Review Of 6 Different A5 Notebooks

[DrDebG]

This is a brief comparison of 6 different notebooks:

 

from left to right:

 

Paper for Fountain Pens Notebook (Dk Blue cover)

Seven Seas Notebook (Brown cover)

Midori MD Notebook (Cream cover)

Black n' Red Notebook (Black cover)

Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook (Blue cover)

Spicebox Personal Notebook (Red cover)

 

All are around the A5 size (approximately 140 x 210 mm – or roughly 4.5” x 8”). I have compared them for size, paper type and color, cover composition, number of sheets, construction, price in USD at US websites, price per page and additional items that are part of each notebook. I have included a short spreadsheet to show these characteristics more easily.

 

I then compared and commented on my impressions of writing, including writing sample, ink absorbancy, and ability to bring out the best in my writing. These impressions are my opinions; your experience may differ. Following the notebook discussions, I will provide my personal evaluation and rating (1-lowest to 10-highest). Finally, I will end with a brief discussion of my perfect notebook.

 

First, let’s look at the characteristics of the notebooks. I have also included information regarding the Rhodia Webnotebook, which I have not used, and the Leuchterm1917 Notebook which I used to use several years ago. All of the other notebooks listed I have used as my personal journal or work notebook within the last year.

 

Note: Number of sheets was determined by either counting the actual individual sheets or from manufacturer's website. Also the "price per page" shown above is actually the price per sheet.

Size: You will note from the first photo above that the Spicebox Personal Notebook (which I also call Letterbox Notebook), and the Paper for Fountain Pens Notebook are sized signficantly differently than the generally accepted size for A5. The Spicebox/Letterbox Notebook is larger, whereas the Paper for Fountain Pens Notebook is notably smaller. I did not include the thickness measurement as each of the notebooks are about the same thickness except for Seven Seas which is thicker and Paper for Fountain Pens which is thinner. Overall, Paper for Fountain Pens is a smaller notebook than the others.

 

 

Paper type: Each notebook has its own paper type, except for the Seven Seas Notebook and Paper for Fountain Pens Notebook which is Tomoe River 52 gsm, and Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook and Rhodia Webnotebook which have Clairfontaine 90 gsm vellum.

 

Paper Color: I have sampled a variety of paper colors. To the best of my knowledge, most of the Notebooks are available in either cream/ivory or white, except the Midori MD and Spicebox which are available only in cream/ivory and Black n’ Red which is available only in white.

 

Cover: The covers of each notebook vary, but most are hardcover. The Midori MD cover is a heavyweight paper, and comes with a wax-paper like sleeve. The Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook comes with a cardboard cover, and the Seven Seas comes with a Buckram cover similar to heavyweight paper. The rest are hardcover.

 

Number of Sheets per Notebook: This varies with the notebook from 96 sheets in the Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook all the way to 240 sheets in the Seven Seas Notebook. Note that I am showing the actual number of sheets, not pages that can be written on.

 

Type of Line: Most of the notebooks are available in a variety of line types, from blank, dot, line and grid. The size between lines, dots, and grid vary from 0.5mm (Midori MD, Leuchterm) to 0.7mm (Clairfontaine, Black n’ Red) depending on the notebook.

 

Page Numbers: Most of the notebooks did not have pre-printed page numbers.

 

Construction: All of the notebooks are thread-bound, excepting Black n’ Red, and advertise that they “lay-flat”. My experience with each notebook is that some lay flat much easier than others.

 

Price: The notebooks vary in price from $10.99 (Black n’ Red) to $29.00 for the Paper for Fountain Pens notebook. But when you compare the price per sheet, the cost becomes much clearer.

 

Additional: Each of the notebooks have “additional items” which may or may not add value to the user, from ribbons, to an index, to elastic closures and pockets. The value of these were not taken into account in my final assessment.

 

Notebook Evaluation:

 

1. Midori MD Notebook: I have a great deal of experience using these notebooks and have used them for my personal journal throughout all of 2018. These are great notebooks and are well made. They come with a heavyweight paper cover with the binding well taped. In addition, the notebook includes a type of wax-paper sleeve which protects the notebook. A Midori leather cover is available which fit the notebook like a glove. The notebook also includes one ribbon. The paper is a standard Midori MD paper that is probably a 90-100 gsm cream-colored paper that works very well for fountain pens. When writing, the paper is smooth, but with a very slight toothiness making the writing experience very enjoyable. I only notice the toothiness when writing with EF or F nibs. This is a less absorbent paper, with slightly longer ink dry times, but the beauty of ink also shines through especially with wider nibs. Also, only under rare circumstances do I notice bleedthrough (when ink pools), and little to no showthrough. The notebook comes in blank, line, or grid configurations. My preference is for the grid configuration which is more of an open grid.

 

2. Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook: I have used Clairfontaine paper off and on for many years for the occasional letter, but this was my first experience using it everyday. For the month of April, 2019, I purchased a blue Clairfontaine Essentials notebook for my personal journal. It included an index and numbered pages as well as a ribbon and elastic closure. I was hoping to get it in either dot or grid configurations in a white paper, but I was limited to the lined configuration in the ivory color which I did not like at all. I like to “doodle” and the lines were too confining to me. And I personally prefer white paper over ivory/cream colors because I like to see the true color of my ink. Clairfontaine paper is known to be very smooth and fountain pen friendly. I was very disappointed in the performance of the Essentials notebook. As I wrote on the paper, it was like I was “slogging through mud”, or dragging the pen across the page. Also, the paper has some kind of coating which seems to retard ink absorbancy. While dry time is a bit longer, the ink looks wonderful. But I found that this coating was inconsistent across the page and appeared to accumulate on the nib of my stub and wider nibbed pens. Also, when I used my EF or F nibs, I didn’t notice the drag as much. But with wider nibbed pens, the nibs would hesitate and skip like they had baby’s bottom (which they don’t). Also, I was very surprised to find that there was a fair amount of bleedthrough and showthrough anytime I used a wider nibbed pen and ink pooled or was concentrated. This did not seem to depend upon the ink either. Overall, this wasn’t a pleasant month for writing in this journal, and at the end of the month, I retired the journal not fully used.

 

3. Spicebox Personal Notebook (aka Letterbox): A few years ago, I found these notebooks at Costco for a ridiculously low price and bought several. I was pleasantly surprised that they were, for the most part, fountain pen friendly. I rushed right out and proceeded to buy at dozen bundles of 3, and have been using them exclusively for my consulting work since then. Because they are so inexpensive, I keep a separate notebook for each client; and because they come in some many different colors, I use a particular color for my main clients. The notebooks are well made, come with a ribbon and pocket in the back, and for the most part are sturdy (although the notebook pictured took a spill in the field last week which crumpled the corner a bit). Although the paper is cream colored, it is smooth, with just a touch of tooth, and relatively absorbent, which means faster dry times. But, unless I am using a really wide, wet nib, I rarely see any bleedthrough or showthrough. Overall, a good value.

 

4. Seven Seas Standard: I have heard about these notebooks for some time, and finally decided to try them. I really wanted their “Crossfields” variety with the crosses instead of dots, but they were not available. I opted for the blank “Standard” instead. The notebook is the A5 size but is thicker because of the large number of sheets in the notebook. It is what I would call a “no-nonsense” notebook with a simple cover and no page numbers, ribbon, closure or pockets, but is very well made with thread bound construction. Even though it is thick, once it has been worked a bit, it lays flat nicely – flatter than most of the others. The paper is my favorite – 52 gsm Tomoe River. While there is some show through, I haven’t seen any bleedthrough no matter what nib I use. The paper is amazing smooth, but with no coating, so the nib glides across the page. While nothing beats writing with a wide nibbed pen on Tomoe River paper, I love using my EF and F nibs because there is little to no feedback – which I much prefer. The website where I purchased the notebooks lists the paper color as white, but when compared to copy paper, it is more of a light ivory color. I purchased two of these notebooks, and I am expecting that with the large volume of paper in each notebook, that they will last for a long time.

 

This is a sample of my bullet journal portion of my Seven Seas notebook.

5. Paper for Fountain Pens Notebook: I purchased several of these notebooks over a year ago and immediately fell in love with them. Why? This was my first exposure to Tomoe River paper. And I love that they were a blue hardcover, thread bound and very well made. I wasn’t wild about the blank, cream colored paper – which is all that they were available at the time – but I used them exclusively for my personal journal for some time. But as I continued using them, the narrow page size began to bother me. I tried turning the pages and writing horizontally to the spine, but that just didn’t work either. I also found that they did not lay as flat as I would have liked. And, unfortunately, when I went to re-order, they were not available - which I have heard is a common problem. But the writing experience on the Tomoe River paper is unequalled. For me personally, I think of Tomoe River paper like a picture frame. It shows of the beauty of the lettering and elegance of the ink to full potential.

 

6. Black n’ Red Notebook: I originally was not going to include this notebook as it is different from the others in terms of construction. But there are many redeeming qualities about this notebook that I thought I might discuss. It is a hardcover, glue bound notebook that is relatively well made. It is available on Amazon and, in the US, at Staples and Office Depot stationery stores, and is generally less expensive. Although avoid the ones with the big advertising stickers on the front – the stickers do not peel off well, as evidenced by the notebook that I have. The paper, however, is quite nice. It is a 90 gsm Optik paper which is very smooth like Clairfontaine. In fact, in a blind test, I would imagine that few would notice the difference. But, like Clairfontaine, wider nibbed pens seem to drag – far too much for my preference. But, for me these do make an acceptable alternative for work.

 

As I mentioned above, I will give you my completely biased rating, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest:

 

1. Midori MD Notebook: 8, because of the paper quality and reasonable cost.

2. Clairfontaine Essentials Notebook: 4, because of its poor overall value and the quality of the paper.

3. Spicebox Personal Notebook: 7+, because of the good value and very nice paper.

4. Seven Seas Notebook: 9, because of Tomoe River paper, the high sheet content and great value.

5. Paper for Fountain Pens: 6+, because of Tomoe River which balances the high price and size.

6. Black n’ Red Notebook: 6, because of the low cost and nice paper.

 

So, for me, my overall preference for my personal journal is for the Seven Seas Standard notebook, with the Midori MD notebook coming in a strong second.

 

My preference for work notebooks are the Spicebox Personal Notebook.

 

Although the Seven Seas Standard is close to my perfect A5 notebook, I would much prefer a whiter color with a light open grid format. It would be nice to have a ribbon, but not essential. But I must say, it is pretty darn close, so I am very satisfied.

Edited May 7, 2019 by DrPenfection

[Mongoosey]

Wow, this is an excellent review!

 

It is hard to beat Nanami Seven Seas Notebooks. The Crossfield sounds like it would be right up your alley. I'm curious about it myself. I hope when they restock it they don't botch the blank cover with a Logo like they did with the Writer.

 

Clairefontaine notebooks were my first fountain pen friendly notebooks, but I quickly shelved them because I also didn't prefer the feel of writing, the inkflow of my pens was retarded on them (had to use Heart of Darkness to remedy that), and I disliked the 8mm ruling. 52 gsm TRP just completely eclipsed Clairefontaine for me in a matter of a single sentence.

 

But the Midori is intriguing. I'm curious about how you think the Midori paper compares to 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper, which does have noticeably more feedback than 52 gsm TRP.

 

I have a HippoNoto (68 gsm TRP), but I shelved it because I dislike it's pocket A5 size, it's too fat to be portable (like the Nanami Cafe), and I simply prefer 52 gsm TRP right now.

 

But thank you for mentioning that letterbox: A Notable Notebook indeed.

 

Great Review : )

[DrDebG]

Wow, this is an excellent review!

 

It is hard to beat Nanami Seven Seas Notebooks. The Crossfield sounds like it would be right up your alley. I'm curious about it myself. I hope when they restock it they don't botch the blank cover with a Logo like they did with the Writer.

 

Clairefontaine notebooks were my first fountain pen friendly notebooks, but I quickly shelved them because I also didn't prefer the feel of writing, the inkflow of my pens was retarded on them (had to use Heart of Darkness to remedy that), and I disliked the 8mm ruling. 52 gsm TRP just completely eclipsed Clairefontaine for me in a matter of a single sentence.

 

But the Midori is intriguing. I'm curious about how you think the Midori paper compares to 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper, which does have noticeably more feedback than 52 gsm TRP.

 

I have a HippoNoto (68 gsm TRP), but I shelved it because I dislike it's pocket A5 size, it's too fat to be portable (like the Nanami Cafe), and I simply prefer 52 gsm TRP right now.

 

But thank you for mentioning that letterbox: A Notable Notebook indeed.

 

Great Review : )

 

 

Thank you so much for your kind comments.

 

dvalliere kindly mentioned that the actual sheet count on the Midori was less. I counted my sheets and he is correct. There are only 88 sheets which changed the price per page on my spreadsheet. So, I also went back and counted the other journals. The only other change is to the Spicebox notebook. So the spreadsheet shown above has the corrected number of sheets and the price per sheet.

[BaronWulfraed]

That Spicebox notebook is a bit of an oddity... The height is close to JIS B5, but the width is rather narrow. The next closest is "Executive" which is a fraction larger than B5.

[txomsy]

Great review. Thanks for the info, it is most useful.

[DrDebG]

That Spicebox notebook is a bit of an oddity... The height is close to JIS B5, but the width is rather narrow. The next closest is "Executive" which is a fraction larger than B5.

 

Yes. It is an odd size, but I have found it workable. Since it is hardcover, I don't feel I need to have it in some kind of notebook cover. I generally don't buy the really bright colors, though. Taking a hot pink notebook into a business meeting doesn't really look professional . . . at least not in my industry.

[DrDebG]

Great review. Thanks for the info, it is most useful.

 

 

Thank you. I actually did the comparison because a colleague asked me my thoughts on the Black n' Red notebooks and how they compare to the Rhodia/Clairfontaine notebooks. After talking over my thoughts on both, I thought they might be useful to others looking for a nice notebook.

[senzen]

Great review, very useful; this Clairefontaine doesn't seem to behave like my many other Clairefontaine notebooks (cloth bound), which is good to know. I'd love a Tomoe River notebook but I'm not sure how practical it would be, since I write on both sides.

 

The one downside to Clairefontaine notebooks is that pens can skip, but this is because of our own oils on the page, not the paper itself: so I use a piece of paper underneath and long sleeves. As much as I love using Tomoe River and seeing all that sheen can be fun, Clairefontaine makes my inks look as good as they can: I was ready to give up on Kon Peki until I started writing ona Clairefontaine on a sunn day: wowza! There is also the question of cost, while the Nanami notebook is $26 + shipping in the US, Clairefontaine can be found for $12 in europe.

[DrDebG]

Great review, very useful; this Clairefontaine doesn't seem to behave like my many other Clairefontaine notebooks (cloth bound), which is good to know. I'd love a Tomoe River notebook but I'm not sure how practical it would be, since I write on both sides.

 

The one downside to Clairefontaine notebooks is that pens can skip, but this is because of our own oils on the page, not the paper itself: so I use a piece of paper underneath and long sleeves. As much as I love using Tomoe River and seeing all that sheen can be fun, Clairefontaine makes my inks look as good as they can: I was ready to give up on Kon Peki until I started writing ona Clairefontaine on a sunn day: wowza! There is also the question of cost, while the Nanami notebook is $26 + shipping in the US, Clairefontaine can be found for $12 in europe.

 

Thank you so much for your comments. You are correct. Perhaps my particular Clairfontaine notebook was defective. I have used other Clairfontaine products and they seemed to have some similar problems, one being the skipping issue. Actually, someone else mentioned that they use a piece of paper to rest their hand on when writing. I did try that for a few days and didn't really notice too much difference.

 

Thank you for reminding me about the shipping since that does factor into the cost. The shipping for my two Seven Seas Notebooks was $8.95. The shipping for my one Clairfontaine notebook was $7.45. I don't remember the cost of the shipping on my Paper for Fountain Pens Notebooks. The shipping for my Midori MD Notebooks was nothing because I ordered it through Amazon Prime, and there was no shipping for the Black n'Red or Spicebox notebooks since I purchased them locally. .

 

Pen Chalet has just announced a new 68 gsm Tomoe River notebook called "Endless". Some people prefer the heavier Tomoe River because of less showthrough. Personally, the little bit of showthrough that I have with the 52 gsm TR is acceptable. I have a couple of the Taroko Design staplebound notebooks (although they are really not notebooks just "notefolders" because of the small page count) and I find that they still have a fair amount of showthrough.

 

Anyway, I am really happy for you that Clairfontaine notebooks work for you. As my notebook stash diminishes a bit, I may order one of the Rhodia Webnotebooks which have Clairfontaine paper and see how that works out. I have always been impressed that a lot of the pen retailers (i.e. Goulet, Anderson, etc.) use Rhodia paper so much. But certainly the Clairfontaine Essentials notebook was one of my least favorite journals that I have used. It might also be because I write more with wider nibs too. I didn't have nearly the trouble with my EF and F nibs.

 

This may seem funny, but for years I used only Moleskine notebooks which was because I only wrote in pencil. Then I moved to Leuchterm1917 notebooks for several years. But when I started using my fountain pens, the Moleskine went into the trash and I stopped using the Leuchterm1917 notebooks. Now, I understand the Leuchterm paper is much more friendly to fountain pens and ink.

 

What is really great is that there are so many different notebooks out there for people with different tastes.

Edited May 8, 2019 by DrPenfection

[A Smug Dill]

Fantastic review! Very thorough and systematic. Thanks for all the work you've put into it.

[Mongoosey]

How would you compare the feel and feedback of 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper and Midori paper, like that in the Midori MD Notebooks?

[senzen]

 

 

What is really great is that there are so many different notebooks out there for people with different tastes.

 

Yes indeed. I still have a few Clairefontaine left but I'm still hoping some friends will be able to pick up a couple in France, for peanuts compared to what they cost elsewhere. Checking out that Pen Chalet notebook, great info!

[DrDebG]

Fantastic review! Very thorough and systematic. Thanks for all the work you've put into it.

 

 

Thank you for your kind remarks!

[DrDebG]

How would you compare the feel and feedback of 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper and Midori paper, like that in the Midori MD Notebooks?

 

 

I compared the 68 gsm Tomoe River paper in the Taroko Design "note book-let" that I have and found it to be very smooth like 52 gsm TR in the Seven Seas notebook. It is smoother than the Midori MD notebook. The showthrough of the 68 gsm TR is worse than the Midori MD, but better than the 52 gsm TR. I was surprised, however, that my ink seemed to show the sheen and shading just a bit more on the 52 gsm than the 68 gsm TR. But, few people would probably notice that. I am just a bit particular I guess. Here is a poor photo of the Taroko Design 68 gsm Tomoe River paper.

 

From my limited perspective, I would place the 68 gsm TR paper slightly above the Midori MD paper equal to the 52 gsm TR in terms of smoothness and showing the inks to the fullest. But, my own preference at this time is for the 52 gsm TR in the Seven Seas notebook. Even though I write on both sides of the paper, the showthrough on the 52 gsm is not that big of an issue for me.

[Mongoosey]

 

 

I compared the 68 gsm Tomoe River paper in the Taroko Design "note book-let" that I have and found it to be very smooth like 52 gsm TR in the Seven Seas notebook. It is smoother than the Midori MD notebook. The showthrough of the 68 gsm TR is worse than the Midori MD, but better than the 52 gsm TR. I was surprised, however, that my ink seemed to show the sheen and shading just a bit more on the 52 gsm than the 68 gsm TR. But, few people would probably notice that. I am just a bit particular I guess. Here is a poor photo of the Taroko Design 68 gsm Tomoe River paper.

 

From my limited perspective, I would place the 68 gsm TR paper slightly above the Midori MD paper equal to the 52 gsm TR in terms of smoothness and showing the inks to the fullest. But, my own preference at this time is for the 52 gsm TR in the Seven Seas notebook. Even though I write on both sides of the paper, the showthrough on the 52 gsm is not that big of an issue for me.

 

Thank you for the feedback! It is very helpful.

 

I, as well, as you may know, find my preference rather honed in on 52 gsm TRP from Nanami. Not only are Nanami's notebooks an excellent value (price per page), but offer the best paper I've ever written on while functioning optimally.

 

68 gsm TRP would probably be my second choice for paper and it's honestly as feedbacky as I prefer to go. Any more feedback and it just takes too much effort to move the pen across the page (52 gsm has spoiled me )...

 

but those options include HippoNoto's for $50 after shipping for only 20 more pages than a Nanami's, and Taroko's for $40 after shipping for 100 less pages than Nanami's. They're not even something I'd like to stockpile as a back up like the prices of Midori MD's may entice one to do.

 

My paper-world would kind of be turned upside down if Nanami Notebooks wasn't around. That's why every year or less I like to stockpile more and more.

 

EDIT: The show through of 52 gsm doesn't bother me either, unless I'm using a certain ballpoint, ironically enough: The Schmidt Easyflow9000, which shows through terribly and bleeds through.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Mongoosey

[DrDebG]

I agree with you about the 68 gsm TRP. It does have a bit more feedback than 52 gsm. As I continue to use the 52 gsm, I am becoming more and more convinced that this is all I want to use for my personal journal. I haven't tried the HippoNoto journal. I do like the simple buckram cover on the Seven Seas journal. It easily slips into my Franklin Christoph zippered notebook without adding weight from a heavy cover.

 

The Midori MD notebooks are very nice, and when you can get them on sale, they are a real bargain. A couple of years ago, I was able to buy a bunch of them fairly inexpensively and I was using them almost exclusively until late last year. The paper isn't quite as smooth as 52 gsm TR, but is very comfortable to write with.

[Mongoosey]

I agree with you about the 68 gsm TRP. It does have a bit more feedback than 52 gsm. As I continue to use the 52 gsm, I am becoming more and more convinced that this is all I want to use for my personal journal. I haven't tried the HippoNoto journal. I do like the simple buckram cover on the Seven Seas journal. It easily slips into my Franklin Christoph zippered notebook without adding weight from a heavy cover.

 

The Midori MD notebooks are very nice, and when you can get them on sale, they are a real bargain. A couple of years ago, I was able to buy a bunch of them fairly inexpensively and I was using them almost exclusively until late last year. The paper isn't quite as smooth as 52 gsm TR, but is very comfortable to write with.

 

Alright. I'll think about researching Midori if Nanami doesn't get in the way.

 

I tried Mnemosyne's and I really didn't like the extra feedback they provided.

 

I tried Kokuyo Notebooks and I also really didn't like the extra feedback they provided.

 

If Nanami wasn't in the picture I'd even consider something like Clairefontaine because it's smoother than the Mnemosyne's, Kokoyu's, and maybe even 68 gsm TRP if I have a wet ink combo (where my Heart of Darkness comes in handy).

 

And Nanami doesn't offer anything larger than an A5 and I'm not interested in the B5 paperforfountainpens notebook that loses some of the width from not lying flat.

 

Black and Red is something I may try for larger notebooks.

 

But as of now, I do most of my personal and creative writing with a Pilot Custom 91-M (Platinum 3776-M on the way) in my Nanami Notebooks, and when it spills over into composition work I honestly use a Rotring Tikky Ballpoint with an Easyflow9000 in 8.5-11" Mead notebooks, which is surprisingly very pleasant and keeps up with my stream of consciousness at its fastest.

 

Sometimes I'll even cheat and use a Uni SXR-600-07 or SXR-600-05 refill (Parker style refill version of Jetstream Prime) in a Tikky with my Nanami Notebook because that combo is surprisingly very pleasant and effortless without the extensive showthrough and bleedthrough of a Schmidt Easyflow9000 on 52 gsm.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Mongoosey

[XYZZY]

Deborah this review is awesome. Thank you!

 

I only just finished my first Taroko Enigma. Other than it needing effort to make it lay flat, and the price, I was very happy with it. When I ordered it I bought two, so have one more. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention, and did not notice that the price for shipping two was exactly twice the price for shipping one, so that sucked.

 

I really like the Bond Travel Gear A5, that also has TR 68gsm. $0.11/sheet so an par with the Nanami, and I like the lack of thickness from just 296 pages. And the binding is to die for: open it up and it lays flat with no extra help needed. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they are selling them as stand-alone notebooks any more, only as a combo that includes a zippered case and more $.

 

Anyhow, back to your excellent review... Unlike many people here, I don't keep a stockpile of notebooks, instead spending (too) much time researching my options and making sure that I've got the next journal in hand before the current one fills. This review is probably going to be a frequent stopping point for me to finding the next one (or next next one).

[DrDebG]

Deborah this review is awesome. Thank you!

 

I only just finished my first Taroko Enigma. Other than it needing effort to make it lay flat, and the price, I was very happy with it. When I ordered it I bought two, so have one more. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention, and did not notice that the price for shipping two was exactly twice the price for shipping one, so that sucked.

 

I really like the Bond Travel Gear A5, that also has TR 68gsm. $0.11/sheet so an par with the Nanami, and I like the lack of thickness from just 296 pages. And the binding is to die for: open it up and it lays flat with no extra help needed. Unfortunately it doesn't look like they are selling them as stand-alone notebooks any more, only as a combo that includes a zippered case and more $.

 

Anyhow, back to your excellent review... Unlike many people here, I don't keep a stockpile of notebooks, instead spending (too) much time researching my options and making sure that I've got the next journal in hand before the current one fills. This review is probably going to be a frequent stopping point for me to finding the next one (or next next one).

 

 

Thank you for your kind comments. I too have considered the Bond Travel Gear A5 and was actually going to buy one, but as you said it only comes with the case now - which is something I don't need. I believe GourmetPens.com did a review on the notebook and case and thinks very highly of it. But, I decided to just go for the Nanami Seven Seas. Dave at Nanami was so incredibly helpful as well. I really appreciate good customer service.

 

Again, like you, I do not have a stockpile of different kinds of notebooks. I do have a couple more Midori MD's and Letterbox notebooks (I use them for work), but I generally purchase a new notebook when I am about halfway through my present notebook. In the case of the Clairfontaine Essentials notebook, I knew about the 3rd or 4th day that this would be a one time only notebook. With that said, I too am always on the lookout for a new notebook.

[DrDebG]

For anyone who is interested, the Letterbox journals were restocked in my local Costco. There are three journals packaged together as Item #1047461 for $12.99. Needless to say, I purchased a couple more packages since I use them for work.