Rhodia Pads Review (Part 1: Lined)

[all my hues]

This is the shortened review. For the full review with fun photos, check out my blog.

 

 

INTRO

Ah, the Rhodia. I'm well aware that about 90% of you are well aware of what makes the Rhodia pad so popular, and sing its praises to all those yet unacquainted with it. (After all, it's the famous orange notepad with the cult following , if the advertising is to be believed). This review is for those aforementioned folks who are yet unacquainted with it -- the ones who are new to FPdom, and are unfamiliar with some of the more well-known brands of paper out there. For those of you who know all about Rhodias (and perhaps own a few, or more than a few), you won't find anything here that you haven't already discovered for yourselves. For the newbies (of which I was once ), hopefully this will enlighten you as to why exactly Rhodia is one of the best-loved paper out there.

 

CONSTRUCTION

This has got to be the best designed notepad, ever. First of all, it has a COVER (which is more than I can say for Staples sugarcane bagasse paper...honestly. Is a cover too much to ask?) to protect it from the academic elements of sweaty hands, dirt, ink, and being tossed in and out of a knapsack or bag. I also dig the understated simplicity of the cover: The black logo, against an orange backdrop. Period. Nothing more. It has a vintage feel to it, which I appreciate.

 

Another nice thing is that these pads are perforated on top for clean, easy ripping (in fact, when I'm done with a sheet, I simply rip it out and use the blank, clean back for scrap paper and jotting memos). Unlike Red n' Black (which I personally dislike), these pages are WELL perforated, and are easy to remove from the pad, yet they are attached very securely...you'll never have to worry about pages suddenly disengaging from the pad. VERY well constructed. Maybe there's something behind all the marketing hype after all.

 

PAPER

Though beautifully smooth, it has a little more tooth than its sister brand Clairfontaine. It's barely noticeable -- just enough to give you some control over your steering, so to speak (I personally prefer the glassy Clairefontaine, but that's just me )

 

The lines are college ruled, which I like (I tend to write small), although definitely a bit wider than Apica. I don't know why the left side margin is so huge; to me, it just signifies a big waste of space Minus .5 there.

 

Of course, it fares stupendously with fountain pens.

 

CONCLUSION

This has been my first experience with a Rhodia pad, and despite the slightly frustrating aspect of not being able to really write on both sides of the sheet [while still being attached to the pad], it certainly won't be my last.

Suffice it to say, I certainly understand why Rhodia pads have such a huge following. Consider me a fan!

Edited June 29, 2009 by all my hues

[bardharlock]

Staples Bagasse paper does come with a cover when you buy the composition book or the notebook but not on the notepad or loose leaf paper.

[RayMan]

I agree. Rhodia is excellent paper. Thanks for the review.

Edited June 29, 2009 by RayMan

[inkypete]

I'm a real Rhodia fan too. My two main criticisms would be that the margin is too wide like you suggested, and I would also like the ruling on the squared paper to be a little lighter - it is too dark.

[all my hues]

I'm a real Rhodia fan too. My two main criticisms would be that the margin is too wide like you suggested, and I would also like the ruling on the squared paper to be a little lighter - it is too dark.

 

 

It would be awesome if the lines on the Rhodia were a subtle pale grey, like Apica. That would be great.

[Geoff V]

I'm a real Rhodia fan too. My two main criticisms would be that the margin is too wide like you suggested, and I would also like the ruling on the squared paper to be a little lighter - it is too dark.

 

+1 for both of those. (My wife, who takes only a limited interest in my stationery foibles, noticed and commented adversely upon the wide margin.) Still, I'm glad that Rhodia exists, and consider these two matters to be trivialities.

[NateB]

For me, the ruling is way too dark. It's a shame because the paper is great.

[all my hues]

For me, the ruling is way too dark. It's a shame because the paper is great.

 

Agreed!