Nanami Seven Seas Standard A5 Notebook Review

[Rancho Gordo]

 

 

. . . btw, that was all pure romance. I never learned danced (way too uncoordinated) so I have no first hand knowledge.

A waltz is somewhat easy. It may be worth the bother!

And it is like when a pen and paper work in unison.

[Mongoosey]

 

 

This may sound a bit corny, but when I write on TR-52, I almost imagine a man and woman dancing a beautiful waltz on a perfectly polished ballroom floor in an elegant hall. The movement is fluid and serene with nothing to impede them. They say that when a man and woman waltz the focus is intended to be on the poise and grace of the woman. The man's perfect movement is intended to illuminate the woman's graceful beauty, much as only the perfect picture frame can capture the beauty of the picture inside of it. Yet, the surface on which they dance is critical to their elegant fluidity. In essence the surface on which they dance becomes a part of their grace and elegance. In my small analogy, I think of my pen being like the man, showcasing the beauty of the ink and coming together in beautiful harmony on the perfect surface - the paper.

 

That's beautiful.

Edited November 28, 2019 by Mongoosey

[DrDebG]

For any who are interested, Nanami has the Crossfields back.

[Mongoosey]

For any who are interested, Nanami has the Crossfields back.

 

Aaaaaaaand they're sold out lol.

 

That fast.

[jamwrite]

 

Aaaaaaaand they're sold out lol.

 

That fast.

 

Yeah, that's crazy. Goes to prove again how quickly one has to act sometimes with Nanami. Good news is that the website says more Seven Seas Writer A5 and Seven Seas Crossfield A5 will be in stock after Jan 1, so there will be another chance to grab a supply soon. Whew! Looks like Dave made some minor changes to the Crossfield again, no photos yet, but seems like a nice little refinement to me. I was hoping that the "Japan Crossfield" (with 7mm grid instead of 5mm grid) would also be available, but it hasn't shown up yet.

 

Other good news is that Elia Note products are comparable to Nanami Seven Seas notebooks as has been mentioned in this thread (with minor differences but similar build quality and identical A5 size specs) so there is still availability of similar, great A5 TR notebooks on the market (https://elianote.com/), although the shipping is pricey. They have a 10% sale going on until Dec 31.

 

And also, if you're into grids (specifically the 3.7mm Hobonichi-style grid), there is stock of the A6 and A5 Hobonichi Plain notebooks (https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/) but again, shipping is pricey. And they are not "plain" -- they have a 3.7mm grid. They are definitely good notebooks IMO, price is good (except for shipping), build quality is very good and they have an interesting feature of dividing the notebooks into 4 sections with a different ink color for the grid in each section. Kind of neat actually. Might be annoying to some people, but it's subtle enough that you can ignore the color change.

 

All in all, a good time for TR notebooks with good choices. But you never know when these things might disappear (Nanami is not the only one with stocking issues, Hobonichi has been out of stock at least twice already, and we don't yet know how Elia Note will stay in stock), so if you love them, time to stock up!

 

I'm going to order some of the Nanami B6-slim notebooks. My favorite size right now.

[jamwrite]

P.S. I should have mentioned that Taroko Design has their Enigma A5 in stock too. Great option. And Taroko Design Breeze A5. Both with 68gsm TR instead of 52gsm. Great minimalistic standard-sized A5 (210mm x 148mm) notebooks, very good build quality. https://www.etsy.com/shop/TarokoShop

[nibtip]

 

Yeah, that's crazy. Goes to prove again how quickly one has to act sometimes with Nanami. Good news is that the website says more Seven Seas Writer A5 and Seven Seas Crossfield A5 will be in stock after Jan 1, so there will be another chance to grab a supply soon. Whew! Looks like Dave made some minor changes to the Crossfield again, no photos yet, but seems like a nice little refinement to me. I was hoping that the "Japan Crossfield" (with 7mm grid instead of 5mm grid) would also be available, but it hasn't shown up yet.

 

Other good news is that Elia Note products are comparable to Nanami Seven Seas notebooks as has been mentioned in this thread (with minor differences but similar build quality and identical A5 size specs) so there is still availability of similar, great A5 TR notebooks on the market (https://elianote.com/), although the shipping is pricey. They have a 10% sale going on until Dec 31.

 

And also, if you're into grids (specifically the 3.7mm Hobonichi-style grid), there is stock of the A6 and A5 Hobonichi Plain notebooks (https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/) but again, shipping is pricey. And they are not "plain" -- they have a 3.7mm grid. They are definitely good notebooks IMO, price is good (except for shipping), build quality is very good and they have an interesting feature of dividing the notebooks into 4 sections with a different ink color for the grid in each section. Kind of neat actually. Might be annoying to some people, but it's subtle enough that you can ignore the color change.

 

All in all, a good time for TR notebooks with good choices. But you never know when these things might disappear (Nanami is not the only one with stocking issues, Hobonichi has been out of stock at least twice already, and we don't yet know how Elia Note will stay in stock), so if you love them, time to stock up!

 

I'm going to order some of the Nanami B6-slim notebooks. My favorite size right now.

 

Agreed with everything you say with a few precisions:

I live in Europe and shipping cost is much less expensive with Elianote than with Nanami. About 20 versus 40$ for 3 notebooks.

Hobonichi "plain" notebooks are very cheap and shipping seams prohibitive. True. But proportionally the bigger you order the cheaper the shipping gets.

I don't exactly remember but i think i paid something maybe 350$ for twenty A5 notebooks shipping included.

 

Does anyone know why shipping is so expensive? Maybe that what it costs and free shipping is deceptive.

 

(chinese products and shipping cost is a special case).

 

https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/amazon-effect-logistics-cost-delivery/444138/

Edited December 14, 2019 by nibtip

[jamwrite]

@nibtip Right on about the shipping variations -- I should have mentioned that, thanks for clarifying. As for Hobonichi's shipping price, you're right of course, but I usually don't buy 20 at a time, but that's probably a good idea and now I know why they went out of stock last time!

 

I usually *try* to keep about 5-10 extra of my favorite notebook models handy, and when I dip below, I usually top off my inventory. I've dropped the ball lately and missed my restocking window though on a couple of models -- some my favorite Nanami notebooks are out of stock right now with NO restock date. Very annoying. Knowing how Nanami works, especially by discontinuing versions or Dave's very long restock intervals (plus Dave's tendency to tweak his designs), I might have to change my plan and increase my inventory of my favorites. There are a couple of models that I think are basically "perfect" as-is, and I don't want to run the risk again, since I've obviously not heeded my own advice very well.

 

Also, I noticed he has increased prices a little here and there over the last year or two. So I might as well "lock in" the current prices.

 

And yes, the price does add up when you order a bunch... but then again, when you find something that's basically perfect, and there's a clear scarcity issue, I think it's worth it to pay the money to get a reasonable buffer of notebooks, as silly as that sounds. It feels a little like hoarding in a way, and it's clearly a first world problem, and I admit I feel a little guilty placing larger orders, but I've come to accept my dependency on TR notebooks and that I've become a paper snob.

 

No worries though, in the coming apocalypse, I'll use my extra TR notebooks as fuel for fire if I need to so I can keep my family warm, lol. In fact, 52gsm TR is so thin, it might serve as a really good kindling for starting a fire. So in fact, I'm INVESTING in the apocalypse by buying more of these. There, I've got a new justification. These extra notebooks might actually be great survival gear!

[nibtip]

@nibtip Right on about the shipping variations -- I should have mentioned that, thanks for clarifying. As for Hobonichi's shipping price, you're right of course, but I usually don't buy 20 at a time, but that's probably a good idea and now I know why they went out of stock last time!

 

I usually *try* to keep about 5-10 extra of my favorite notebook models handy, and when I dip below, I usually top off my inventory. I've dropped the ball lately and missed my restocking window though on a couple of models -- some my favorite Nanami notebooks are out of stock right now with NO restock date. Very annoying. Knowing how Nanami works, especially by discontinuing versions or Dave's very long restock intervals (plus Dave's tendency to tweak his designs), I might have to change my plan and increase my inventory of my favorites. There are a couple of models that I think are basically "perfect" as-is, and I don't want to run the risk again, since I've obviously not heeded my own advice very well.

 

Also, I noticed he has increased prices a little here and there over the last year or two. So I might as well "lock in" the current prices.

 

And yes, the price does add up when you order a bunch... but then again, when you find something that's basically perfect, and there's a clear scarcity issue, I think it's worth it to pay the money to get a reasonable buffer of notebooks, as silly as that sounds. It feels a little like hoarding in a way, and it's clearly a first world problem, and I admit I feel a little guilty placing larger orders, but I've come to accept my dependency on TR notebooks and that I've become a paper snob.

 

No worries though, in the coming apocalypse, I'll use my extra TR notebooks as fuel for fire if I need to so I can keep my family warm, lol. In fact, 52gsm TR is so thin, it might serve as a really good kindling for starting a fire. So in fact, I'm INVESTING in the apocalypse by buying more of these. There, I've got a new justification. These extra notebooks might actually be great survival gear!

 

"that's probably a good idea and now I know why they went out of stock last time!"

​Oh i'm sorry, i didn't realise they ran out of stock when i ordered a pallet of notebooks last time . .

I myself have become a TR snob.

[migo984]

Yeah, that's crazy. Goes to prove again how quickly one has to act sometimes with Nanami. Good news is that the website says more Seven Seas Writer A5 and Seven Seas Crossfield A5 will be in stock after Jan 1, so there will be another chance to grab a supply soon. Whew! Looks like Dave made some minor changes to the Crossfield again, no photos yet, but seems like a nice little refinement to me. I was hoping that the "Japan Crossfield" (with 7mm grid instead of 5mm grid) would also be available, but it hasn't shown up yet.

 

 

It appears that Dromgooles has some stocks of the Nanami Seven Seas journals.......

 

https://www.dromgooles.com/nanami-paper-nanami-paper-seven-seas-tomoe-river.html

[jamwrite]

So I've come up with a new inventory management approach for TR notebooks. This is how I now plan to calculate how many notebooks I need to keep in my personal inventory! I realized I wanted to be a little more scientific in my approach than I have been in the past. Yes, this may seem excessive or insane to some non-paper snobs stumbling on this thread, but for those of us who love a certain kind of paper, well, this might not seem so bizarre.

(Number of specific model used every year) X (Scarcity factor 0-5) X (Like factor 0-5) X (Budget factor 0-1) = Total number of specific model of TR notebooks to keep in personal inventory.

For "Scarcity factor (0-5)":

0 - This model is easily available everywhere on demand, never a problem (therefore multiply by "0" - obviously no need to stock up on these)

1 - This model or an acceptable alternative is basically available without too much hassle

2 - This model or an acceptable alternative is somewhat tricky to get, and/or possibly expensive shipping

3 - This model or an acceptable alternative is often out of stock, and/or has the potential to go out of stock for a long period, and/or has the real potential to be changed in a way I don't like, plus possibly expensive shipping

4 - This model has NO acceptable alternative, is often out of stock for long periods, and/or has the real potential to be changed in a way I don't like, plus possibly expensive shipping

5 - This model is totally UNIQUE and has a good chance of being out of stock FOREVER, and that would be terrible news indeed

For "Like factor - How much I like a specific model (0-5)":

0 - Nothing special (therefore multiply by "0" - obviously no need to stock up on these)

1 - Good, I like it and I will definitely use it

2 - Excellent, I really like it and it's one of the best I've used, one of the best on the market, I will definitely use every one I buy

3 - Truly outstanding, I might use the word "love" in relation to this model, coming pretty close to my personally imagined ideal, basically as good as it gets on the market, but perhaps still some room for improvement, and I will definitely use every one I buy with satisfaction

4 - Basically perfect, I'm genuinely thrilled it exists, and/or I'm committed to it, or I might find it annoying to use anything else, and it would be very frustrating if I ran out of these, but I'm still mostly rational about it, and of course I will use every one I buy I with satisfaction and joy

5 - I've lost my mind over this, the greatest thing ever, beyond perfection, crazy about it, adore it, nothing could ever be better EVER, holy grail, and I simply can't live without it for the rest of my days on this planet!

For "Budget factor (0-1)":

0 - I have no budget (therefore multiply by "0" - obviously stocking up is not an option)

0.25 - Small budget for this, or I feel budget pressure for this, but TR notebooks are worth some sacrifice

0.50 - I have a budget for this, but not willing to or can't (for whatever reason) spend lots of money on this

0.75 - Very flexible budget for things like this, but don't need or want to have large inventory

1.0 - No budget limit considerations, no problem with having large inventory

THEN, of course I need to do a sanity check to see if the final number makes any sense.

Curious your take on this.

------------------

I'm just thinking out loud... Here are some examples of notebooks I ran through this equation...

Example 1 - I really like the Nanami Cafe Note B6 Slim - Ruled, and my calculation would be:

1 per year X 2 (Scarcity factor) X 3 (Like factor) X 0.5 (Budget factor) = keep 3 in my personal inventory. Seems reasonable. Right now I have 3. So I'm good.

Example 2 - I really enjoy the Nanami Seven Seas Writer A5, but now with the Elia Note on the market, plus other good A5 notebooks I like, I'm less stressed out about getting them -- they are no longer as "unique" as they used to be for me. The calculation would be:

1 per year X 1 (Scarcity factor) X 2 (Like factor) X 0.5 (Budget factor) = keep 1 extra in my personal inventory. Right now I have 1 extra Nanami, but also 1 extra Elia Note, so I have 2 of this "class" in my inventory and I'm in good shape.

Example 3 - I'm actually much more of a "grid" guy, so one of my favorites from Nanami is the Nanami Studio Note A5 with a 3.7mm grid.

1.5 per year X 3 (Scarcity Factor) X 3 (Like factor) X 0.5 (Budget factor) = 6.75. Right now I have ZERO available, and it's really bugging me. Fortunately, I have some Hobonichi Plain Notebooks to help out (but too few pages for the task I need the Nanami for) and some Stalogy A5 notebooks (really good, but I prefer TR paper). So as soon as the Studio Note A5 comes back (and who knows when?!?), I'll order several for sure.

Example 4 - My favorite notebook on the planet right now is the nearly-ideal Cafe Note B6 Slim Grid V2 -- I use a lot of them too -- and my calculation would be:

4 per year X 3 (Scarcity factor) X 4 (Like factor, I'm rounding up, it's closer to 3.7) X 0.5 (Budget factor) = 24 TOTAL! That seems like a lot! That's basically 6 years of inventory I need to shoot for according to my equation! But yet, it kind of makes sense, considering that there's a good chance it will be changed in a way I don't like or it will go out of stock for a long time like similar Nanami models, plus, it's as close to perfect as I've seen on the market for this size. It's definitely better than V1 IMO, and I don't think Dave will improve it from here. Right now I have 11 in my little inventory. Not bad. But with the experience of the Studio Note A5, I'm thinking I better buy another handful before these go out of stock again and possibly may not come back without some unwanted changes to the design. I would survive and adapt to another format if they don't ever come back in stock, but these are REALLY good for me exactly as-is. Maybe 24 is excessive, but maybe not, all things considered.

[DrDebG]

Honestly, I was able to get a few of the Crossfields. I haven't tried it yet. If I like it, then I will have to buy more.

 

So, for me it will likely be either the Seven Seas Crossfield, or the Seven Seas Standard.

 

By Jamwrite's calculations, I should order at least 18 of each!

 

And I am thinking of trying the Cafe Note B6 Slim Grid V2, since my preference is for a grid. If I like that, I may have to take out stock in Dave's business!

[Thymen]

Well, because of all the reviews on The Internetz and from what I read here... I just ordered a Seven Seas Writer notebook. Together with a 100 sheet cream coloured notedpad, and 50 loose sheets 68 g/m2, also cream. As a Christmas present to myself.

 

It's expensive paper; the notepad is almost 8 times the price of a standard Rhodia A4 pad. But I feel I get so much more out of my fountain pens, it's worth having. I already have two Endless A5 hardcover notebooks with Tomoe paper, so I know the feeling.

 

If I could just find a B5 notebook, cream coloured, 68 g/m2, lined, Tomoe paper, 200+ sheets, plus a good quality, simple leather cover....

[Karmachanic]

 

So I've come up with a new inventory management approach for TR notebooks.

 

Might work for TR in general but not for Nanami, as Dave lives in a world of his own strange logic. He ceased production of the wildly popular Crossfield, for instance, which is why the reintroduced stock disappeared in an instant.

 

Hopefully when it's time for me to purchase there will be stock available. If not I'll get a Stalogy over the thicker Taroko.

[dvalliere]

Well, because of all the reviews on The Internetz and from what I read here... I just ordered a Seven Seas Writer notebook. Together with a 100 sheet cream coloured notedpad, and 50 loose sheets 68 g/m2, also cream. As a Christmas present to myself.

 

It's expensive paper; the notepad is almost 8 times the price of a standard Rhodia A4 pad. But I feel I get so much more out of my fountain pens, it's worth having. I already have two Endless A5 hardcover notebooks with Tomoe paper, so I know the feeling..

Nanami has a value calculator page (http://www.nanamipaper.com/pages/notebook-value-calculator.html) that shows that their notebooks are actually cheaper than various common, fountain pen friendly alternatives. They pack so many pages into their notebooks that it's a bigger initial outlay but in the long run, if you use the whole book, you save money.

 

Additionally, I once did the math between the A5 Writer at Nanami (7mm lines) and the Clairefontaine A5 notebook I was previously using with 8mm ruling. Based not on square inches but amount of writing per page, it was an even better comparison than the Nanami value calculator page. And 7mm happens to be ideal for my writing style--6mm is a bit tight and 8mm leaves wasted space.

[Thymen]

.....

 

You are probably right. And even if it was more expensive... compared to how much I spent on pens, it's peanuts. It's more or less like getting a nice car, and then leave it in the garage because you find fuel too expensive.

 

Since I picked up this hobby affliction about two years ago, I spent less then € 100 on paper, mostly Rhodia notepads and college blocks. About 2.5 times that amount on ink, and pens.... I dare not even say.

 

Delivery van is on it's way. My favourite pens are cleaned and inked. Wife away from home. I already know how I will spend this Sunday....

 

PS: cost per square inch for Tomoe A4 52 g/m2 notepad is 6 times that of a Rhodia A4 notepad. I also checked the calculator, and adjusted for current prices in the Netherlands. SSW gives about 30% more square inches per dollar than a Rhodia WebNotebook, not 100% as he calculator shows.

Edited December 21, 2019 by Thymen

[Thymen]

... and received the Writer, notepad and loose sheets!

 

I thought I'd try the notepad first. After putting the pad in my nicest leather cover, I took my smoothest writer, a Montblanc 146, and began what should be a letter to my twin sister. I already noticed the paper was a bit more textured than the paper in my Endless notebook, but... that might be due to the difference between 52 end 68 g/m2.

 

I braced myself, took a deep breath and put the nib onto the paper......

 

.....!!

 

a HUGE feathering blob appeared in front of my eyes!! I could almost heard the gurgle of the vortex in my pen, as the paper tried to suck it dry....

 

.... What!!?

 

ehm... ah... for those who plan on getting a Tomoe River notepad.... please be aware that the first page is blotting paper.... you're not supposed to write on it....

 

Well, the second page was the real deal (I checked and double-checked). It behaves just as I expected. Happy!

 

The Writer notebook is as it shows on The Internetz. I broke it in according the instructions from Nanami, but I'll wait a day or so before I start using it. I first want to figure out what poem or text to use.

 

The lines on the page are very faint, much fainter than I have seen before on other papers, but clear enough to be visible. I guess that once a page has been written on, the lines will fade into the background. Good!

 

Now let's try and find a decent leather cover for the notebook!

 

Question:

to those who own a Sevens Seas Writer: are the lines on the pages of your notebook so faint as to be barely visible? I leafed through the book, and it varies. For a lot of pages, from a distance of half a meter the lines are basically gone. I need a bright light to shine on the page to be able to just see them. And yes, I do wear my spectacles....

Edited December 22, 2019 by Thymen

[jamwrite]

...

 

Now let's try and find a decent leather cover for the notebook!

 

Question:

to those who own a Sevens Seas Writer: are the lines on the pages of your notebook so faint as to be barely visible? I leafed through the book, and it varies. For a lot of pages, from a distance of half a meter the lines are basically gone. I need a bright light to shine on the page to be able to just see them. And yes, I do wear my spectacles....

 

The lines are indeed very faint (just great, IMO), but I don't have the newest edition to compare to. If you bought from the latest stock, then I think you have the 6th edition... the last one I bought was the 4th edition. Dave makes very subtle changes sometimes, so it's possible that he tweaked the faintness of the lines. That, or perhaps it's just normal printing "variations" that can occur.

 

As for decent leather covers, you can get really nice ones from Etsy, of course. Look for any leather cover that is sized for the Hobonichi Cousin A5 (a very popular Japanese planner), and it will fit the Seven Seas A5. Dave also sells two really nice covers on the Nanami site, the HERZ A5 and the Gfeller A5. Both are top-notch, love 'em. EDIT: Oh, and avoid any covers specifically for the Midori MD Note A5, those are too thin (by about 4-5mm) for the Nanami A5.

Edited December 22, 2019 by jamwrite

[Thymen]

 

The lines are indeed very faint (just great, IMO),...

 

The first 20 pages or so, except the very first ones, are basically blank pages. I need a magnifier to be able to see the lines. After that, however, it's generally ok, with just a blank page here and there. I just did not expect that kind of variation in a premium notebook.

 

No sweat though, if needed I can put a guide sheet under it.

 

 

.. Dave also sells two really nice covers on the Nanami site, the HERZ A5 and the Gfeller A5. Both are top-notch, love 'em....

 

Yes, saw them already. Price is a bit on the high side, I need to include shipping cost from US to NL. And it may take 6 weeks for delivery.

 

There are plenty of covers to be found this side of the big pond, but most if not all are for notepads, not notebooks. But it's holiday time, plenty of time to kill, so I'll just keep looking.

[jamwrite]

 

The first 20 pages or so, except the very first ones, are basically blank pages. I need a magnifier to be able to see the lines. After that, however, it's generally ok, with just a blank page here and there. I just did not expect that kind of variation in a premium notebook.

 

No sweat though, if needed I can put a guide sheet under it.

 

 

Yes, saw them already. Price is a bit on the high side, I need to include shipping cost from US to NL. And it may take 6 weeks for delivery.

 

There are plenty of covers to be found this side of the big pond, but most if not all are for notepads, not notebooks. But it's holiday time, plenty of time to kill, so I'll just keep looking.

 

If the first 20 pages are notably *different* than the rest of the pages, then that's another problem IMO. I guess I misunderstood the severity from your prior post. A tiny little variation is okay, but 20 pages being basically blank (and then a blank page here and there) compared to the rest is a different level. To me, that's basically defective. Nanami's notebooks have had a very high level of consistency for me, and so I'd suggest you reach out to Dave @ Nanami and see if he can work out something with you. Send him a couple of photos with the problem. The shipping is obviously a big cost from US to NL, so I don't know if he'd be willing to cover that. But in the past, when I had a spine problem with ONE notebook a few years ago, he was willing to ship a replacement to me for free. He was great about it. Not sure how he'll respond in your case of course. But worth reaching out and asking. He's very particular and stands behind his products... so if he sent you a defective notebook, then let him know. It would certainly bug me.

Edited December 22, 2019 by jamwrite