Do you use 'Tops' brand legal pads?

[bossy]

I have been using Tops brand legal pads for letters, and have found that

every other page is good. On the bad sheets, it puts down a thin line and

feels a little scratchy and feathers a bit. On the good ones, the line is twice

as wide, and feels way smoother, 'creamy', zero feathering and looks much

better. I don't think I'm going looney, it's been the same for about 20 pads

now. (50 sheets/pad) Has anyone else noticed this phenonemum?

 

ps- I tried office depot brand pads, ($4.99/Doz) and they are terrible.

(all writing done with aircorp bb or pr am.blue)

[donwinn]

If you have a WalMart nearby, you might try their Ampad legal pads. I have tried a small Ampad I purchased at my neighborhood super Walmart, and it works great with every pen and ink combo I have tried (Parker 45 M , Noodler's LCR (la coleur royale), Phileas F & M with Noodler's LCR and Waterman blue cart respectively) various jotters & vectors, all with parker blue carts, Reform Bremen M & Duke Uranus, both with Sheaffer Skrip BB, Charles-Hubert Paris with noname blue cart, and Lanbo duo points with both Skrip BB & LCR (one each). Also My Pelikan M100 EF LCR and Grand Prix M Pelikan blue cart. It dries nicely, even with the wet writers, and does not feather or skip. When I run out of my current legal pad I'll try that kind. Actually, I may can my current ink swilling feather-generating unknown brand legal pad and just get one.

 

donnie

[Poetman]

I also used office depot brands, and they are cheap quality! I was surprised at this because they had the same paper spec.s as DOCKET brand, which use and love! I used Tops once or twice, a very long time ago. I don't recall their quality. Docket, however, is good!

[dmmcf]

I picked up some Ampad pads with buff paper and light grey ruling after reading about them here, and they've lived up to my expectations. A little more expensive than some other legal pads, but a pleasure to use.

 

For plain ol' white, I've found Staples house-brand pads are surprisingly good. The paper's rather thin, maybe 16 lb, but it takes ink well.

[Friend of Pens]

I have been using Tops brand legal pads for letters, and have found that

every other page is good.

 

Is it possible that the pad was assembled from folded pages? A simple test may clear this up -- try writing on the back of a "good" and "bad" page and see what happens. If my guess is right, then the back of the "bad" page will magically be good, and vice versa.

 

I was never so aware of paper quality and manufacturing until I came here. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not!

[bossy]

try writing on the back of a "good" and "bad" page and see what happens.

There the same on front and back. I always make sure to use both sides of

the 'good' sheets cause it's like getting an extra good one. It's really amazing.

Maybe someone could pickup one and try it. Got em at Walgreens and the

model on the back says "75330 White". ($1.75/ea.)

[Turbonerd42]

For plain ol' white, I've found Staples house-brand pads are surprisingly good. The paper's rather thin, maybe 16 lb, but it takes ink well.

I'll second the Staples house brand pads. I'm writing with M, F and XF nibs, and Noodler's and Private Reserve inks, and if there's any feathering I haven't noticed it.

 

Turbo!

 

[Friend of Pens]

There the same on front and back. I always make sure to use both sides of

the 'good' sheets cause it's like getting an extra good one. It's really amazing.

 

Spooky! I'll see if my Walgreen's carries them. Surely a sample size of two will solve the mystery!

 

I can see it now...

 

Me: "Arrgh! This paper is terrible!"

 

Spouse: "Why did you buy it?"

 

Me: "I read that every other page was terrible and had to try it for myself!"

 

Spouse: <_<

 

EDITED to add: they don't carry them by me, sorry.

Edited June 1, 2007 by Friend of Pens

[HesNot]

I agree that the Office Depot value pads are lousy. We have them at work and they make a medium "51" look like a music nib, and a blurry one at that!

 

 

[Jeff E]

I'would avoid Tops Docket Gold. The paper causes most of my pen and ink combos to feather badly. Ampad Gold Fibre is much much better.

[HDoug]

I'would avoid Tops Docket Gold. The paper causes most of my pen and ink combos to feather badly. Ampad Gold Fibre is much much better.

 

Just to add a data point here -- I just got some Tops Gold Docket (the label has a fountain pen on it) when I couldn't find any Ampad Gold Fibre and my result is the opposite from yours. It feathers much less, and is smoother and brighter too.

 

I'm thinking notepads regardless of maker may be manufactured without as much uniformity as other kinds of paper (like expensive stationery). I'm betting the paper varies from batch to batch. Only people like us can detect the difference. Now -- if they would only print the batch number on the notepads, we could use this forum to alert the others to particularly good and bad batches!

 

Doug

 

[RayMan]

I like both Ampad Gold Fibre and Cambridge Writing Pads.

[Mary P]

I don't care for Tops but I've been happy with Cambridge and Ampad. I seldom by tablets anymore though. I've started using Black and Red notebooks and much prefer them to any of the tablet alternatives.

[srullens]

I use Ampad Gold fibre pad. smooth and does not bleed thru.

 

Shawn

[bossy]

There into a new batchs now. No more good/bad sheets, there all bad now.

Ampad platinums next.