Notepad review Archives - BLAKE'S BROADCAST

Rhodia DotPad Number 38 Review

September 4, 2014 by Blake

Rhodia (and Clairefontaine) products have been a staple at my desk since middle school and there are not many formats I haven’t tried but the Rhodia DotPad # 38 and the Rhodia Clic Bloc mouse pad (review to come) fit the “new-to-me” criterion.

The #38 DotPad is the largest format top staple bound pad that Rhodia offers. It measures 16 ½” x 12 ½ “ and contains 80 sheets of Rhodia’s classic 80 g paper.

I purchased the #38 because I am currently using the end of my dining room table as a makeshift desk while I am in the process of remodeling and I was getting tired of juggling my Rhodia Reverse pad with my keyboard. Now I just sit the keyboard right on the #38 so that I don’t have to move my keyboard when I want to write a quick note.

#38 DotPad on my makeshift desk (dining room table) with keyboard and Aurora Optima.

The dot grid is the standard 5mm interval and Rhodia calls the dots “pale violet” in color but on the Black version that I have they look grey to me and are clearly different than the light purple color I see on my orange cover Reverse pads. The paper is micro perforated so it is very easy to tear out a page.

Rhodia DotPad Number 38

Using Rhodia’s standard 80 g weight paper, this pad does very well with fountain pen ink. Dry times are slower but tolerable and I use both sides of the paper without problem. I have been using the pad for a while now and I really like it. With a retail price of $16 and a street price closer to $13 it’s an affordable notepad that I plan to make a staple in my new office.

RhodiaDot Pad Number 38

Rhodia Bloc Pad No 11 Review

February 7, 2014 by Blake

I love Rhodia paper products because they are both affordable and fountain pen friendly. They come in dozens of formats and I have tried almost all of them and only two have remained staples in my notebook collection: the Rhodia Reverse Book (review to come) and the Rhodia Bloc Pad No 11.

The No 11 is small notepad that measures 2.9″ x 4.1″ and contains 80 sheets of Rhodia’s standard 80g paper in lined and graph formats (I prefer the graph). The No 11 comes in black and classic Rhodia orange covers. Like the vast majority of Rhodia products, there is a lot of branding; all three sides of this tiny pad have the Rhodia logo. The sheets are micro perforated and if you are careful the sheets come out pretty easily. Because the sheets are bound only with one centered staple it is important pull the paper up off the pad to get the perforations to work. If you pull straight the paper will detach at the staple.

The No 11 is great for short lists and notes. I prefer them to using sticky notes.

As you can see there are no issues with feathering or bleeding. Rhoida (and sister brand Clairefontaine) are the gold standard when it comes to fountain pen friendly paper and it is easy to see why.

Virtually no ghosting to speak of.

At $2 a pad it’s pretty hard to go wrong. I believe the No 11 would be useful to almost everyone; I highly recommend it.

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

Write Notepads & Co. Large Notebook Review

December 31, 2013 by Blake

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.

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.

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.

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