The Well-Appointed Desk

Shopping for a New Notebook: Nerd Style

AnaOctober 1, 201323 Comments

Last week, I posted on Instagram the current state of my daily notebook. Its the Piccadilly A5 notebook I’ve been using for several months and its reached critical mass. Its bulging with taped, glued and stuffed-in bits of paper ephemera and I only have about 20 pages left. The time has come to select the next daily notebook.

Its hard for me to just leap and make a purchase, so I nerded out in a big way and made a spreadsheet of all the potential candidates. My general criteria includes: hard cover and A5-ish size. I listed the pages by sheets to be consistent. If you’re used to seeing it as pages, just double the number. Some notebooks did not list the paper weight in any place I could readily find and I used the description for color used by the manufacturer or retailer. Some say cream, some say ivory and some didn’t describe it at all so I had to make an educated guess. So, here’s the candidates:

Brand	Size	Page count	Available in?	Paper Weight	Paper Color	Additional Features	Notes	Price
Moleskine	5×8.25	120 sheets	blank, lined, graph	unknown	cream	pocket, vertical elastic	thin paper	$18.95
Leuchtturm 1917	5.79×8.23	124 sheets	blank, lined, graph, dot grid	80g	ivory	pages are numbered, lots of cover color options		$18.95
Rhodia Webnotebook	5.5×8.25	96 sheets	lined, blank, dot grid	90g	ivory	orange or black, fountain pen friendly	pricier than most, smaller book available in rainbow of colors (Rhodiarama) lined only	$25
Piccadilly Essential	5×8.1	120 sheets	lined, blank, graph	80g	cream	black, 8 color covers in lined editions only		$5.99
Ecosystem	5.25×8.25	96 sheets	lined, blank, graph	unknown	bright white	bright cover colors available	lines are far too dark	$14.95
PaperThinks	4.5×6.5 or 7×9	128 sheet	blank, lined	unknown	white	recycled leather covers, lots of colors available	flexible covers	$17.95 or $22.95
Quo Vadis Habana	6.25×9.25	80 sheets	lined (5.5mm) or blank	85g	white or ivory	black, red, anis, or raspberry covers	larger than most	$20
Palomino Blackwing	5×8.25	80 sheets	blank, lined, graph	100g	white		also available in “luxury sketchbook” with 120g paper and orange cover (+$2)	$16.95
Palomino Luxury	5×8.25	80 sheets	lined or blank	90g	white	distinct orange spine and embossed rope along spine on cover		$17.95
Ogami Stone	5.5×8	64 sheets	blank	unknown	white	grey, white, tiffany blue or black covers	stone paper (repap); covers are board material rather than leatherette	$16
Monsieur Notebook	6.5×8	96 sheets	blank, lined	90g	ivory	real leather covers, 8 color options	other formats available like dot grid and sketchbook but in fewer cover options and sizes	$26
Ciak Soft Leather	5×7	112 sheets	blank, lined and multicolor	unknown	white	horizontal elastic, soft recycled leather covers	multicolor page option available, sketchbook blank measure 6×8.5 (+$2)	$24
Miro	5×8	80 sheets	lined or blank	90g	cream	colored page edges: lime, blue, black, red or pink	white or black leatherette covers	$13.99
Exacompta Basic Journal	5.5X8.25	100 sheets	lined	100g	white	metallic silver or gilded edges	lines seem very widely spaced	$16
Exacompta Forum	4.7 x 6.7	96 sheets	lined, graph, blank	64g	white	perforated tear-away corners, 8 pages of maps and tables	lined version appears like an undated planner, designed to be used as refill with Exacompta Club leatherette covers	$16.5
TWSBI Notebook	5.25×8.25	120 sheets	blank, lined or graph	75g	white	spiffy red ribbon bookmark, lay flat construction	a smaller and larger version are available	$12.99
Baron Fig	5.4x 7.7	96 sheets	blank, lined or dot grid	65# text (approx 90g)	not sure	lay flat construction, gray bookcloth only	Kickstarter project that ends on Oct. 3	$20
Poppin	5×8.25	96 sheets	lined or blank	unknown	white	soft cover leatherette, 9 color covers available for lined, red or black cover for blank	other sizes available, blank book has margin across the top of pages	$9

I’m still debating. The low price of the Piccadilly is hard to beat though the paper is not as lovely as the more expensive options. The Ciak offers colored paper which seems like it might be kind of fun. The Palomino folks now have a kraft covered 90g notebook under their less expensive Forest Choice brand. The Palomino Luxury (with orange spine) and the Blackwing Luxury (all black) are two different lines — I got a bit confused when I built my grid about the difference between them. There are also the highly decorative Paperblanks notebooks with the pleasing cream stock. I quite like the looks of the simpler Pocket Companion series ($14.95) as a good daily user option.

What’s your notebook of choice? Did I miss any in my chart?

UPDATE: I revised the grid with recommendations and items I forgot as well as providing live links to each product via the company web site or trusted reseller.

In feature

Nock Nock? Who’s There? Pen Cases, That’s Who!

AnaSeptember 30, 2013October 28, 2019Leave a comment

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I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the Nock Co. product launch, a collection of pen and writing tool cases created by my pal Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict and Jeffrey Bruckwicki from Old Fourth Tailoring. Well, today’s the big day!

The Nock Co. just launched their Kickstarter campaign to launch their first collection of pen rolls, cases and sleeves. Its a 30-day Kickstarter but things are already selling fast and the site has only been live for an hour.

There are seven products in the initial Nock Co. line. Here’s a quick highlight: the Hightower which is designed to hold three pens and a pocket-sized notebook like Field Notes; the Brasstown zippered roll case which is a 6-pen roll that fits into a zip pouch; the Lookout which is a 3-pen holster case, and the Chimneytop which is a single piece zipper pouch that will hold six or seven writing tools or other daily carry items. There’s also the Maryapple and the Sassafras which are variations on the pen + notebook concept (either two slots for notebooks or slots on both the left and right for pens).

The color options for all the products are navy exterior with a gray interior, orange-on-orange (Brad’s favorite colors!) and gray with a sky blue lining. Sadly, there are no green options…yet. All the products are made from heavy-duty 1000 denier nylon exterior coated with a water-resistant DWR and lined with pack cloth.

There is also a special Kickstarter edition of the Hightower in peacock blue.

The most appealing Kickstarter option is the $75 option which will get you one of each of the initial seven products offered. That’s essentially $10.75 per case which is ridiculously cheap. Most of the pen cases sold on the market start at $15 and go up from there.

Nock Co.’s Kickstarter products are expected to start shipping in January of 2014. And of course, all the products are made in the USA.

In feature

Follow-Up: Uppercase Eclecto Notebook

AnaSeptember 27, 2013Leave a comment

I finally received my Uppercase Eclecto Notebook a few weeks ago. Shipping from Canada to the US was a lot slower than I had anticipated, over two weeks and there was a delay processing the order so in the end it took about 3 weeks to get two notebooks.

I was super excited to get them because they looked so beautiful on the site but I wished there had been a bit more detail on their site prior to ordering. The book looked a lot more substantial on the Uppercase page but when it arrived, it was actually quite thin. I would guess there’s about 60 sheets in the book. The site made me think there would be closer to 100 sheets per book.

The spine is wrapped with a decorative kraft paper spine printed with gold metallic foil which looks super cool. The edge of the paper on the back cover is die cut into a rounded scallop.

The cover is covered with a printed sheet of clear acetate with the Uppercase “U” in black in the center. The acetate provides protective layer above the paper stock cover sheet but the ink used to print the graphics will scratch or chip if handled much.

Inside, there are two lined sheets between every sheet of make ready. Make ready is the uncut press poof sheets that have been trimmed down in interesting ways for the notebooks. They look like they are great places to doodle, add taped or glued ephemera or just leave as lovely decorative pages. I was delighted that some of the decorative make ready sheets in my volume included florals and knitted images. The lined sheets are a soft warm white with narrow-ruled blue lines. Along the spine edge of the lined pages, the decorative star pattern is printed in blue, adding to the unique look. The paper feels like good quality but I have not had a chance to test it with writing tools yet.

My instinct is to recommend these notebooks to anyone who loves the Uppercase magazine or who might like to use a small notebook for collage or journaling purposes. It would also make a delightful gift. But, if you want is a good daily notebook, this is probably not for you.

($15 each plus shipping, via Uppercase)

(related post: Eclectonotes from Uppercase)

In photo

Field Notes Drink Local Edition Sneak Peek

AnaSeptember 26, 2013September 20, 2017Leave a comment

And its here! The new Field Notes Drink Local edition arrived in my mailbox last night. The packaging with the subscriptions making the 6-pack of beer-inspired notebooks look like an actual 6-pack is absolutely stunning though I recommend assembling the carton BEFORE imbibing as it does require a little thought. LOVE!

I wanted to get it captured before disassembling the shrink wrap and effecting its MIB appearance so I have not had a chance to pet the “soft-touch” covers or closely admire the letterpress coaster which is inside the shrink wrap. This is just some visual stimulus to join the subscription service today and get your 6-pack before they sell out. They’ve gone fast in the past but I think these are going to set a new record.

I’ll do a more in-depth look later but I wanted to share some sneak peeks now while there are still sets and subscriptions available.

Subscriptions are $97 for one-year. Individual 3-packs are available in “Ales” or “Lagers” for $9.95 per set but they will not ship with the limited 6-pack packaging. Extra sets of beer coasters can be ordered as well: set of 4 for $3.95.

In feature

Moving Up in the Fountain Pen Market

AnaSeptember 25, 201333 Comments

upmarket-pens

After a few budget ($25 range) fountain pens that turned out to be less satisfying than I had hoped, I’m thinking that its time I break past my previous price barrier into a higher-end fountain pen. I’ve never broken the $100 threshold on a fountain pen but I’m wondering if it would be worth it to do so. The idea of better build quality and 14K nibs certainly appeal to me.

As I’ve been researching and browsing, I’ve come up with a list of requirements: I prefer smaller fountain pens, not larger pens best weighed in pounds or kilos. I like fine nibs but some super fine Japanese nibs have not worked for me in the past so something in the range of a European fine or Japanese FM or M. I prefer classic (bordering on vintage) good looks and I’d prefer silver accents on caps and clips but that isn’t a make or break for the right pen.

There are several I’m considering but I hoped you, my fine readers, would have some recommendations. So, here’s what I’m considering:

Pelikan M205 ($140): available in three colors (black, white, red), EF or F nib, stainless steel nib, piston filler
Sailor Professional Gear Slim ($156): available in four color options, 14K gold nib, fine or medium, cartridge or converter. Ink of Me Fondly makes me seriously consider the purple one.
Pilot Custom 92 Skeleton ($247): available in 14K gold nib, F, FM, M or B nib, piston filler. Alternately, the Custom 74 ($160)
Platinum 3776 Sai Clear Demonstator ($216): available in F, FM, M or B nib, 14K nib, converter or cartridge

Of these four, three are Japanese and include the potential covet-worthy gold nib. I’ve always loved the classic good looks of the M205 and it is the least expensive in this list but its a steel nib.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these or a recommendation for me?

In Fountain Pen Review

Review: Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pen

AnaSeptember 24, 2013May 27, 201710 Comments

I recently stumbled across the Nemosine Singularity fountain pen on Amazon and decided I’d take a chance. Its a line of Taiwanese-made pens with German nibs for $15-$30 depending on the reseller, nib and finish. I purchased the red plastic Singularity with the F nib and bought an extra 0.6mm italic nib for $7. The pen came in a simple white cardboard box but included a piston-style cartridge converter and six cartridges. At the price point, few other pens offer these extras. I really was taking a gamble as I’ve never seen one in person nor had I done a lot of research about it but I felt hopeful that the German nib and high-quality reputation of Taiwanese pens would make the Nemosine and pleasant surprise.

It has a lightweight plastic body with chrome trim and clip but its surprisingly quality looking. Its a fairly lightweight pen but a lot nicer looking in person that I thought it would be. The red plastic is fairly opaque making it look a little like resin, enough to fool non-pen geeks into thinking its a much pricier pen than it is.

The real shocker for me is that the nib is silky smooth and beautifully etched with decorative designs. It looks Art Deco and really adds to the experience. Both the Fine nib and the 0.6mm italic nib worked amazingly well. I would compare them both the nibs used in Kaweco Sports and that’s high praise coming from me.

The only issue I had was that the pen leaked on me. I think it was because I swapped out the nib several times to test (with the ink cartridge converter filled) so I may have shimmied it loose. It leaked all over my hands when I uncapped it and the chrome ring that holds the clip to the cap is not air tight so the ink leaked out there as well.

Assuming that the leaking was my fault, I recommend giving one of these pens a try. I especially like that I was able to get a small italic nib which I love to bits. For the next couple weeks though, I will be using the pen at home until I determine if I was the reason it leaked.

As for the name Nemosine, all I could find is a Latin quote “nemo sine vitio est” which translates to “No one is without fault.” Does anyone else have any idea about the brand name?

Check out these other reviews as well:

In Fountain Pen Review

Review: Dilli Fountain Pens

AnaSeptember 23, 2013May 27, 2017Leave a comment

I finally broke down and decided to try the Fountain Pen Revolution staple, the Dilli. I bought two models, the fine firm nib ($15) and the flex nib ($18). Both pens are translucent plastic bodies with solid black cap end and piston-filler end. These are piston fillers only and do not accept cartridges.

My impression when they arrived is that they look cheap. The edges where the plastics meet are not smooth joins, the plastic feels low quality and even the nibs are a dull silver. The clips are metal but a very light metal. One good tug on the clip and I think I could easily bend it out of shape.

The flexible nib is a split nib, similar to the Noodlers Creaper. Each pen measures 5.5″ capped, 5.875″ posted (and the cap will post) and 4.75″ unposted. They are very lightweight (14gms capped), comparable to a Kaweco Sport (13gms) despite being an 1.5″ longer.

My initial feeling was that I was not going to like these pens based solely on their humble looks. I decided to go ahead and ink them up though and withhold final judgement until I got ink on paper.

I tested the flexible nib version first, being most curious about how well it would work. It is very smooth on paper, surprisingly so but its very stiff. If you are looking for a flex nib for a heavy hand, this would be a good option to try. I have a very light hand so this was too stiff for me to use and get the line variation I like in flex nibs. Alternately though, with a light touch, it worked like a fine nib pen and still wrote ridiculously smoothly for the price.

The firm nib was a bit wider fine than I am accustomed to, closer to a medium nib in my opinion, but it wrote very smoothly. I thought these nibs would be comparable to a Platinum Preppy but they are much smoother. Surprisingly so.

Overall, I don’t think I’d buy anymore of these. Sadly, the feel of a fountain pen in my hand is a huge part of my writing experience and these just continued to feel cheap — and I understand that they are cheap pens but for a few more dollars, there are other budget-priced pens available. If you are looking for flexible nibs, Noodlers Creaper/Ahabs are available in much more interesting material colors and perform quite similarly. As for another standard fountain pen option, there are others in the under-$50 range I would recommend over the Dilli.