Renaissance Art Refillable Journal

[Sno]

Hullo, those of you averse to the discussion of and about skins of ungulates should flee from this post now. For the rest; I just got my new refillable journal from Renaissance-Art. I have a picture of it next to a Moleskine (5.5"x8.5" version) below:

 

 

As you can see, the largest of the refillable journals available as a non-custom item, is quite substantial. I have owned leather products before the arrival of this journal, and, by a large margin, the quality of the leather cover just shames everything else I've got. Superb stuff! As to the stitching, and the construction of the journal in general, you know right away that they aren't kidding when they say, "Renaissance-Art". The journal comes equipped with an optional tie that doubles as my new "Indiana Jones" bullwhip. My cat has already swung herself from the gulf between my desk and my bed while clinging to the whip, and, blob that she is, this turns out to be the sternest test of the tie I can imagine. The leather cover is very supple in my brown version of the journal (also available in black).

 

The refillable pages are bound to protective cardboard covers which then slide into pockets on the insides of the leather cover. The pages are stitched together so that they open flat. As described on the Ren-Art website, the pages are hand-torn, which is a reminder to the user the hand-made nature of the journal. A couple pictures appear below: the first is a comparison of an open Moleskine and the Ren-Art journal, and the second is a close-up of the hand-torn pages.

 

 

 

The pages used are "Arches Text Wove" (specifics on Ren-Art website). The paper is very textured, and is an off-white colour to my eye. The paper is quite thick. I have, so far, used a Pencraft medium nib, and a Cross ATX medium nib on the paper. Inks used were PR American Blue, and Waterman Green. First of all, there is no feathering, and secondly, there is no bleeding through the page whatsoever. In fact, I think you can dump a gallon of ink on the page and it won't bleed. Now, the texture of the page feeds back to the nib, causing a bit of a 'rough ride'. Picky people will also note that with less saturated inks there will be a variation in the intensity of parts of letters which correspond to hills and valleys in the page fibers. People used to Moleskine smoothness will not be happy campers. Never fear, however, as Arthur of Ren-Art comes to the rescue with samples of alternative papers. I think his "Zerkall Book Smooth" paper fits the bill for smoothy-lovers. The bad news is that this paper may be 25% more expensive than the stock variety. And of course that brings up the expense of this journal on the whole. I suppose it depends on your point of view. When viewed as just a book to write stuff in, it is expensive indeed. However, I view it as a lifetime investment, and in that light it doesn't seem all that bad.

 

Aha, I almost forgot! The front inside cover comes with a nice pocket for your paper miscellany which I have pictured below:

 

 

In conclusion, I have made a conscious decision, as far as possible, to try to buy items that matter, and items that will outlast me, so that, perhaps, some of what I once possessed, which is a reflection of what I once was, will be passed down to future progeny. I have no doubt that this journal will form part of that wish, and will ensure that younger generations will have more of my junk in the attic . Thanks for your endurance reading this micro-review. I am certain Arthur et. al. will correct, or clarify, anything that I may have written poorly here.

 

 

[kiavonne]

Oh, my. That is a nice one! I've been using the smallest size and have loved it. It doesn't have the extra pocket, though.

 

Nice review! I especially loved the cat-endurance testing of the swingability of the Indiana Jones whip.

 

[Sno]

Thank you, K. And that would be this kitty:

 

 

[Artbeast]

The kitty swing. Now that is a new one on me.

 

One thing you can do to your cover if you ever get bored with it is to take out the refill and then ring it out like a wet rag or chamois. Don't be afraid to do it. You can ring it out as hard or tight as you like. The oils in the leather will move around and give the leather more color depth.

 

Another paper we have called Frankfurt can be substituted at no extra cost for the Arches. It is smoother and has a wavy laid pattern. It is just as heavy and does not feather or bleed.

 

Very pretty cat

[AKAGodSent]

I recently ordered a regular journal from Ren-Art and while the paper it comes with, the same you have, is nice I think I might have went with another if I had known about the options. A refillable journal is probably going to be my next purchase and I'll be sure to ask for a few samples, if possible, to try out in regards to the other paper(s) they offer. Thanks for the review.