A few weeks ago I was browsing what was new at Yoseka Stationery and I came across the Kleid String-Tie Notebook 03 – 2mm grid and decided to try one. ($22.50) I had tried the Kleid x Life Noble and the Kleid Craft Work Memo before, but have passed both on. I admit it – I was taken by the aesthetics of the cover with the metal corners and the leather string tie!
The notebook is cute, if not a standard size at approximately 6.5″ square (ok 6.7″ x 6.1″ or 17 cm x 15 cm). The cover is heavy cardstock. The notebook itself is spiral bound and has 80 sheet of OK Fools (Japanese paper) that has a light 2mm grid on it. In the past I’ve found the grid to be quite distracting when writing, but somehow this one seems fainter than before?
What tempted me about this notebook is that it seemed like a cute and possibly more durable model for a bit of a travel journal. I have some travels coming up and was wondering if I’d like this format. The other thing that recommends itself to me as a notebook I’d like to travel with is the paper folder pocket in the back (both sides) that can hold stickers and ephemera.
The paper on this one is far. It can handle gel pens, ball points and pencils no problem. It warns that it can handle finer fountain pens. As you can see most of my notes in the top section didn’t bleed through, but when I added extra strokes to the “Fountain” lettering, it did bleed through. The other characteristic of this paper that I had forgotten about is that the grid lines are almost coated – the ink definitely sits on top of them and looks a bit different. I noticed that in the Craft Work Memo previously.
Overall I would say this isn’t going to be my new go to notebook, but I was pleased to test out a new format. I will keep it around and test it out a bit, but I do think I’m going to have to remember that Kleid graph paper and I don’t entirely mix in the future. But again, that’s my personal aesthetic so you might find different!
DISCLAIMER: I purchased this notebook with my own funds for the purposes of this review. Please see the About page for more details.
