Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim (Ruled) Review

[RPB]

@Mongoosey - great review of a book I also have and enjoy, thx.

The only issue I have is shipping to the UK is so expensive due to the weight of the package. I've also found 68gsm Tomoe River paper more to my liking as you get the same awesome paper, however, the crinkling of the pages and the show through of inks is nothing as bad as the 52 gsm can be (of course depending upon how you use it and what inks, etc).

I'm back in USA this August so my plan is to order a couple more of the B6 Cafe whilst there and have them delivered to my hotel!

I think they're an awesome journal type book and that cardboard sleeve is great for travelling with.

I'm off to dig mine back out!

 

@inkstainedruth - hey Ruth, I thought you would have had one of these years ago in the form of the 'Writers Edition'. I'm collecting both. Ha.

Edited May 1, 2019 by RPB

[Mongoosey]

@Mongoosey - great review of a book I also have and enjoy, thx.

The only issue I have is shipping to the UK is so expensive due to the weight of the package. I've also found 68gsm Tomoe River paper more to my liking as you get the same awesome paper, however, the crinkling of the pages and the show through of inks is nothing as bad as the 52 gsm can be (of course depending upon how you use it and what inks, etc).

I'm back in USA this August so my plan is to order a couple more of the B6 Cafe whilst there and have them delivered to my hotel!

I think they're an awesome journal type book and that cardboard sleeve is great for travelling with.

I'm off to dig mine back out!

 

@inkstainedruth - hey Ruth, I thought you would have had one of these years ago in the form of the 'Writers Edition'. I'm collecting both. Ha.

 

Thank you : )

 

Yah, 68 gsm ain't too shabby either.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the shipping costs : (

 

Make sure you talk to Dave at Nanami Paper, cuz the B6 ruled seems to be out of stock and they can be unpredictable with their restocking : /

[jamwrite]

 

Make sure you talk to Dave at Nanami Paper, cuz the B6 ruled seems to be out of stock and they can be unpredictable with their restocking : /

 

Yup, this is the only downside of Nanami, IMO: the unpredictable nature of what items are in stock... and frankly, not just in stock, but whether or not the exact same model will ever be available again.

 

On the other hand, Dave is constantly evolving the product lines, which often leads to subtle or not-so-subtle improvements, with very few misfires.

 

My recommendation for anyone that loves a specific Nanami model, though, is to stock up on it sooner rather than later...

 

I'm currently very happy though about the Cafe Note B6 Slim Grid v2! I've been hoping and asking for this model for a while, and I'm thrilled to see the improvement. The old v1 model has some very annoying boxes on the top and bottom of the page layout... but now the page is pure grid. Whew. Finally.

 

I'm guessing a v2 or reprint of the v1 Ruled version is on its way. It's a fantastic notebook too, and don't see anything Dave could improve on the Ruled version... other than maybe make the rules 6mm apart instead of 7mm! But I think most Nanami customers seem happy with 7mm ruled from what I can tell from comments/reviews, so I doubt Dave will reduce the size to 6mm. If he does do a v2 version of the Ruled, I'm betting it will be in the new packaging that the Cafe Note B6 Slim v2 and Cafe Note A6 versions have.

[Mongoosey]

 

Yup, this is the only downside of Nanami, IMO: the unpredictable nature of what items are in stock... and frankly, not just in stock, but whether or not the exact same model will ever be available again.

 

On the other hand, Dave is constantly evolving the product lines, which often leads to subtle or not-so-subtle improvements, with very few misfires.

 

My recommendation for anyone that loves a specific Nanami model, though, is to stock up on it sooner rather than later...

 

I'm currently very happy though about the Cafe Note B6 Slim Grid v2! I've been hoping and asking for this model for a while, and I'm thrilled to see the improvement. The old v1 model has some very annoying boxes on the top and bottom of the page layout... but now the page is pure grid. Whew. Finally.

 

I'm guessing a v2 or reprint of the v1 Ruled version is on its way. It's a fantastic notebook too, and don't see anything Dave could improve on the Ruled version... other than maybe make the rules 6mm apart instead of 7mm! But I think most Nanami customers seem happy with 7mm ruled from what I can tell from comments/reviews, so I doubt Dave will reduce the size to 6mm. If he does do a v2 version of the Ruled, I'm betting it will be in the new packaging that the Cafe Note B6 Slim v2 and Cafe Note A6 versions have.

 

I think you'll get less on board with the 6mm. It starts to almost force smaller writing, IMO and leaves out the those who need a larger type or use larger nibs up to wide stubs.

 

I'll admit, sometimes I'll write two lines within the 7mm spacing, but I like the option of 7mm because it spaces it well for reading back and also allows for editing of work without having to use every other line.

 

I would like to try their Crossfield, which I think would be a good alternative to lined paper and offer a narrower line width, but, like you say, their restocking is unpredictable.

 

I wish they devoted their notebooks they used for MicroDots to Crossfields.

 

Like you say, they have had a few misfires, but they still provide options better than the competition and at a better price, but they could remedy those misfires at least.

 

Yes... Their unpredictable inventory has indeed led me to the strategy of stockpiling. And their misfires do concern me sometimes to the point where I want to stock up for life in case something bad happens or they stick with a misfire. The fact that they went with the MicroDot instead of restocking the Crossfield that sold out and was raved about... And the fact that they plopped a Tawdry "W" on the front of the Writer everyone loved for its blank cover makes me worry.

[jamwrite]

Yes... Their unpredictable inventory has indeed led me to the strategy of stockpiling. And their misfires do concern me sometimes to the point where I want to stock up for life in case something bad happens or they stick with a misfire. The fact that they went with the MicroDot instead of restocking the Crossfield that sold out and was raved about... And the fact that they plopped a Tawdry "W" on the front of the Writer everyone loved for its blank cover makes me worry.

 

Agreed completely. I've got to hand it to Dave for wanting to try new things, etc., and I understand his business model. I've just come to the conclusion that Nanami is sort of like gift to people who love paper and notebooks. I don't question his business model any more... I'm just happy he's around to do what he does. I just stock up on the products that I think are special (with reasonable limits according to budget of course), and I assume they won't be around in that form (if at all) in the future. If they are around, great. If not, I have some rare gifts to enjoy.

 

Right now, I'm feeling like two new treasures were announced -- the B6 Slim Grid v2 and the Pocket Notebook. Question is, how many do I want to stock up on?

[Mongoosey]

 

Agreed completely. I've got to hand it to Dave for wanting to try new things, etc., and I understand his business model. I've just come to the conclusion that Nanami is sort of like gift to people who love paper and notebooks. I don't question his business model any more... I'm just happy he's around to do what he does. I just stock up on the products that I think are special (with reasonable limits according to budget of course), and I assume they won't be around in that form (if at all) in the future. If they are around, great. If not, I have some rare gifts to enjoy.

 

Right now, I'm feeling like two new treasures were announced -- the B6 Slim Grid v2 and the Pocket Notebook. Question is, how many do I want to stock up on?

 

I agree, Dave's pursuit for optimization seems no different from us tuning nibs. And all of us who have tried our hand at nib tuning have overdone one or two, or more than we, or I, would like to admit lol.

 

It's a matter of finding the right balance, and I don't think Nanami would have such great products at such a value if that spirit for optimization wasn't there. That kind of creativity requires risk taking that won't be perfect.

 

And like any nib tuning, we can base that balance off the feedback only after it's been polished.

 

I may disagree with some of their "tunings", but I think Nanami has something special and though I have worried at times I think Nanami has the ability to meet the challenge of balancing on. As you say, their new Pocket Cafe notebook shows just that, IMO.

[jamwrite]

 

As you say, their new Pocket Cafe notebook shows just that, IMO.

 

Amen to your whole post. And save some of those Pocket Notebooks for me. I have to figure out how many more I want to order. My first order was just two to check them out. And now that I have them, I don't think something with those features and dimensions can get much better. I've got some minor differences for maybe personal preferences here and there, but overall... I think Dave nailed that one, maybe the best first iteration I've seen him do, and no one else out there will make a better one of that size.

[inkstainedruth]

@inkstainedruth - hey Ruth, I thought you would have had one of these years ago in the form of the 'Writers Edition'. I'm collecting both. Ha.

 

I had to come to it slowly. And now that I have it, I'm sort of frozen as to what to use it for. I don't need a new poetry journal yet, and for fiction I thinking that something that size will be too small, other than maybe jotting down ideas or bits of overheard conversations (I have found that composition books don't really work well for me for fiction -- what DOES seem to work better is just loose copy paper pages on a clipboard. That way I can write as much as I want to, cramming in stuff in margins, etc., and write small enough so that I can get a lot done very easily if I get into a good writing session

Really thinking that I need a better commonplace book than what I have. Something to keep track of stuff so I don't have to look it up all the time, such as the different rhyme schemes differences between Spensarian and Shakespearean sonnets, memnotics for how many sharps or flats is in a certain key signature, etc.

I had the same problem with a custom journal my husband commissioned from a friend as a gift to me 5 years ago. I was getting a major award in the organization I belong to, and we had had a friend who did bookbinding make a small book for people to write stuff in and a very small one to keep a list of who all had come to see me that day; and unbeknownst to me, my husband had arranged for her to make me a larger one (maybe A5 size? I don't the European paper sizes all that well). My friend also did calligraphy and illumination and we had had a couple of interesting conversations about fountain pens, so I knew I could talk to her about FP friendly paper (which I think might be Fabrano. I ended up using it at least somewhat, when I tried to make another attempt at doing The Artists' Way; I thought that since it was a special gift, I figured that using it for the weekly chapter assignments/projects was an excellent use (and my friend, who died suddenly a couple years later, probably would have approved of the concept wholeheartedly .

And at some point, I'm going to try doing the course again -- and actually finish this time... (I tried it a number of years ago and then lost the the book with the assignments; then when I decide to try doing it a third time I will make sure that during the Thanksgiving trip that year, *isn't* when I hit the chapter about reading back through morning pages entries for "insights"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mongoosey]

 

Amen to your whole post. And save some of those Pocket Notebooks for me. I have to figure out how many more I want to order. My first order was just two to check them out. And now that I have them, I don't think something with those features and dimensions can get much better. I've got some minor differences for maybe personal preferences here and there, but overall... I think Dave nailed that one, maybe the best first iteration I've seen him do, and no one else out there will make a better one of that size.

 

Yah, Nanami will have that effect. I am hooked on their A5's right now. I do a yearly stockpiling of those and B6 Cafe's even if I've only used 1 notebook.

 

After having gone through 1 Writer, 1 Standard, and 1 Cafe, I'm impressed. I've looked at other options/brands, but they either aren't built as well or they are, but cost much more.

 

And that Pocket Cafe looks perfected to me, besides the oversized pen loop. Is that pen holder removable?

 

 

I had to come to it slowly. And now that I have it, I'm sort of frozen as to what to use it for. I don't need a new poetry journal yet, and for fiction I thinking that something that size will be too small, other than maybe jotting down ideas or bits of overheard conversations (I have found that composition books don't really work well for me for fiction -- what DOES seem to work better is just loose copy paper pages on a clipboard. That way I can write as much as I want to, cramming in stuff in margins, etc., and write small enough so that I can get a lot done very easily if I get into a good writing session

Really thinking that I need a better commonplace book than what I have. Something to keep track of stuff so I don't have to look it up all the time, such as the different rhyme schemes differences between Spensarian and Shakespearean sonnets, memnotics for how many sharps or flats is in a certain key signature, etc.

I had the same problem with a custom journal my husband commissioned from a friend as a gift to me 5 years ago. I was getting a major award in the organization I belong to, and we had had a friend who did bookbinding make a small book for people to write stuff in and a very small one to keep a list of who all had come to see me that day; and unbeknownst to me, my husband had arranged for her to make me a larger one (maybe A5 size? I don't the European paper sizes all that well). My friend also did calligraphy and illumination and we had had a couple of interesting conversations about fountain pens, so I knew I could talk to her about FP friendly paper (which I think might be Fabrano. I ended up using it at least somewhat, when I tried to make another attempt at doing The Artists' Way; I thought that since it was a special gift, I figured that using it for the weekly chapter assignments/projects was an excellent use (and my friend, who died suddenly a couple years later, probably would have approved of the concept wholeheartedly .

And at some point, I'm going to try doing the course again -- and actually finish this time... (I tried it a number of years ago and then lost the the book with the assignments; then when I decide to try doing it a third time I will make sure that during the Thanksgiving trip that year, *isn't* when I hit the chapter about reading back through morning pages entries for "insights"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I hope the class works out for you. Sounds interesting enough, but maybe not if it may have compelled some part of you to lose the book with the assignments lol.

 

I agree: The B6 can be an in-between-er.

 

I loved using it when I attended academic seminars on the east coast.

 

The B6 made my life easier when I lived in a city.

 

Right now I'm at a location not within walking distance of much so I've reverted back to the A5 Writer.

 

But I also do a lot of meditation (sitting and walking), which is when many of my ideas surface. I have to have a B6 or A5 with in reach during sitting meditations, and a Parker Jotter-Easyflow9000 in a Staples memo book during Walking meditations.

 

When the surfacing ideas compile enough with experiences I do composition on no smaller than 8.5 x 11" pages. The open terrain is a must for such.

 

I'll even cheat and use my rOtring Tikky-Easyflow9000 in those large Mead Notebooks. That Easyflow9000 on Mead Paper is just effortless.

 

I haven't found my "Composition-Fountain-Pen" yet, and believe me I've tried. So I'm saving to get an Aurora 88 within the next couple months (Personal B-Day present).

[jamwrite]

 

And that Pocket Cafe looks perfected to me, besides the oversized pen loop. Is that pen holder removable?

 

I think the Pocket Cafe pen loop is thin enough that it doesn't cause any issues if you just leave it there, but yes, I think if you're careful with an exacto knife, you could slice it right off. It might leave a little vinyl ridge from the operation, but I think you could do it with a steady hand.

[jamwrite]

FYI -- for those that didn't notice yet, the Cafe Note B6 Ruled is back in stock on Nanami's website. Hmmm... maybe I shouldn't mention that, you guys might go put it out of stock again. Also, the price has increased from $16 to $18.

[jamwrite]

Quick heads up that the Dec 2019 edition of the Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim Ruled is slightly different than the original version. Just got some in to compare. I don't see that Dave has labeled it V2, but it probably qualifies as "V2" since the changes are noticeable.

 

1 - Price increase from $16 to $18

 

2 - The case is different and has the new "Cafe" logo in a circle -- makes sense to bring the logo up to date to the new "Cafe Note" branding

 

3 - The cover of the notebook has a very slightly different texture IMO - very subtle, maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me though

 

4 - The lines in the new version are a light gray compared to the previous light blue -- the lines also seem to be printed slightly lighter, but that could be the illusion of the new color of the ink. I really like this... makes the lines fade into the background a little more easily compared to the original version

 

Overall, Dave's tiny changes are subtle enough not to bug anyone who loves the first one, but honestly, I think the new version is better than ever. Planning on stocking up on these. This Cafe Note B6 Slim Ruled (Dec 2019 edition), combined with the Cafe Note B6 Slim Grid V2, are the best B6 slim notebooks on the planet, bar none.

Edited December 22, 2019 by jamwrite

[GreenMountain]

Excellent Cafe Note value for $18. Am tempted, except I tend to loose interest in a notebook after a while and go on to something else. So for now I'll keep using the expensive Jebun Techo B6 Slim Idea notebooks. They have few enough pages that I haven't yet stopped using one 1/2 way through yet. And I like 52 gsm paper.

 

Speaking of leather, there are so many beautiful notebook covers out there. But if you are in the mood, Ruth, make one and show us! Tandy's is good with online orders, and if you call the nearest store they will help find what you need.

(I've made shirts and pants and book satchels and handbags. Somewhere I still have the little brass rings for loops that were used to make a cylindrical bucket type bag with shoulder straps. My school used to have big orders with Tandy's. Anyone for 1/2 a hide? We even had one of those wooden horses with clamps that you sit on and clamp the leather to make it easier to sew. It was a thrill to finally find a B&M Tandy's store.)