Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Notepad Review

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As I said earlier in my review of the Hermès Ostrich GM Notebook Cover, I love items that bridge my interests, and while the Rhodia Clic Bloc combines my love of pens with my love of technology it hasn’t exactly won me over.

The Clic Bloc is a notepad that doubles as a mouse pad and unfortunately serving double duty makes it both a bad notepad and a bad mouse pad.

The pad measures 7.5″ x 9″, contains 30 sheets and has a nonskid backing.  The Clic Bloc looks like a regular Rhodia notepad with an orange flip over cover, only the Clic Bloc does not have a cover, it is merely a color picture of a folded cover that even has a shadow line.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Note Pad

It is nice that they want this product to look like the other notepads in their line but to me it is a waste of space to print a fake folded cover on every page.  I also don’t like that “www. bloc-rhodia.com” is printed on the bottom.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Note Pad

The paper is the same 80g paper that Rhodia is famous for and of course it performs superbly with fountain pen ink.  No bleeding or feathering.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Note Pad

It should also be noted that the grid is only on one side of the paper, the opposite side is completely blank.  The pad is bound with glue on the bottom and left edges and tears off easily.  Because its glued on the left it isn’t going to work well for left handed people as the paper is not going to stay put when you brush against the pad.

As a mousepad, the nonskid backing is not as secure as a regular mousepad but it works well enough.

Rhodia Clic Bloc Mouse Pad / Note Pad
The backing of the Clic Bloc

I found no tracking issues using the pad but I found the edges of the pad to be uncomfortable to brush up against while moving the mouse around and this is ultimately what caused me to stop using it.  It’s just not comfortable.

Rhodia DotPad Number 38 Review

Rhodia DotPad Number 38

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.

Rhodia DotPad Number 38

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.

Rhodia DotPad Number 38

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.
#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