Maruman/Mnemosyne question

[Lachryma]

Hello, All!

 

I'm looking for notebook refills and spent a good part of the afternoon writing in the various notebooks in my Goulet notebook sampler.

 

I loved Mnemosyne with my P51 and a dip pen both with Noodler's X-Feather.  I also loved how it showed off the sheen and shimmer in various inks.  Of all the ones I tried today, Mnemosyne showed off more of the sexy characteristics of every single ink I tried.  Though now that I think of it, I didn't try any shading inks.

 

I logged on to buy Mnemosyne but they are ALL spiral bound. Blech!

 

I looked at the Maruman site for something else.  On their website, they say they use the same paper in everything.  Yet, this doesn't seem to be true.

 

I googled Maruman notebooks and Jetpens has some bound notebook refills.  That's exciting . . . Except the specs are not exactly the same and I'm not knowledgeable enough to know by specs how similar the Mnemosyne paper and regular Maruman paper really are.

 

So, has anyone tried them both?  

What can I look for in the specifications list that could tell me?  Or is it just some magical fairy properties that aren't accounted for in the specs?  Rather like baking . . . You and Grandma can follow the same recipe but her's is always better . . . That Grandma Love that just isn't listed on the recipe but makes it so good.

 

Any help?

[A Smug Dill]

10 minutes ago, Lachryma said:

What can I look for in the specifications list that could tell me?

 

Tell you what exactly? A Mnemosyne notepad's 筆記用紙 (i.e. paper for handwriting) MPS-N 80g/m² is going to be different from a Maruman Cover Note refill's 筆記用紙 78g/m², and again from a Maruman Report Pad's 筆記用紙 MPS-N 60g/m², and so on; by the different stated paper weight alone, you know they are not the same. That's about all the published product specifications will tell you about the paper aside from the page size, however; not the sizing/coating applied, or the physical thickness of the core sheet, or the performance of the paper in any particular respect.

 

Not specifically a comment about Maruman paper, but I've encountered differences in performance (with regard to fountain pen use) in different batches of Rhodia A5 dotPads, even though the brief paper specifications for the SKUs are the same. You're not guaranteed sameness or consistency in performance, even if you stick with a single product by brand and product code.

 

30 minutes ago, Lachryma said:

Or is it just some magical fairy properties that aren't accounted for in the specs?

 

This. You may want to read the discussions on differences between the ‘old’ Tomoe River FP 52g/m² paper produced by paper milling machine no.7 and the ‘new’ Tomoe River FP 52g/m² paper produced by paper milling machine no.9 in Tomoegawa's factory.

[LizEF]

45 minutes ago, Lachryma said:

Any help?

It appears that they have some staple-bound graph paper, but otherwise, yeah, you're stuck with ring-bound.  Have you considered the ones with the ring at the top - I find these quite convenient.

 

Have you searched for reviews of the other paper?  That's probably the fastest way to answer your question, if they're out there.  I noticed, however, that the other notebook disappears from the JetPens listing when I check the "Fountain Pen Friendly" attribute...

 

Sorry, can't help further.

[Lachryma]

Well, I have read much of the discussion re the Tomoe River change. I suppose I didn't read the right thing though, b/c I don't remember anything that sheds any light on this.  But as I said, I'm sure its that I'm not knowledgeable enough on the subject to understand everything I want to understand. 

 

The gsm just does not help me.  I have a Rhodia 80 gsm and a Clairefontaine 80 gsm.  They FEEL different and one shows the sheen better.  Also, I generally journal with a vintage Parker 51 and sometimes, often even, I write with the reverse of the nib.  The Rhodia is smoother and the sound is pleasant.  On the Clairefontaine, it's scratchy and discordant.  But again, the same gsm.

 

I just wish there  . . . Idk.

[Lachryma]

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

It appears that they have some staple-bound graph paper, but otherwise, yeah, you're stuck with ring-bound.  Have you considered the ones with the ring at the top - I find these quite convenient.

 

Have you searched for reviews of the other paper?  That's probably the fastest way to answer your question, if they're out there.  I noticed, however, that the other notebook disappears from the JetPens listing when I check the "Fountain Pen Friendly" attribute...

 

Sorry, can't help further.

Yeah. If I can't find a regular notebook, I'll get the top-bound spiral. 

 

I did look on YouTube hoping that SBRE Brown or Figboot on Pens or one of those guys might have done a review but didn't find one.  

 

I'll keep looking though.

 

Thx!

[Karmachanic]

@Lachryma If you like the Mnemosyne paper give this a try.  Get the side ringbound and use the recto side of the paper only until you get to the last page. Flip it over and write on the verso side to the front of the notebook. This way the rings are always on the left.

[A Smug Dill]

On 6/6/2021 at 12:48 PM, Lachryma said:

I also loved how it showed off the sheen and shimmer in various inks.  Of all the ones I tried today, Mnemosyne showed off more of the sexy characteristics of every single ink I tried.

On 6/6/2021 at 1:44 PM, Lachryma said:

The gsm just does not help me.

On 6/6/2021 at 1:44 PM, Lachryma said:

I just wish there  . . . Idk.

 

I'm afraid no manufacturer is going to rate its paper products on ‘sliding scales’ with respect to each of the qualities in which you're interested, so that you can either compare them or get assured results, especially when you seem more focused on the performance and/or outcomes you'll get as a user, versus objectively how the paper is — such that the vendor can deliver exactly what it promised and what you the customer knowingly buy — but leaving it up to you the user to decide, experiment and ascertain how to get the best results out of what's available.

 

The only way to know whether a product will do what you want well enough for your purposes and expectations is to test it. Even if you're reading a product review prepared by someone else, it's still the result of testing. Testing consumes time and (money spent of acquiring) materials, and in return for the investment you get information; and then you can spend (more) money stocking up on the products that pass muster for actual use. Ideally, each user who wants information must explicitly and willing ‘pay’ somehow, instead of try to offload the cost of testing onto product reviewers who aren't profiting directly in exchange; it is sheer fantasy to be able to get ‘the best’ results out of every dollar spent as a consumer with no missteps, regrets or settling for second-best.

 

Nevertheless, you can just go with what the majority of other users tell you are tried and true, e.g. Tomoe River FP 52gsm paper is among the very ‘best’ at eliciting sheen out of fountain pen inks, and so pay whatever the asking prices for those products as the compromise instead of look for something more accessible or economical, or thicker, or bound in a specific way or format to suit how you intend to deploy them.