I'm A Sad, Pathetic Stationery Junkie.

[SLinkster]

Finally made it to Daiso and Kinokuniya yesterday. I have not had time today to do any testing. 

 

Daiso has a decent selection of Campus notebooks and looseleaf, which don't really interest me. Most of their other paper was clearly marked "Product of Brasil" and served decent but I didn't spring for any of it. I did find "made in Japan" A4 and a5 Maruman spiral-bound drawing pads, very nice heavy textured paper.  Also b4 and b5 (I think) Croquis spiral-bound drawing pads; the paper is not as heavy or as strongly textured as the Maruman. 

 

The notebook and stationery stock at Kinokuniya was vastly better than the last time I was there. I was able to fondle quite a few papers I've been eyeing on Amazon; most of them are now off my list. I did grab a 2-pack of a5 Hahnemühl Sketch&Note books, an a5 Midori dot•grid, and a kleid a5 2mm grid notebook. I dithered over the 100-sheet package of a5 washi paper, finally left it there as it's an item Kinokuniya regularly stocks. 

 

I drooled over one of the new Pilot kanreki vanishing point pens. It's visually stunning - what's not to like about a shiny red and matte black bauble - but I already have two  VPs that don't see much use so I was able to resist that impulse purchase 😁

[amberleadavis]

I didn't do it, but I was so tempted.  Birmingham Inks sent me a link to a shimmer additive.  I may yet succumb. 

[Misfit]

Here are the notebooks I ordered from Retro 51. 
 

[USG]

7 hours ago, Misfit said:

Here are the notebooks I ordered from Retro 51. 
 

 

Very Nice Covers, MzFit. 😃👍   what's the paper like?  Any with white paper?  Ruled, blank, dotted?

[A Smug Dill]

[Misfit]

13 hours ago, USG said:

 

Very Nice Covers, MzFit. 😃👍   what's the paper like?  Any with white paper?  Ruled, blank, dotted?

It’s white, dotted, 70lb/100gsm.  They didn’t have any choices liked ruled, graph, just dotted. Retro 51 did have larger single notebooks. Two additional covers are dog and cat rescue.

 

I haven’t written on it yet. The notebooks were made by Denik. The Pen Addict blog has done a review on Denik. I contacted Denik to ask if their paper was fountain pen friendly. I was referred to the Pen Addict review. Plus the responder indicated she used a fountain pen. 

[Misfit]

I just finished a notebook!  This is the first notebook besides a Field Notes notebook that I’ve finished. It is a 240 page CR Gibson Bulleting Log Notebook. When I say finishing notebooks I mean since college. I’ve been writing a page a day in the A5 size. 
 

I’ll be doing the page a day in a copper Leuchtturm notebook I’ve started.  I tried to use it as a day by day, but it didn’t work out at that point in 2019. 

[Runnin_Ute]

I have some notecards and a couple of sizes of Apica notebooks on order - they are supposed to arrive by end of day on Monday. I will take photos and post them upon arrival.

 

I discovered a couple of days ago, that my notebook that I use to take notes in meetings at work is down to the last few pages. It's a Luechtturm A5 look alike, but the paper isn't nearly as good. I wish I had known I would have ordered when I made the order that is enroute. I may check a local Barnes and Noble and see if they have what I want.

[inkypete]

10 hours ago, Runnin_Ute said:

I have some notecards and a couple of sizes of Apica notebooks on order - they are supposed to arrive by end of day on Monday. I will take photos and post them upon arrival.

 

I discovered a couple of days ago, that my notebook that I use to take notes in meetings at work is down to the last few pages. It's a Luechtturm A5 look alike, but the paper isn't nearly as good. I wish I had known I would have ordered when I made the order that is enroute. I may check a local Barnes and Noble and see if they have what I want.

I reckon Apica are generally underrated. Excellent notebooks and excellent value - great paper.

[A Smug Dill]

Newly acquired:

courtesy of Milligram (in Australia).

[Misfit]

@A Smug Dill I will look forward to your opinion of the Penco notebook paper. 

[A Smug Dill]

13 minutes ago, Misfit said:

@A Smug Dill I will look forward to your opinion of the Penco notebook paper. 

 

When we tried it in–store on the evening — noting that there were tester units for many other paper products there, but none of the Penco, a staff member pulled one off the shelf, took its barcode/pricing sticker off, and told us to go ahead and use that one — with the fountain pens I brought, the paper seemed surprisingly resistant to feathering and (more relevantly) bleed-through; and there was little-to-no show-through. The paper surface is rather slick, not entirely unlike that in Clairefontaine ‘Age Bag’ notebooks. All in all, not bad for paper that was made in China; and good enough that we decided to use a chunk of our gift vouchers on the ‘purchase’ of those Penco notebooks, as opposed to (even) more Midori paper, in the absence of Rhodia products including dotPad and Bloc notepads (and Leuchtturm1917 products for that matter) in the Newtown store of which I know Milligram has stock in its George Street (Sydney CBD) store.

[Misfit]

@A Smug Dill thank you. I’ve thought about adding Penco pads to carts when I find it, but have yet to buy any. Now I’ll be more likely to, so again, thank you very much. 

[Runnin_Ute]

I thought I had ordered the navy/cream in the same size as the green/cream combination, as that is what I have had in the past. I guess I will give this a try.

[inkypete]

Haven't ordered anything for quite a few weeks. $$$s not healthy here at the moment so need to be somewhat strict. Feel like I am letting the team down. Maybe I can find my way to Daiso this weekend for a few paper hits.

[Misfit]

Never think that @inkypete!  Better to realize you need to practice financial restraint, than to glibly spend to your detriment. I think I sometimes do the latter. 

[A Smug Dill]

24 minutes ago, inkypete said:

Maybe I can find my way to Daiso this weekend for a few paper hits.

 

I've just been to Daiso, MUJI, and Kinokuniya in town this afternoon, looking for B6 notebooks. The products on offer were few, and pricing difficult to stomach after having just been in Tokyo and seeing the prices in those three chains (as well as other store) there.

 

Still, I bought a couple of the ones in Daiso.

[Doc Dan]

Daiso has paper and notebooks suitable for a fountain pen?

[SLinkster]

Oops, wrong forum! 

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

Daiso has paper and notebooks suitable for a fountain pen?

 

Quite a few of Daiso's own-branded, made-in-Japan paper products aren't bad, actually.

 

 

It also carries some Maruman and Kokuyo Campus paper products.

 

 

Just avoid the made-in-Indonesia books there.