Odyssey B5 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 check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

272 pages of lay-flat-bound, original, 68 gsm Tomoe River paper in a vegan leather, hardbound, space-themed cover. That's it; that's the review.

Okay, a bit more detail, just for fun.

Odyssey Notebooks caught my attention entirely based on their looks. They're gorgeous notebooks with elegant, understated designs that are fun and interesting. This Saturn cover has the ringed planet lightly debossed in silver foil on a cream-colored vegan leather. The hard cover is thick and sturdy with rounded edges. There is an elastic band to hold the book closed.

Inside, the endpapers are grey-brown with light grey constellations. There's an accordion pocket inside the back cover, and the spine has two satin ribbon bookmarks--one gold and one a champagne color. There's a title page with room for personal information, followed by all those good Tomoe pages. Each page is numbered, with a dot grid in light grey. It's enough guide to use it as lined or grid, but faint enough to disappear if you want to treat the page as blank. The B5 size is perhaps my favorite size for writing. It's big enough to let your ideas spread out, to keep a lot of information visible at once, or to let a mind map of ideas run wild, but it's still small enough to fit in a purse or mini backpack.

The paper may not need a review, especially as it's becoming harder and harder to find, but it's wonderful. Light, crisp, and impervious to anything you throw at it. Not even the Sharpie dotted through, though darker inks do show some ghosting. It really is the perfect paper, and as much as I'm enjoying the quest to find one I like just as much (which involves using lots and lots of notebooks), I still haven't found anything that's its equal.

Odyssey has a number of notebooks in various sizes, colors, page counts, and designs, some with this wonderful paper, others with paper for artists. There are even softcover varieties. Designs range from space themes to mythological figures. This particular notebook sells for $38, which I would consider to be on the pricier side for a notebook, but I can certainly see how the quality of this item has resulted in a higher cost. It's a reasonable asking price for what you get. But I wouldn't wait, if you want the same paper experience. No doubt the notebooks will still be excellent with whatever paper replaces the TR when it runs out--every feature of this notebook is lovely, paper aside--but this incarnation is too good to miss.

(Brad purchased this notebook at full retail from Lemur Ink at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show.)

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Posted on September 1, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Odyssey, Notebook Reviews.

August Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

Vanness Pens has the new Akkerman Business in the Front Party in the Back, a collaboration with the wonderful Gourmet Pens.

JetPens received the brand new Kaweco Collection Sport Iguana Blue, and it looks amazing!

Pen Chalet has the latest Caran d’Ache Claim Your Style Version 4 available, which is a long-time favorite of mine.

Goldspot released the Esterbrook Estie Maui Collection, which is so colorful I just want to eat it!

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Sponsors.

Laban Solar Fountain Pen Review

It's been quite a while since I've reviewed a Laban fountain pen, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in what they're doing. Laban is a luxury brand, but the quality and prices that they set for their products provide a great value. On top of that, they've been fun to use in my experience.

The Laban Solar fountain pen is one that I just can't keep my hands off. The orange anodized aluminum is perfect, and the nib is smooth and responsive out of the box. It wasn't love at first sight, though.

The matte orange finish on the body and cap are stellar, but I still can't help but cringe a little when I uncap the pen and unveil the super reflective grip section. If the grip section and clip were a matte silver finish, I'd be completely in love with this pen. In the current iteration, though, the shiny chrome-like finish creates an unsavory contrast with the matte exterior.

Despite the reflective quality of the section finish, it feels great once it's in your hands. There's a unique knurling pattern that looks rough to the naked eye, but it's actually fairly smooth and tactile against your fingertips. Holding this pen and writing is a very comfortable experience. I'm guessing that this feels smooth because of how small the knurling pattern is. My finger tips don't have the microscopic resolution to detect a harsh edge anywhere on the grip. I thought for sure that it would feel like the rigid side of a hook-and-loop panel, but it just so happens that I really enjoy writing with it.

The pen caps with a smooth twist mechanism. It takes approximately 2 complete turns to uncap or cap the pen, so you can be sure that it won't open accidentally while in your bag or pockets. You can post the cap on the back of the pen, but I find that it's a little too long and awkward in this setup. I prefer to hold the cap or set it to the side when writing. The unposted length and balance of the pen is perfect for my writing grip.

The nib on this pen is a Laban steel EF with a reflective finish that's similar to the grip section. Aside from the Laban branding, there's an "IRIDIUM" etched onto the nib as well. Unfortunately, the nib size isn't etched onto the nib, so don't forget what it is after it's been stored a while!

The etching on the nib isn't the only place you'll find Laban branding. The Laban name is also printed in very small lettering right under the end of the clip at the bottom of the cap. It's a very tasteful placement and size for the logo that allows the real star of the show to take center stage — that color and finish.

At under $65, this pen is a steal for what you get. The quality of materials and fit/finish alone are worth this price. Along with the pen, you receive a standard cartridge-converter so you can fill the pen with whatever ink you like. Major hat tip to Laban for including this with the pen. You can pick from EF, F, M, and B nibs as well as lots of different colors for the pen exterior, but I think orange is the correct choice in this case.

The Laban Solar makes a fantastic gift for someone else, or a fantastic treat for yourself. If the aesthetic speaks to you, the pen will certainly deliver on the writing front if you choose to pick one up.

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

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