Nebula by Colorverse Casual A5 Notebook Review

The Nebula by Colorverse Casual A5 notebook is a sleek spiral-bound notebook that really checks a lot of boxes. You probably know Colorverse from their amazing inks, and they know what it takes to pair a good ink with good paper.

The notebook is one of the most minimalist designs I've seen lately. The front and back cover are a thin cardstock with almost nothing printed on them. The front cover has a few stars in the upper right corner to add a little flair, and the back cover has some manufacturing information on the notebook. The inside covers are both blank, and there are no pockets or sleeves. The stars on the front cover are so easy to miss that it's delightful when the light catches them in a way that draws in your attention.

The double spiral binding is strong and easy to turn through the pages (meaning the pages don't clog up in the spiral binding when you turn through several pages). A good spiral notebook is hard to ignore given how they can lay absolutely flat, but this never stops me from buying notebooks with perfect binding. The covers are lightweight and sturdy, but they wouldn't put up with much abuse. The rounded corners make it easy to slip in and out of a bag or pouch without anything snagging, which is good since you'll most likely only carry this inside something to protect the cover and spiral binding.

The paper inside the notebook is an off-white color, but not close to ivory or cream paper. Each page is perforated, making it easy to cleanly remove pages. The 90gsm paper makes for a fantastic writing experience. It's a smooth paper with a small amount of tactile feedback when writing. If there's a coating on the surface, I can't tell it's there. Ink behaves really well on the paper, which makes me really happy since an ink company put their name on this notebook. There isn't any feathering or bleeding, and show-through to the back of the page is impressively minimal. The back pages are definitely useful even when using wetter/broader nibs. The version I have is lined paper, but you can also get dot grid and blank. No matter what version of the paper you choose, you get 120 pages of this delicious 90gsm paper.

At $15, the Nebula Casual A5 notebook is a great value. It performs exceedingly well and really holds its own with other more established paper products. This isn't just a gimmick notebook to cash in some extra profits — this is a fantastic notebook that was made by (and for) people that understand what makes a great writing experience. I highly recommend picking one up when you have a chance. If orange isn't your thing, you can also find turquoise, baby pink, black, navy, and green.

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

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Nebula by Colorverse A5 Premium 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!)

My first impression of this Nebula Premium Notebook by Colorverse was “Why do I need another hardbound, pleather, elastic closure, A5 notebook?" I have six different brands of nearly identical notebooks on a shelf right next to me--so what was going to make this one stand out from the crowd? It turns out there are a few standout things about this notebook. It's a good one. It's not filling a gap in the market or anything, but it is offering some choices of features that I enjoy and appreciate.

It has a very firm cover bound in faux leather with a smooth texture to it. My notebook is a lovely shade of lavender blue, but there are a variety of colors available. It has rounded corners and sturdy endpapers prettily decorated with stars and constellations, and the inside back cover has a generous gusseted pocket. One cool feature is that, instead of a ribbon bookmark, this notebook comes with two magnetic flap bookmarks that can be used beyond the life of this notebook alone. I love magnetic bookmarks, so this delighted me. Ribbons are nice, too, but they get caught in case zippers, fray, and get ink stains. The magnets are a huge upgrade, in my opinion. The binding is sewn and the notebook lies open flat with no trouble.

Between the covers are 192 pages of 90gsm, "ink-proof" white paper. Mine is lined, though blank paper is also available, and maybe preferable, as the blank notebook comes with some very cool writing guides in unique formats, including boxes and lines for ink swatching.

But could you swatch in this notebook? Yep. The paper is impressive. When I first felt it, it had the crisp, textured feel of paper that usually feathers and bleeds, so I was expecting at least some degree of failure, but it did not do either of those things in any measure. I suppose a notebook made by an ink company would know how to make their paper truly "ink-proof" as they claim. My skepticism was short-lived.

The slightly fibrous texture of the paper makes it great for pencils and standard pens alike. It's not fibrous enough to be snaggy with sharp tips, but it offers enough friction that it gives good control even with smooth, broad writers and glassy nibs. There was not a single feather to be seen, and nothing bled through--not even the fineliner Sharpie. Not even where I literally poured ink on the page. There was some ghosting with the latter two, but hardly any show-through at all for regular writing. Given Colorverse's affinity for outer space, I can only assume this is some kind of alien technology.

With the matte, textured surface of the paper, I did not expect to see much shading or sheening, but both definitely made an appearance. Sheen was a little rarer, only really showing where the ink pooled, but it's definitely there in wetter inks and nibs. Personally, I prefer the way ink looks on more smooth, coated papers, but one major benefit of this paper is dry time, which was surprisingly fast, depending on the ink and nib. In fact, this notebook is now high on my list of ones I'd recommend to left-handed pen addicts.

The Nebula Premium notebooks sell for $20, which puts it on equal footing, price-wise, with most of the notebooks it so closely resembles. Did the market need another clone A5 notebook? No. Is there room for everyone at the table? Yes, and Colorverse has definitely brought some nice treats here to the notebook potluck.

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

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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!