The FlipFlop Pocket Notebooks are the latest release from Say Nice Things. The FlipFlop Pocket Notebooks sell in a 3-pack which ship in a cardstock slipcase (£6.99) or you can purchase an individual book for £2.99.
The packaging for the 3-pack is the same kraft cardstock that the covers are made from and doubles as a great way to store and archive your books. I like packaging that has secondary use and/or is totally recyclable. This is both. When you open it, it feels like a little gift. If you store your unused and then filled FlipFlop Pocket Notebooks in the box, it feels sturdy enough to keep them safe and secure. But since the material is just kraft paper, its completely recyclable so if you choose to recycle it, that’s fine too. So whatever you decide to do with the box, its all good.
The size of the notebooks is a little larger than the average pocket notebook at 4 1/8″ x 5 3/4″ (10.5cm x 14.8cm). They are actually A6 size. It’s not a size I use much but they are noticeably wider than the average pocket notebook even without a ruler. Its kind of refreshing even though it doesn’t fit in my Story Supply Co. leather cover. Bummer.
Each set of three books feature kraft covers with one printed with either a teal, orange or purple stripe on the covers. The kraft covers are good and sturdy.
The thread-stitched binding coordinates with the printing on the cover.
What’s unique about the FlipFlop Pocket Notebook is that it combines both a lined notebook and a reticle grid into one book. Depending on which way you flip the book, by looking at the cover, the marking printed on the cover will show if you are on the reticle grid side or the lined side. The books contain 48 pages, 24 pages are lined, 24 pages are reticle. The paper is 90gsm in a soft, cream white.
The lines on the lined side are spaced at 5mm. For someone like me with pretty small handwriting and a tendency to use fine writing pens on the go, it didn’t present much issue. I went ahead and tested some wider pens, like a brush pen, some markers and various tools to simulate that “I grabbed whatever was handy” moments.
The lines don’t bleed all the way to the edge and the Say Nice Things smiley face logo is in the bottom corner of each page with a slightly larger margin there as well. I feel like I could use this space to number the pages or add some sort of indexing if I was more organized.
From the reverse side of the paper, you can just see the Platinum Brush Pen showing through a bit. In person, its a little bit more noticeable but the reverse side of the paper is still completely usable, even where the brush pen is.
I ran the same pen tests on the reticle grid side. I found that both the lines and the reticle grid marks were light enough to disappear with all but the lightest ink colors which I really appreciated.
Again, from the back of the paper, there was little evidence of show through.
Plusses:
- Reticle grid
- pretty good with fountain pens
- 5mm lines
- A6
- nice Kraft covers
- packaging doubles as storage
- Made in the UK!
Minuses:
- A6 might not work for everyone
- Shipping outside the UK might be challenging (email customer service for shipping information)
- Reticle/Lined combo might not be for everyone
Overall, I really like the FlipFlop Pocket Notebooks. For someone like me who tends to be a bit indecisive about whether I want to take a lined notebook, a grid or a blank notebook, the FlipFlop gives me the ability to not make a decision. There are very few options on the market with reticle grid so if that’s a format you’re looking for, this is a great candidate. A6 is also not often available which is slightly wider than the 3.5 x 5.5 pocket notebooks and a tiny bit taller. If you have a chance to try the FlipFlop, give it a try!
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Say Nice Things for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
2 comments / Add your comment below