the reverse side of the page, and you can easily use both sides of the page. You'll get full use of all 86 pages here!

The outside of the notebook is sparse. There isn't any Dominant Industry branding to be found, and there are only a couple of markings on the front cover that are really difficult to see since they're black on black. The bottom center of the front cover has a small "Takasago Paper Mill" printed on it, and there's an even smaller vertical spot next to the upper left-hand side that says something about Fountain Pen. It's honestly so small and light that I can't make it out with 100% certainty. Let's just say that this notebook is minimally branded.

Inside, the covers are blank. There's no printed spots for your name or contact info. Both front and back covers have some additional material folded back on the interior to act as either minimal pockets for stray pieces of paper or for marking a place in the notebook. In my use, I haven't used the extra material and I'd prefer it not being there.

There's a blank page at the beginning and end to sandwich the 86 grid pages, and the pages are also very sparse. Besides the grid pattern, there's no other printing. No page numbers or spots to put a date or subject. This notebook is minimal both inside and out.

The binding is strong but flexible and easy to open and close. I haven't had any trouble with the notebook staying open, and it closes and stays shut on its own without any elastic banding.

Personally, I really love the minimal aesthetic of this notebook. It fully delivers on the paper quality, and I like the sparse look. Writing in this notebook is a great experience, which keeps me coming back to it. It makes my pens and inks look and feel great, and the grid pattern provides structure when I want it, but easily disappears if I want to go more free-form.

This notebook is only available with a black cover. The cover and paper pattern are tied together, so the white cover only has plain paper, and the gray cover only has lined paper. This makes it easy to tell them apart if you have all three, but I wish I could pick and choose between the pattern and cover colors.

The Takasago Fountain Pen Notebook is $25 and makes a great companion to your favorite fountain pens and inks. The price is fair for the quality you get, and it's comparable to other notebooks in the same price range. I really enjoy the glossy paper feel, but that's not something that everyone enjoys. If you do like smooth papers that show off your inks, this is a great notebook for you!

(Brad purchased this notebook at regular retail price from Smruti Pens at the 2023 Orlando Pen Show.)

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