Apica Journals

[succubus]

So I finally made it to a Kinokuniya bookstore. They have one in the Palisades Center mall near NYC.

 

They did not have a selection of Apica products, but all the notebooks I saw seemed to have very nice paper, and many folded flat on a table very well.

 

Now I need to decide if it's worth a NYC trip to see a larger selection of Apica, or to just order some online.

 

I was just in the NYC store a week or so ago and I didn't see much (although, granted, I was sick & delirious with fever.) I didn't have the energy to look through the other varieties, I grabbed a handful of the smallest (CD-5), and got out of there before I collapsed. You might want to give them a bit to replenish their stock or you could call and inquire.

[biffybeans]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...07&hl=apica

 

New Apica Model review with photo.

Edited April 14, 2008 by biffybeans

[burritosdaily]

Okay, I feel a little stupid saying this... but I ordered a couple of the Apicas and have written through about 7-8 pages of the first one. I am not very thrilled right now. Until these Apicas all I had written in was the Moleskine. Although the Apica has no issues with bleed as the Moleskine does.... the pen glidded over the Moleskine paper much easier than the Apica.

 

Am I doing something wrong... I have read all of your raving reveiews and feel a little confused.

 

(I am using a Lamy 2000 with PR choc. ink)

[inkypete]

Gee burritosdaily - what can I say?

 

My Apica are by far the smoothest and most accepting paper of any notebooks. To compare them with moleskin is like chalk and cheese. The Moleskin may be smooth but the feathering and bleedthrough rules them out. I might as well add that my pens are smooth writers on newsprint but the words are almost unreadable for obvious reasons.

 

I am surprised you are disappointed but each to their own - Apica is my favourite notebook, great value and doesn't bleed or feather. Rhodia and Clairefontaine are next depending on what I want to use it for - hard cover, grid ruled, pad style etc.

[burritosdaily]

Maybe this can be chalked up to rookie ignorance... I will keep on using the Apicas, I don't want to make too quick of a judgement.

 

Also, it may because I have one of those diamond in the rough moleskines. I can see through very lightly on the back side but the ink is not bleeding through and it is not feathering. Judging by what you guys say this is very rare and the next moleskine I buy would not yield the same results.

 

Gee burritosdaily - what can I say?

 

My Apica are by far the smoothest and most accepting paper of any notebooks. To compare them with moleskin is like chalk and cheese. The Moleskin may be smooth but the feathering and bleedthrough rules them out. I might as well add that my pens are smooth writers on newsprint but the words are almost unreadable for obvious reasons.

 

I am surprised you are disappointed but each to their own - Apica is my favourite notebook, great value and doesn't bleed or feather. Rhodia and Clairefontaine are next depending on what I want to use it for - hard cover, grid ruled, pad style etc.

 

[djmaher]

If you live in the Portland, Oregon area, Oblation Papers and Press carries Apica...

 

Just for the info...

 

D

[Neill78]

Also, it may because I have one of those diamond in the rough moleskines. I can see through very lightly on the back side but the ink is not bleeding through and it is not feathering. Judging by what you guys say this is very rare and the next moleskine I buy would not yield the same results.

 

I am currently using a Lamy 2000 EF with J. Herbin Lie de The and I am experiencing problems with bleed-through, some minor feathering, and skipping/slow starting. My Lamy Safari EF filled with Parker Black is perfect with the Apica, though.

 

I am going to try switching inks and see if that cures the problem. My Lamy 2000's nib is much smoother than the Safari, so that might be a problem as well. I tried writing on a cheap notepad and it wrote beautifully, so I'm pretty sure it's some kind of incompatibility between pen-ink-paper and not just a bad pen. It IS very frustrating!!

 

Neill

[Sailor Kenshin]

Just what I needed, more notebooks!

 

Gonna order some from Taylor later today. :roflmho:

[The Bantam Scribbler]

Ooh, I've been skulking about on the forums looking for good notebook suggestions for a few hours and think I've finally decided on one!

 

[cmenice]

I can just put in that I still am using these notebooks and they are still great.

[josiah]

I was in the local Japanese import shop (Shiga in the U-District, for those of you in or around Seattle) and found a larger selection of Apica notebooks than I've seen anywhere. On some of the notebooks, I learned that they used paper made by the Oji Paper Co., and though I didn't see this on most of the notebooks, I'm guessing that Apica is just one of Oji's subsidiary brands. Among the series were several that caught my eye: academic subject notebooks (I got the music book, SW1710, but there were others for math, science, and a couple different ones for English), 3A5x and 6A10x (more-plain covers and more pages), GR1x ("Green 100%", apparently fully recycled content; perhaps a way to restore consumer confidence?).

 

(I should probably have my paren keys confiscated. Apologies.)

[holgalee]

All the raves have got me interested! Are the papers coated and do inks dry fast like enough like on regular printing paper?

[jimg]

Sorry if I am covering old ground but I had a quick scan of this thread and Biffybean's review and couldn't see the same notebooks mentioned.

 

I was in Sydney last week and dropped by Kinokuniya and found a swag of these:

 

Apica Plain Cover Notebooks

 

The name given to them by Apica approximates to "Plain Cover Utility Notebook" (無地表紙実用ノート ) and they ain't kidding. The only identification that they are made by Apica is a single word アピカ （Apica)　on the small sticker on the back cover. I bought a few and have tried them last night. Every bit as good as the CDs and other models, ie no bleed through, feathering etc.

 

...and the really good news is that at $A2.75 each they are about half the price of the other Apica notebooks.

[Neill78]

The name given to them by Apica approximates to "Plain Cover Utility Notebook" (無地表紙実用ノート ) and they ain't kidding. The only identification that they are made by Apica is a single word アピカ （Apica)　on the small sticker on the back cover. I bought a few and have tried them last night. Every bit as good as the CDs and other models, ie no bleed through, feathering etc.

 

...and the really good news is that at $A2.75 each they are about half the price of the other Apica notebooks.

 

Japanese notebook manufacturers make unbranded/specialty branded notebooks for various other companies, including university book stores/CO-OP, department stores such as Aeon, and even convenience stores. They are often cheaper than the "real" thing but just as good. Great find!

 

Apica, Kokuyo, and Maruman are the ones I've seen most. Maruman does not usually put its name on its unbranded products but they have a large watermark that can be seen if held up to light.

 

Neill

[djmaher]

Also available in Uwajimaya grocery stores here in Portland, Oregon, as well as the small Asian bookstore located within the store.

 

Also found at Oblation paper store in Bridgeport Village, at twice the price

 

I imagine they are also available at Uwajimaya in Seattle.

[2nd]

I've just ordered my Apicas (CD15s & 6A10s) to Molly (eBay seller: taylorsintherockie).

 

[Neill78]

Maruman does not usually put its name on its unbranded products but they have a large watermark that can be seen if held up to light.

 

I need to make a correction: Tsubame is the one that puts a watermark on their paper.

[ismellarat]

Are any of these notebooks perforated? I prefer keeping my looseleaf paper for school in notebook/legal pad form until it is needed, at which point I rip it out.

[Neill78]

None of them are perforated.

 

Kokuyo makes a spiral notebook called "Filler" that is perforated and works well with fountain pens. However Japanese products are two-hole punched, so they don't fit into North American binders without additional punching, and the metric sizing doesn't always fit in our folders/duotangs/binders either.

 

Neill

[inkypete]

Sorry if I am covering old ground but I had a quick scan of this thread and Biffybean's review and couldn't see the same notebooks mentioned.

 

I was in Sydney last week and dropped by Kinokuniya and found a swag of these:

 

Apica Plain Cover Notebooks

 

The name given to them by Apica approximates to "Plain Cover Utility Notebook" (無地表紙実用ノート ) and they ain't kidding. The only identification that they are made by Apica is a single word アピカ （Apica)　on the small sticker on the back cover. I bought a few and have tried them last night. Every bit as good as the CDs and other models, ie no bleed through, feathering etc.

 

...and the really good news is that at $A2.75 each they are about half the price of the other Apica notebooks.

 

 

G'day Jim.

What size are these notebooks? I was in Sydney a few weeks ago and went to Kinokinuya and they had bugga all Apica - was very disappointed. Seems they may have new stock.