The Notebook Addict

Quo Vadis Habana Review at RCP

My online buddy Murderface has finished up his review of the Quo Vadis Habana notebook at the Reciprocal Crap Exchange.  Now I just need to get off my bum and review the copy I have sitting right here on my desk.

Review: Rhodia Notepad

I received this Rhodia Staple Bound Notepad as a sample from Exaclair, Inc., and it is completely perfect for me.  With my love of micro tip pens, which I classify as under 0.5mm in width, I sometimes have a hard time finding paper that is receptive to such a fine point.  With this Rhodia, that is not problem at all.  All of my micro-tip pens get right to work as soon as they hit the paper.  On the flip side, the 0.5mm and wider tip pens work fine as well, but I noticed that they take a split second longer to dry than usual.  That won't affect me with this smaller size notepad (4.3 x 6.7 in.), but I may have to watch that if and when (and there will definitely be a when) I go to larger sized Rhodia products.

In the end, this is a very functional and useful notepad for me personally.  The styling of Rhodia products is great, and the paper is a pleasure to write on.  I look forward to trying out several more of their products.

Rhodia Staple Bound Notebook Specs:

# 80 g acid-free white vellum paper
# Pale violet lines
# 80 sheets
# Micro perforated for clear and easy removal
# Unique scored cover folds neatly over the back
# Stiff back cover makes writing or sketching easy

Pocket Manilla - Your Notebook on the Web

Pocket Manilla is a new blogging platform - I guess that is the best way to put it.  The aim is to create online notebooks styled after everyday paper journals.  From their website:

Just like a real notebook, your pocket manila has an unlimited number of uses. Use it as a journal, diary, idea bank, eco-blog, photo-album, portfolio, group-blog, e-zine, story book, directory, organizer, and more! It only takes a few clicks to come up with a colorful and unique space.

AppScout has a nice walkthrough of the site and features.  I have to admit it looks pretty cool, but I'm not sure I have time for yet another blog!

PocketManilla.com

AppScout - Pocket Manilla Puts Your Moleskine on the Web

Review: Exacompta Space 17 Planner

I received the Exacompta Space 17 Planner as a sample from Exaclair, Inc., the U.S. distributor for several popular brands of notebooks, including Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and Quo Vadis.  Since I am not a heavy planner user, I tend to lean towards pocket sized planners every year for general scheduling and lists, and the Space 17 fits the bill for me.

The first thing I noticed about the planner was how many features are packed into its 3 1/2" x 7" cover.  There are holiday schedules, weights and measures, international phone codes, a time zone map, notes pages, and an address book.  All of that, and I haven't even mentioned the meat of the planner, which is of course the calendars.  And that is calendars, plural.  By my count, there are four - 12 months weekly, 15 months monthly, plus annual and monthly planning calendars for 2009 and 2010.  See - I told you it was loaded!

The quality of the paper is very nice, and my 0.3mm Pentel Slicci is a perfect companion.  No bleeding, no feathering, and a very smooth writing experience.  There is a bit of see-through of the ink on the back of the page, but that is to be expected with the thinness of the paper.

Overall, this planner suits my needs perfectly, and I plan on putting it through the ringer in 2009.

Exacompta Space 17 Review

Monthly Calendar View

Planning Calendar View

Full specs:
    *  Weekly appointments on left; full page for notes and reminders on right
    * 12 months weekly, January to December
    * 15 months monthly, October to December
    * 8 AM to 7 PM schedule
    * Light and easy to carry
    * Fine ivory paper — lightweight but exceptionally strong
    * 55g, acid-free paper
    * Annual and Monthly planning calendars for 2009 and 2010

Moleskine Helvetica Edition = Wow!

Check out the great photos here, here, and here from thisisstar's Flickr photostream.  What an amazing looking notebook.

More on the Moleskine Helvetica Edition at This Is Star.

Review: Field Notes Memo Pad

The classic style of the Field Notes Memo Pad really caught my eye when they first came out, and I was anxious to get them into my hands as soon as possible.  The ordering process was simple, and once they arrived, I was not disappointed.  Here are the quick and dirty specs:

- 48 page memo book
- 3-1/2" wide by 5-1/2″ tall
- Rugged three-staple saddle-stitch process
- Perfect 3/16″ (5mm) graphed paper
- Manufactured and printed in the U.S.A.

And the best part for me - the graph lines were brown!  For whatever reason, I had never noticed that prior to ordering, and was very pleasantly surprised.  It fits the design of the notebook perfectly.

Performance wise, the paper is really nice and smooth.  I broke out as many different pens as I had on me at the time and went to work:

Front

Back (sorry about the blur - I couldn't get a good shot for the life of me)

As you can see, there is no feathering or bleed-thru no matter which pen I threw at it.  I didn't have a fountain pen handy at the time, so I will need to test that out further.

The only real item I would like to see improved is the thickness of the cover.  It feels a little flimsy to me, but I will say it gives the notebook nice flexibility.  I would just prefer a more sturdy cover to take a good beating in my backpack or pocket.  Other than that, this pocket notebook is excellent.  Between it and the Doane Utility Notebook, I have my pocket size notebook needs covered.

Grab a three-pack of Field Notes Memo Books from the Field Notes Shop for just $9.95 - bonus goodies included!

Inside

Front Cover

Back Cover

Custom Engraved Notebooks from NotebookEngraver.com

This post from the Quo Vadis Blog really caught my eye.  They just teamed up with a company called Etchstar to create NotebookEngraver.com, where you can purchase artist-designed engraved notebooks, or you can create a design of your own.

As big as customization is these days, I think this is a really neat idea.  I'll have to see if my wife wants to buy me this one.  :)

Please be sure to let me know if you give them a try.

Myndology Bare Notebook Review at D*I*Y Planner

D*I*Y Planner has a great review of the Myndology Bare Notebook posted.  I'm not sure how I would take to the ring binding, but any notebook that gets a 9/10 review score is at least worthy of a look.

Doane Paper Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the first giveaway here at The Notebook Addict!  The winners for the Doane Paper Giveaway are the three following commenters:

#25 Greg
#37 Darrel
#118 Stephanie

Here is what you need to do to claim your notebooks:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Email me your shipping address using the email link in the sidebar

There is a one week deadline to claim your prize.

Review: Doane Paper Utility Notebook

I am very fond of the Doane Paper legal pad, especially for my pen reviews, but when Chad Doane mentioned recently that he would be coming out with a pocket notebook in the Doane Paper style, I was really excited to try one out.  The Doane Paper Utility Notebook checks in at 3.5" x 5.5", which seems to be the standard for pocket sized notebooks these days.  Here are the rest of the specs:

Grid Size - .125” (.3175 cm) x .125” (.3175 cm)
Wide (Legal) Ruled Line Spacing
48 Pages per notebook
100 LB Cover Stock covers
80 LB Text Stock content pages
Rugged 3 staple saddle-stitch binding
Made in the U.S.A.
Custom Covers are available
Sold in packs of 3

The first thing I noticed about the utility notebook was how sturdy it feels.  Compared side by side to the Moleskine Cahier (64 pages) and the Field Notes Memo Book (48 pages), it is much thicker, as well as stiffer.  I've only had it for a few days, but it seems like it is going to handle knocking around in my backpack or back pocket better than the Moleskine or Field Notes.  But on that note, the notebook is hard to spread flat right now.  I am hoping that is it just the newness of it, and once I break it in, it will be just fine.

The Doane Utility notebook sandwiched between the Field Notes Memo Book (top) and the Moleskine Cahier (bottom).  Click all photos to enlarge.

Writing Samples - Front

The paper in the Doane Utility Notebook performed well.  Gel ink, ballpoint, and felt tip pens all did great.  The paper was smooth, and the grid lines provided a nice background no matter the color I used.  The best part about it was there was little to no bleed.  From the back side of the page, you couldn't even tell that I had written on the front.

Writing Samples - Back

Fountain pens, on the other hand, may be an issue.  I don't have any real fountain pens (I am going to order something nice for notebook testing very soon), but I do have a Platinum Preppy and a Pilot Petit.  The Preppy did fine, but the Petit bled through pretty easily, and my guess is that will be the case with most fountain pens inks.  I'll test it more once I get another fountain pen to try.

Fountain Pen - Front

Fountain Pen - Back

All in all, the Doane Utility Notebook is a great addition to the pocket size notebook field.  For me, it is going to replace my Moleskine Cahier and Field Notes as my portable notebook of choice.

Written Review (Done with Uni-Ball Signo DX 0.38mm Black)