Notebook Review: Fabriano EcoQua Gluebound A5 Notebook

I seem to have quite the notebook collection. I know it’s a problem many of us have. I don’t exactly hoard them, but I do purchase for reviews and to try them out and see if I like them. I suppose I’m in search of that elusive PERFECT notebook (more on that in a future post!)

So when I saw the Fabriano EcoQua Gluebound A5 Notebook ($8.50) which comes in dot grid (which is totally my jam) I added one to my cart immediately!

To start with, I would say that this is more of a notepad than a notebook. The Fabriano notebook comes with a sturdy card-stock cover with woven texturing. It’s available in a variety of colors including blue, wine, stone, lemon, raspberry, orange and black.

The paper is advertised as acid free, FSC-certified and fountain pen friendly. It’s 85 gsm and comes in 4mm dot grid (light grey dots) on white paper. The notebook includes 90 sheets.

The reason I consider this more of a notepad than a notebook is that the paper itself is glue-bound across the left edge of the pad. Sheets are easily torn from the pad so you can save notes and share with friends. When I think of a notebook, I think more of a collection of pages that are meant to be stored together. The glue on this pad is very thin and even trying to turn the page mostly separated it from the remainder of the pages. While this is a total plus if you want a tear and share pad, it’s not a notebook meant to keep the pages all together. None of this is specifically a detractor – I just want you to know what you’re getting!

I actually did really like the paper. It’s a little toothy, and was pleasing to write on. I tested my ball points, fountain pens, gel pens, brush pens and more. The only thing that “failed” the test was the Sharpie of course – bleed-through city! The paper is fairly thin, so there is plenty of show-through, but I got no bleeding or feathering with anything but the Sharpie. I also kind of dig the smaller grid – you could fit a LOT on this page if you’re a small writer.

Overall, the Fabriano is going to end up being a desk pad for me. I like the paper and I know I’ll use it to dash off notes on phone calls and meetings, and to write daily to do lists. However, I won’t use it for anything of permanence, and that means I probably won’t end up buying it again as I prefer to keep most of my notes organized together. I do think it’s a reasonably priced product of good quality, but it just doesn’t fit my needs as much as I would like.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.