Banditapple Carnet

[Uncle Red]

I didn't see any reviews for Banditapple in the review index so I thought I'd add my first impressions.

I got a Lined Tablet that's 13 X 21 cm (about 5 X 8 1/4 inches) from the Goulet Pen Company, they have 2 smaller sizes and the notebooks are availible with blank, lined, graph and weekly planner pages. The paper is 80 GSM, acid free and printed with Soy ink. The note books are stitched. Mine cost $5.50.

 

The paper is supposed to be off white but I'd say it's more cream and the lines are a light green (I don't like green and the lines don't bother me).

The paper has more tooth than Clairefontaine or Rhodia paper but it's still pleasant to use, it seems to be a bit more absorbant too. How does it handle ink?

 

Notice how wet the Waterman pens were, there's no feathering.

What about bleed through?

If I put a white sheet behind the page there's a little show but that's it. That's better than Sustainable Earth by Staples.

 

Wow, I will be ordering more notebooks and I'll be pushing for more options with this paper.

 

I'm sorry about the quality of the pictures from my cell phone but it's all I have with me.

[TMac]

Very good review. This sounds like really good paper at a low/reasonable price point.

 

How sturdy are the covers? My notebooks tend to get treated roughly so I need something that can withstand a beating.

[JOBPM]

Very good review. This sounds like really good paper at a low/reasonable price point.

 

How sturdy are the covers? My notebooks tend to get treated roughly so I need something that can withstand a beating.

 

They're not terribly sturdy on their own, at least the pocket sized ones aren't. The covers themselves tear pretty easily. I carried one around in my back pocket for a while, and the stitched binding started to unravel at the top. Since then I've moved them into a Pelle style leather cover that I made myself. I've had three of the Banditapples (including the one that started to unravel) in there for months, always riding in my back pocket. They're a little worse for wear, a bit bent, but none of them are threatening to come apart.

 

I can also attest to the quality of the paper. It's really fantastic. I've found it quick to dry and relatively absorbent, but not feathery. It's got a little tooth too, which I like.

[zenrabbit]

I can also attest to the fountain-pen-friendliness of the paper. I have used a number of different inks in my BanditApple notebook with no feathering or bleed-through issues. I like to do sketches with a fountain pen or pens and then fill in with colored pencil. It works wonderfully. I will be using the "handy" size as my regular journal as soon as I fill up my current journal. A great notebook/journal for the price.

[Tokugawa]

Another satisfied Banditapple Carnet user.

[Earthdawn]

I love mine as well.. I got one very soon after the Goulets got these in.

 

:thumbup:

 

Great review.. thanks and I certainly agree, GREAT paper!

[Uncle Red]

I did get the paper to feather with DeA Steel Blue and Stevenson (I still had them inked up from Ink Drop) but it wasn't bad, the only bleedthrough has been from my outrageously wet Blackbird and it took a day to dry.

I'm glad to see so many of us like this paper.

[cellmatrix]

Very good review. This sounds like really good paper at a low/reasonable price point.

 

Compared to other notebooks available on the Goulet website, the price point doesn't seem very low/reasonable to me.

 

Clairefontaine side staple notebook lined with margins (6.5 by 8.25 inches): $2.75 for 48 sheets = less than 6 cents a sheet

Rhodia side staple lined notebook (5.875 by 8.25 inches): $3.25 for 48 sheets = between 6 and 7 cents a sheet

Banditapple carnet lined tablet (5.11 by 8.25 inches): $5.50 for 32 sheets = over 17 cents a sheet!

Edited August 16, 2012 by cellmatrix

[quinden]

Very good review. This sounds like really good paper at a low/reasonable price point.

 

Compared to other notebooks available on the Goulet website, the price point doesn't seem very low/reasonable to me.

 

Clairefontaine side staple notebook lined with margins (6.5 by 8.25 inches): $2.75 for 48 sheets = less than 6 cents a sheet

Rhodia side staple lined notebook (5.875 by 8.25 inches): $3.25 for 48 sheets = between 6 and 7 cents a sheet

Banditapple carnet lined tablet (5.11 by 8.25 inches): $5.50 for 32 sheets = over 17 cents a sheet!

 

I think the price point comment might be referring to Midori or Pelle inserts which have roughly the same dimensions and which generally run from $6 to $9.

 

*edited to add - Oops! I didn't realize you were talking about the larger size Banditapple products; the Midori and Pelle inserts are smaller (more like 4.5 x 8.5). You're probably right about the straight price comparison.

Edited August 16, 2012 by quinden

[Uncle Red]

Apples and oranges since you're comparing stapled vs stiched. You may not care about the difference but it is a difference.

[cellmatrix]

Just out of curiosity, what kinds of advantages would stitching have over stapling on notebooks as thin as this? Is it a difference worth the increase in price? Or is it the quality of the paper, over that of rhodia or clairefontaine that makes a difference?

 

I only ask because I actually have used both the rhodia and clairefontaine I described above and the paper seems excellent, the pages lay really flat, and the notebooks seem very sturdy. I'm trying to understand the advantages of the bandit carnet.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice

[Uncle Red]

Sorry, just saw the questions.

 

On the paper, not everyone likes smooth paper. Some days I find the CF, Rhodia and better batches of Staples Bagasse papers feel plasticy; some of my pens skate to easily over the surface. Then there are other days that I love those papers. Sigh

 

On the thread/staples issue. I assume that the stapled pages will hold up pretty well but I like to know that the pages are held in at more than just two places. Also, the staples look and feel cheap to me.

[cellmatrix]

Sorry, just saw the questions.

 

On the paper, not everyone likes smooth paper. Some days I find the CF, Rhodia and better batches of Staples Bagasse papers feel plasticy; some of my pens skate to easily over the surface. Then there are other days that I love those papers. Sigh

 

Agreed, a bit of variety in the texture/behavior of paper is certainly a good thing.

 

On the thread/staples issue. I assume that the stapled pages will hold up pretty well but I like to know that the pages are held in at more than just two places. Also, the staples look and feel cheap to me.

 

As far as the clairfontaine/rhodia notebooks with side staples, there are three, not two, staples for the size we are talking about. At first, I too thought they were cheap and inferior compared to threads. Over time however, I have come to really like them. I find that I can repeatedly fold the stapled notebooks completely back onto themselves with no coming undone of any of the pages. I have found that threads sometimes break when you do that repeatedly. So while staples only seem to be used in thinner CF/Rhodia notebooks, when they are used, I am convinced they are stronger than threads.

 

Anyway, good review and thanks for the info.

Edited August 19, 2012 by cellmatrix

[junkyu0922]

planning on getting one for myself. thanks for the review

[cleosmama]

I have used the little Clairefontaine notebooks, and they are nice. But I really like the Banditapple Carnet notebooks, probably because of the toothiness of the paper. But I like the whole package, as it were. I like the color, the stitching, the paper, the size, etc. I got one in the Goulet sampler packet, and really did not expect to like them as much as I came to. They are a bit more expensive, but if you buy five or more, the Goulets give you discounts (5% on 5 or more; 10% on 10 or more).

 

I forgot to say you can mix sizes and still get the discount.

Edited April 13, 2014 by cleosmama