Apica
General: This Japanese notebook is awesome. I was at first disappointed that it only came with a sewn binding and not spiral, but it's starting to grow on me. They have about half the amount of paper as regular notebooks, but that's fine with me because I never use up all my notebooks anyway, and end up reusing them for other classes. The paper in these notebooks is amazing, considering that they are notebooks for school use. I haven't found any other notebook in which I can use my fountain pens and not have it bleed through. Paper isn't at all thin and flimsy -- it feels substantial between your fingers, and super smooth to write on, as far as notebooks go. Plus, the soft cover makes it super flexible -- you can toss a few into your bookbag or tote, or even roll it up and put it in your back pocket (people apparently do this with the smaller ones, I haven't tried
). Even though it has a sewn binding and soft cover, it's not flimsy -- it feels nice and durable, at least to me, and I don't treat my notebooks any worse or better than the typical college student, so there ya go. Plus -- and ok, I'm totally going to sound like a freak here -- the paper smells really REALLY good. Paper heaven! Price: Ebay seller taylorintherockies sells 'em (just look for "apica" on Ebay), but I refuse to buy it from her store just because you can get them for so much cheaper from Asian Food Grocer. They are less than $2 each, which is a great price when you consider that a normal notebook is about $4 for 120 pages. Apica is $2 for 60 pages, and better quality. Do the math, and buy 2 Apicas =). I haven't been able to find them outside of these two sources.
Rating: 4.5/5
Barnes & Noble Leather Traveler's Journal
General: After polishing off my Moleskine, I hunted around for an alternative and decided to give this one a try. It's really a very plain journal, BUT it comes with a soft leather cover to put over it, that has 2 pen slots which fold over the top of the notebook nicely. It's small enough to fit into a purse, you never have to hunt around for a pen to write in it with, and has a ribbon bookmark (yay!). The paper is cream-colored, which I prefer over harsh white, and though the lines are spaced a little far apart for my liking (I write small, which is why I liked Moleskine's ruling), it's really smooth and thick, with some shading and no bleedthrough, even with my wettest fountain pens. Oh, and did I mention how smooth it is? Because it's really smooth
. I used to be a major hardcover fan, but I really like the flexible cover this journal has to offer, since it makes it that much easier to fold in half when writing on the right hand page. Not that it's super soft; I do have to wrestle a bit to get it to fold that much, and the amount of resistance it gives makes a decent middle ground between convenient and not-cheap (I know, I'm a master with words). This is a refillable journal, and when buying refills make sure you pick the right size to match your journal. Mine is 3X5. If you want, check out some of the user reviews on www.barnesandnoble.com
; they prompted me to buy this journal.Price: The first one you buy is about $18; after that, though, you take out the actual journal while keeping the leather cover, and buy $5 refills. Great price. You can get it either at Barnes & Noble, or at the B&N online store. Even though it has a great price, this in no way looks or feels like cheap paper.
Rating: 5/5 ....it's that good. And I'm stingy with ratings, too.
Exacompta Nostalgie Journal
General: This company is owned by Exaclair, the same company that makes Clairefontaine and Rhodia, some of the best-loved paper out there (I have sadly yet to try either). I purchased the Exacompta Nostalgie Journal Refill, expecting to be treated to the excellent paper stock I've been hearing about that is the trademark of the company. Oh, how wrong I was. Sure, the paper is smooth, but not nearly as smooth as it could be, considering its parent company. The paper is also really thin, and the bleedthrough is awful -- I'm someone who religiously uses both sides of the page (environmentalist, here), but with this notebook, I can't do that unless I use an fp with a light-to-medium flow, such as Hero 100 or Waterman Ice et La. Pelikans and Cross Century II are no go. People who don't use normal disposable pens (or even roller balls) will not find an issue, but for fellow FP users, steer clear and look elsewhere. Maybe I just got a dud, but I doubt it. Plus, the one I received DID NOT come with a ribbon bookmark. Not a big deal, but still an annoyance. The paper is pure white.
Price: About $10. I got mine at The Daily Planner, but it's widely available, esp at SwisherPens and Pear Tree Pen Co.
Rating: 2/5....as far as paper quality goes, Apica is superior. You know you have problems when you are one-upped by notebook paper.
upcoming: Moleskine, Greenroom Eco, Mead 5 Star, and Eco Notes. My life is exciting!
