Castelli Pocket Notebook

[Sui-Generis]

Good afternoon my fellow pen & paper-philes, I just go back from town where I purchased a spanking new notebook from Castelli, thought I'd take a moment to write a review for you all.

 

The packaging on this notebook, whilst unimportant in the grand scheme of things, is lovely. Each one comes in it's own box (never brought a notebook that comes in a box before!) with the notebook it's self covered in cellophane on the inside.

 

 

 

The notebook it's self has a load of really nice features that are detailed on the rear of a small paper slip that surrounds it.

 

 

Each one has gilded edges that match the front theme (copper, gold or silver), here is a good example of where my photography skills suck as the gilding, as well as the front copper accents, are beautifully bright, metallic & vibrant.

 

 

The first two pages you are greeted with are a classy black affair with the Castelli name in gold on the bottom right.

 

 

After that is a fun, informal page where you can enter your details. The paper it's self is an 'off white' or 'ivory' tone.

 

 

The index takes up four pages and spans the entire 239 pages of the notebook as well as a few blanks at the end of the final index page.

 

 

Standard lined pages, numbered to correspond to the index I mentioned earlier.

 

 

There's also an expanding pocket in the rear for odd bits of paper.

 

 

Now...the moment you have all been waiting for (but I suspect already know what is going to happen), the writing sample.

 

It's...not great.

 

I asked the lady in the shop if it was fountain pen friendly, she said this to me, "I think it is, they are very similar to Moleskine". Oh dear.

 

As you can see. We bleed. We feather. We got the whole lot of "what I wish I would never see when using a fountain pen" in one. I also apparently briefly forgot how to spell Diamine, whoops!

 

 

 

The back side is no better, with every ink/pen I used having a lot of ghosting and, in the case of De Atrementis Document Dark Red, some lovely bleedthrough to boot. What is extra surprising here is the paper is of such poor quality that even the Pentel Energel with a 0.7mm tip bleeds through a little. I have, quite literally, had Poundland (Dollar Store) notebooks that have had better quality paper than this as well as nearly everything I have ever brought from Flying Tiger.

 

 

Is it still the most beautiful notebook I own? You bet! Is it fountain pen friendly? Not in the slightest, not even if you squint real hard.

 

For a £18 notebook I expected more. Did I expect Rhodia/Red & Black/Leuchtturm quality? Probably not. But what has become apparent is that you pay for the appearance rather than the paper in this case. I'm still going to enjoy the everlovin' heck out of it, but I'll be doing it from the tip of a ballpoint.

Edited May 28, 2019 by Sui-Generis

[jamwrite]

Thanks for the review! Lovely notebook and packaging for sure, but I'll probably avoid due to paper issues you mentioned!

[inkypete]

Talk about 'build me up buttercup just to let me down'! I was already searching the web to see where I could get one until your review took a 180 degree turn. It looks great but whenever anyone says it is FP friendly similar to moleskin, no need to go back to that shop.

 

Great review - thank you. And probably saved us all a few dollars because would buy on looks alone.

Edited May 28, 2019 by inkypete

[Frozenoak]

A day late. I think I have a journal from them setting on my porch right now. Maybe the journal paper is different that the pocket notebook. One can hope. /shrug