Word Notebooks Blue Floral Review

Word Notebooks

Word. Notebooks are quite unique in that they are specifically designed for making lists.  The notebooks are pocket sized at 3.5″ x 5.5″ and contain 48 pages of acid free paper.

Word Notebooks

The white flowers and skulls against the blue background makes for an excellent cover design.

On the left margin at the beginning of each line you have a circle within another circle designed to be used with Word. Notebooks’ standardized symbol system (see the use guide below).

Word Notebooks

The paper is thicker than you find in a standard Field Notes notebook but it seems to feather and bleed when using fountain pen ink.  This paper seems work best with ballpoints and fine point gel pens.

Word Notebooks

Word Notebooks

I have been using the Word. bullet point system for a few weeks now and I have to say that I do like it quite a bit.  If Word. Notebooks were to improve their paper I believe I would use them for my daily to-do lists but for now I have been using them to keep track of the reviews I need to complete for THE UNROYAL WARRANT.

Word. Notebooks are  sold in packs of three for $9.99 and if you are not a fountain pen user, I highly recommend these notebooks; the design inside and out is fantastic.

Word Notebooks

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by Word. Notebooks for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of the Word. Notebooks:

(I have no affiliation to the sites linked below)

Pencil Revolution – Review of Word. Notesbooks.

Ed Jelley – Word. Notebooks Tan Camo – Review

Gourmet Pens – Review: Word Lined Notebooks – Swedish Camo

Pen Paper Ink Letter – Word. Notebooks Review

The Pen Addict – Word. Notebooks Review

 

 

 

 

Uni Jetstream 3 Multi Pen 0.7mm Review

Uni Jetstream 3

The Uni Jetstream 3 is a refillable three color (black, blue and red) ballpoint multi pen.  The Jetstream 3, like all pens in Uni’s Jetstream line, writes very smoothly.  The ink is fast drying and the pen always starts without a hitch.  Being a ballpoint, the pen lays down lines that are not particularly clean and there is more resistance on the paper than you get from the equivalent roller ball or gel pen.

Uni Jetstream 3

The translucent black body and rubber grip give the Jetstream 3 a simple and clean look.

Uni Jetstream 3

Overall, the Jetstream 3 is a good ballpoint pen and I have found myself using it more than I thought I would.

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by JetPens for review purposes.

Pilot Razor Point Marker Stick Pen 0.5MM Review

Pilot Razor Point

Much like the Pilot Precise, the Pilot Razor Point is a classic.  The Razor Point is a simple felt tipped pen that (to my knowledge) has remained unchanged for at least a decade now.   The completely opaque metallic blue plastic body and the thin metal clip are clues that this pen was designed quite a while ago.  I personally find the design refreshing as I am so used to loudly colored pens with horrible branding and translucent bodies.

Pilot Razor Point

The Razor Point has an extra fine felt tip that writes with a smooth wet line and manages to stay true to its specified 0.5mm width.

There are a couple downsides to the Razor Point that its modern peers do not share.  First off, the ink in the Razor Point tends to bleed more than other porous tip pens like the Copic Multiliner or the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner.  Second, the tip is not particularly durable; in my experience the tip gets worn out before the pen runs out of ink.

Pilot Razor Point

While there are better felt tip pens out there, the Razor Point is really quite likeable and I think worth a try if you are curious about it.

Here are some great reviews of the Pilot Razor Point:

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Pen Quest –  Pilot Razor Point

The Pen Addict – Pilot Razor Point Review

Word Notebooks 2014 Standard Memorandum Review

Word Notebooks The Standard Memorandum

While I know we are already in 2014, it is not too late to buy a 2014 diary.  The Standard Memorandum Notebook produced by Word. Notebooks is a bit of a curiosity.  Designed by illustrator, Jon Contino, to resemble pocket journals form the early 1900’s, The Standard Memorandum Notebook only gives you a few lines per day.  When I received the notebook in the mail I was surprised by how tiny it is; at 2.35″ wide x 5.25″ long it will easily fit into your pocket.

Word Notebooks The Standard Memorandum

Word Notebooks The Standard Memorandum

The black cover features gold lettering with an interesting Jon Contino drawn script that reads “THE STANDARD MEMORANDUM 2014”.  The rest of the notebook features Columbia Titling typeface.

Word Notebooks The Standard MemorandumThe notebook contains 64 pages and is bound with two staples.  This notebook does not lie flat nor does it close well.  Because the pages are skinny there is not enough weight to close the book so it stays open at a 45 degree angle in the middle of the book. Each page contains 7 days, such that you get 14 days on a 2 page spread.

Word Notebooks The Standard Memorandum

Up front you get a place for your personal details ( can't say I have seen a diary with a place for sizing and transportation info before).
Up front you get a place for your personal details (can’t say I have seen a diary with a place for sizing and transportation info before).
Also up front is an index with a cell for each day of the year so that you can mark important events.
Also up front is an index with a cell for each day of the year so that you can mark important events.
Some feathering
Some feathering

The paper is smooth but not fountain pen friendly.  I found a good amount of bleed and feathering with fountain pen ink.

Bleed-through
Bleed-through
I love seeing all of the manufacturing details listed.  Glad that this is becoming a more common practice.
I love seeing all of the manufacturing details listed. Glad that this is becoming a more common practice.

I have been using the notebook for a week now and at the end of each day I write down the day’s highlights.  Trying to get your whole day into 3 or 4 lines is surprising fun; it forces you to cut out the unimportant details. While I still use a regular full size journal, I am finding that the The Standard Memorandum is easier to keep up with every day and in that sense it’s pretty valuable.

The Standard Memorandum Notebook can be purchased for $11.00 here. 

You can also purchase a leather cover for $45 which can be monogrammed.

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by Word. Notebooks for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of the The Standard Memorandum Notebook:

(I have no affiliation to the sites linked below)

Ink on Hand – Word Notebooks 2014 Standard Memorandum

Pen Paper Ink Letter – 2014 Standard Memorandum by Word. Notebooks

Inktronics – The Standard Memorandum. Does It Compare to the Real Thing?

Diamine Ancient Copper Fountain Pen Ink Review

Writing sample on Maruman Smooth To Write loose leaf paper.
Writing sample on Maruman Smooth To Write loose leaf paper

I have improved my review format for the writing sample to make it more informative.  I am now including a rating system for four key areas; the ratings are from one to five (five being the best).  Please let me know what you think.

I love red/orange brown inks and Diamine Ancient Copper is my new favorite.  My two other (now former) favorites in this category are Montblanc Red Chalk and Noodler’s Antietam.  Unlike Noodler’s Antietam, there are no issues with feathering and long dry times (on the papers I have tested) and unlike Montblanc Red Chalk, the flow is generous.  Ancient Copper shows excellent shading; it doesn’t get much better.   Dry time on this ink is on the faster side and it is not waterproof.

This ink changes quite a bit with different nib sizes; if you look at the writing sample you will see that with the Italix (1.3mm nib) the color is lighter and more orange, then compare to the Pilot (M nib) it looks darker and more red.

Overall, Ancient Copper is a beautiful, well behaved ink.  I highly recommend it.

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by JetPens for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of Diamine Ancient Copper:

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Pens! Paper! Pencils! – Diamine Ancient Copper Ink Review

Inkdependence – Diamine Ancient Copper

Vertical Paper – Ink Review: Diamine Ancient Copper

Write Notepads & Co. Large Notebook Review

Write Notepads & Co. Notebook

The Baltimore-based Write Notepads & Co. produces American-made notebooks featuring high quality letterpress chipboard covers.  At $16 for the Large Notebook, you get 120 5.5″ x 8.5″ pages of lined or blank paper with a brass spiral binding.  Each notebook comes with a thick rubber band that can be used to keep the notebook closed.  When you buy a notebook from Write Notepads & Co. they donate one to a public school, so the $16 for the large notebook actually buys two.

I quite like the rustic look of these notebooks.  The thick chipboard covers go well with the brass spiral.   I also like the letterpress logo featuring a fountain pen.

Write Notepads & Co. Notebook
The inside front cover features a place for your name, address, phone number and email, all done in letter press.

The notebook is dubbed “fountain pen friendly” and while smooth and thick, the recycled paper doesn’t handle fountain pen ink all that well.

Write Notepads & Co. Notebook

I found that the paper tends to bleed with fountain pens, roller ball pens and porous tip pens.  Most of the gel pens and all of the traditional ballpoints I tested, behaved well on this paper.

Write Notepads & Co. Notebook
Bleed-through seems to be more of an issue than ghosting.

Interestingly, the lines on the page do not seem to be perfectly printed, some are thin, others are fat and I notice that in the middle of most pages there are some breaks in the lines.  I think this adds to the character and charm of the notebook but others may find it distracting.

Write Notepads & Co. Notebook

The pages are perforated but don’t always produce the cleanest of tears.

Overall, I like this notebook because its design and materials have a lot of character.

Is it right for fountain pen users?  I wouldn’t call it “fountain pen friendly” but I have no problem using it with most of my fountain pens; some bleed through doesn’t bother me and one advantage of an absorbent paper is faster dry times.

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by Write Notepads & Co.  for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of the Write Notepads & Co. Notebook:

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Inkdependence – Write Notepads & Co

Ed Jelley – Write Notepads & Co. Large Notebook – Review

Waterman Serenity Blue (FKA Florida Blue) Fountain Pen Ink Review

Waterman Serenity Blue

If I was only allowed one ink, Waterman Serenity Blue would be it.  While the color is not particularly special, I have had more bottles of Florida Blue (now called Serenity Blue) than any other ink.  I love Serenity Blue because it is so well behaved.  If I buy a vintage pen this is my initial go to ink because it is very easy to clean out of my pens.  I have had no issues with this ink the 12 years I have been using it.  No clogging, no staining, no nothing.

The color is a soft blue, not a lot of saturation but there is good shading.  I haven’t had any issues with feathering and it is not prone to bleeding.  Serenity Blue is not lubricated and the flow is average to dry.  The ink isn’t waterproof  and is easily washed off the page.  The dry time is about average.

Waterman Serenity Blue is a staple that all fountain pen users should own.

Here are some great reviews of Waterman Serenity Blue (FKA Florida Blue):

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Pen Paper Ink Letter – Quick Handwritten Ink Review: Waterman Serenity Blue

Coffee, Ink, & Serenity – Fountain Pen Ink Review: Waterman’s “Serenity Blue”

Tyler Dahl Pens – Ink Review – Waterman Florida Blue

Hobonichi Planner 2014 Review

Hobonichi Planner

Having abandoned my Cartier diary (as the refills have increased an unbelievable 60% in price) I began searching for a replacement and stumbled upon a thread on The Fountain Pen Network discussing diaries for 2014.  The one that seemed to peak everyone’s interest was the Hobonichi Planner featuring Tomoe River paper.  To my knowledge, 2014 is the first year that this planner has been released in English.  After doing more research and learning about the awesome layout I knew I had to have one.

Hobonichi Planner

The appearance of the planner is simple and elegant.  The cover is a thin flexible black leatherette with “Techo” (in Japanese) and three keys printed in silver.  Printed on the spine in silver is “HOBO” and “2014”.  I like the look of the black leatherette cover so much that I am tempted to use it without a case.  The planner measures 105mm wide x 149mm high x 14mm thick (that’s approximately 4.13″ wide  x 5.87″ high x o.55″ thick).  Pictured below is the spine with the book open.  Tomoe River paper is so thin that you can fit 464 pages + the cover into a 14mm dimension.  The planner lays flat thanks to its excellent construction.

Hobonichi Planner
For those interested in book making look at how many tiny signatures (folded sheets sewn together) there are!

Hobonichi Planner

The layout of the planner is quite nice.  You get a full page per day with 4mm grids.  Each page shows the current moon phase and every two page spread features a quote.  Most of the quotes are from Japanese cultural figures.

Hobonichi Planner
Up front you get full months spread across two pages.
1 month per column and a day per row.
1 month per column and a day per row.

For Sunday the print on the page is orange instead of the normal black/grey.  In the back of the planner there are several pages of blank orange dot grid followed by some reference pages (clothing sizes, international holidays and country codes) as well as informational pages like a sushi guide and a sake guide.  One thing that I would like to see in the Hobonichi is a color map of the world.

Sushi Guide...I particularly like the part on the top right pages that says "If you are having trouble ordering....Just point!"
Sushi Guide…I particularly like the part on the top right page that says “If you are having trouble ordering….Just point!”

The paper, as I have show in my review of a Tomoe River notebook , is simply amazing.  It holds fountain pen ink as well or better than any other paper I can think of.  It’s hard not to love this planner.  The Hobonichi planner is reasonably priced at 2,500 Yen (approx $24 USD) before shipping and handling.

Hobonichi Planner
No issues with bleeding or feathering…the only draw back to this paper is dry time.
Hobonichi Planner
There is show through but it is not something that would prevent you from writing on both sides of a page.

Naoko at Hobonichi Planner was kind enough to send me this planner free of charge for me to review.  Along with the planner she included a cover, a couple of stencils and a set of page flags.  The design of the cover to be honest, is not my cup of tea.  The polyester cover was designed by the children’s book illustrator Ryoji Arai.  The front features a bright red donkey against a sky blue cover and the spine and back cover has some doodles and pictures.  It’s a very interesting composition.  The inside of the cover is bright pink and has two neon green page makers with pink tips (one is a rectangle and the other is a triangle).

Hobonichi Planner
Hobonichi cover with a Montblanc 149 in the pen loops.

There is a pocket on the outside of the back cover which I have found to be handy for slipping in receipts as well as a Field Notes journal.  There are two large pen loops, one attached to the front of the cover and one attached to the back so that you can slip a pen into both loops to keep the notebook shut.  I was able to easily slide my Montblanc 149 into the loops which is good news if you like to use oversized pens.

Hobonichi Planner

On the inside of the front cover there are 5 card slots that fit the Hobonichi stencils perfectly. There is an additional pocket behind the card slots.

Hobonichi Planner

On the inside of the back cover there is a black tag that says “Hobonichi 2014” as well as two small pockets.

Hobonichi Planner

The retail price of this cover is 1,900 Yen (approx $18 USD).  This same cover in a plain solid color is 1,500 Yen (approx $14.50 USD) and in leather is 8,500 Yen (approx $81.50 USD).  The are several other cover designs that cost as much as 31,500 Yen (approx $302 USD).  The polyester cover is reasonably priced and and provides a lot of functionality.

The Hobonichi planner and covers can be purchased in English directly from Hobonichi here.

Hobonichi Planner

Please note: (as mentioned above) this product was provided to me at no charge by Hobonichi for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of the Hobonichi Planner:

(I have no affiliation with the sites linked below)

Tiny Cartridge – Tiny Review: Hobonichi Techo 2013The Well-Appointed Desk – Review: Hobonichi Planner 2014

The Well-Appointed Desk – Review: Hobonichi Planner 2014

Cartier Cabochon Desk Diary Review

Cartier Cabochon desk diary

A few years ago I received this beautiful Cartier Desk diary as a gift.  It is appropriately called a desk diary as it is quite large at 10″ x 7.5 “.  The leather cover and thick pages also make it quite heavy.  Let’s start with the design; the cover features black leather calfskin with the double “C” Cartier logo embossed on the front cover.  Also on the front cover are two stainless steel corners for added durability.  On the inside is an attractive burgundy colored calfskin with two pockets to hold the diary refill and an address book.  There is also a nice leather page marker with a stainless double “C” Cartier charm.  Overall it has a very nice and clean masculine look to it.

Cartier Cabochon desk diary

Cartier Cabochon desk diary

Cartier Cabochon desk diary

The agenda refills feature seven days on two pages organized by lines for each half hour starting at 8am and ending at 9pm.  The weekends share a single column and get one line per hour.  This layout wont be that useful for everyone.  As someone that charges my clients by the hour, I used it to keep track of my time spent rather than as a pure appointment book.

Color map of the world...well most of it anyway.
Color map of the world…well most of it anyway

Cartier also lists these additional features (I put the most amusing ones in bold): “calendar of international holidays, world map and map of the European continent, flight times and time zones, area codes, useful telephone numbers, conversion tables, clothing and shoe sizes, gold and the most beautiful stones in the world, ratings for vintages, wedding anniversaries, addresses of Cartier boutiques.”  One of the things not listed is a country guide which has up to date information on 35 different countries: population size, the capital city, airport info, currency, and electrical information.

Cartier Cabochon desk diary
A diary wouldn’t be complete without an entire page on gold and an entire page on precious gems right?
Cartier Cabochon desk diary
Vintage (French) wine rating chart and Wedding anniversaries
Wine vintages guide and country guide.
Useful phone numbers and Country guide

The cream colored pages are very thick and feature a gilded edge.  The paper deals with fountain pen ink well and has perforated bottom corners with the double “C” Cartier logo that allow you to quickly jump to the current week.  One thing that I really don’t like about this diary is the inability for the refill to relax and lie flat (even with daily use).  I have to use a book weight to keep the darn thing open.

The thick pages work will with fountain pen ink.

Very little ghosting a bleed through.
Very little ghosting and no bleed through
Cariter Cabochon Desk Diary
Perforated page corners

Cartier Cabochon desk diary

Each year there is a different work of art featured on the first page of the refill and on the back page there is a little bio of the artist, for 2013, the artist was Patrick Vilaire.  The outside of the diary refill is burgundy, the same burgundy as the leather on the inside of the cover.  In prior years this has been black but it looks like 2014 is burgundy again.  You get a seperate address book with each refill.

For some years the picture is in color.  Guess they needed to save money this...recession and what not.
In previous years the picture was color. I guess they needed to save money this year…recession and what not.
Spine of the refill.
Spine of the refill
Address book.
Back of dairy refill and address book cover
Address book
Address book

New, the cover with agenda refill is $660, which isn’t terrible, but what is terrible is the price of the refills.  The 2012 refill cost me $60, the 2013 refill (which you see here) cost me $90 and the 2014 refill, which I have been simply priced out of, is $155!!! I have called and asked Cartier why these have gone up so much and they have no explanation…the refill is essentially unchanged yet worth $65 more.  While I have really enjoyed using this diary the real killer for me has become the price of the refill; I will need to find a notebook that I can use this lovely cover with.

Pilot Precise Rolling Ball Extra Fine Review

Pilot Precise Rolling Ball

The Pilot Precise Rolling Ball pen is the predecessor to the very popular Pilot Precise V5 (and V7) and has been one of my favorite roller balls for quite a while now. Compared to the V5, the Precise is more satisfying to write with; to me it provides the right combination of smoothness and feedback.

Pilot Precise Rolling Ball

The basic beige plastic body wont turn any heads but its understated looks really appeal to me.  The Precise features a durable tungsten carbide ball and stainless steel point as well as the same clip and overall shape of the V5.  Unlike the V5, it does not have an ink window or a visible feed.  You wont find the Precise in most office supply stores anymore but they can easily be bought online.  I still highly recommend this pen.