Shrinkflation - Oxford Campus Notepads are no longer 90GSM

[Flounder]

I've been a fan of Oxford Campus Notepads for a while, as good value fountain pen friendly notepads at 90GSM.

 

Received a fresh batch last week, but "140 pages of finest quality paper at 90GSM" is missing from the covers! Now they read "Finest quality sustainably sourced paper".

 

The GSM isn't mentioned anywhere, and oddly the outer cover now calls it a notebook, while the inside still says notepad.

 

With a bit of prodding, Hamelin brands have told me the paper is now 80GSM (after emphasising it's much improved, whiter etc etc...sheesh). The Oxford site hasn't been updated, still states 90GSM, and the website photos haven't been updated to show the change as of 8th June.

 

In the photo below, old is the blue "notepad" on the left, shrinkflationed is the new red "notebook" on the right.

 

[Lithium466]

That's sad. I remember when Oxford went from 80g/m2 to 90g/m2, many years ago, to position as higher end.

 

On the other hand, how's the new paper? If they say it's much improved and all, maybe they really did improve the formula and managed to have the paper made lighter without compromising feel, behaviour, etc?

[Flounder]

I can't say without using it more, only a few pages with a couple of FPs and a few BPs.

 

Initial impressions are that it feeks like a bit like an A4 Optik paper pad of circa 2008 ish, the sheets are stiff (much stiffer than the outgoing 90GSM) and slick-coated feeling.

[Castiel]

Just curious if you've noticed much of a difference since then?

 

I use oxford daily and this news isn't great :(

[Wil D]

I use the College Notebloc. Recently bought some, and they are still 90grm. On Amazon nl there is also the Campus Notepad, and it states it is 90grm. But that could have changed. Only thing is here they are wired from the left side, yours are wired from the top.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

3 hours ago, Wil D said:

I use the College Notebloc. Recently bought some, and they are still 90grm. On Amazon nl there is also the Campus Notepad, and it states it is 90grm. But that could have changed. Only thing is here they are wired from the left side, yours are wired from the top.

@Wil D they do both the top wired ones are what was colloquially known as shorthand notebooks or reporters notebook books in the UK the side wired ones are usually larger A sized ones A5 and upward.

[Wil D]

1 minute ago, Mark from Yorkshire said:

@Wil D they do both the top wired ones are what was colloquially known as shorthand notebooks or reporters notebook books in the UK the side wired ones are usually larger A sized ones A5 and upward.

I use A5, so that could be it.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Just checked and WHSmith have all types. Google is our friend sometimes. I generally use Clairefontaine or Rhodia for my A sized pads but have used Oxford Red n’ black previously and I think and A4 campus notebook as my journal also.

[Wil D]

5 minutes ago, Wil D said:

I use A5, so that could be it.

Yes amazon.nl has the reporters size too, with top wire. It does say 90grm. But that could have changed.

[Flounder]

@Castiel re improvements, Hamelin Brands customer service said the paper is thicker, smoother surface to write on, and whiter...I've used the paper enough now to have formed an opinion.

 

Maybe this is a little harsh, but coming off the earlier paper straight into this stuff I really feel the difference.

 

I agree that the paper is thicker, it's also much stiffer. It's not well suited to a top flip reporter's pad, finishing one page I fumble trying to grip and flip over to the next; the pages tend to clump together. It feels heavily coated, extraordinarily so when I crumple up say a completed task list to discard - feels and sounds more plasticky.

 

Writing wise - it copes with ballpoints and gel inks.

It's a less engaging tactile experience than the 90GSM that came before when using fountain pens, all of which write a little drier on the surface -all nibs but the wettest feel more 'chalky' moving across the page. There's no feathering or bleed through, al least.

 

I asked if I could exchange unused pads for runout stock of the older ones, but unfortunately they have none left. I do feel the site and marketing photos should have been updated to reflect this by now, which they have said they intend to do soon.

 

The new paper isn't 'bad' necessarily. But it's not something I take pleasure in writing on, or would actively seek out like with the previous 90gsm pads, or buy up in bulk as before. There's plenty of generic 80gsm paper pads to choose from after all.

 

[Wil D]

2 hours ago, Flounder said:

@Castiel re improvements, Hamelin Brands customer service said the paper is thicker, smoother surface to write on, and whiter...I've used the paper enough now to have formed an opinion.

 

Maybe this is a little harsh, but coming off the earlier paper straight into this stuff I really feel the difference.

 

I agree that the paper is thicker, it's also much stiffer. It's not well suited to a top flip reporter's pad, finishing one page I fumble trying to grip and flip over to the next; the pages tend to clump together. It feels heavily coated, extraordinarily so when I crumple up say a completed task list to discard - feels and sounds more plasticky.

 

Writing wise - it copes with ballpoints and gel inks.

It's a less engaging tactile experience than the 90GSM that came before when using fountain pens, all of which write a little drier on the surface -all nibs but the wettest feel more 'chalky' moving across the page. There's no feathering or bleed through, al least.

 

I asked if I could exchange unused pads for runout stock of the older ones, but unfortunately they have none left. I do feel the site and marketing photos should have been updated to reflect this by now, which they have said they intend to do soon.

 

The new paper isn't 'bad' necessarily. But it's not something I take pleasure in writing on, or would actively seek out like with the previous 90gsm pads, or buy up in bulk as before. There's plenty of generic 80gsm paper pads to choose from after all.

 

Good thing I just stocked up on 90grm A5. I buy this because it works very well with a FP.

[TSherbs]

2 hours ago, Flounder said:

@Castiel re improvements, Hamelin Brands customer service said the paper is thicker, smoother surface to write on, and whiter...I've used the paper enough now to have formed an opinion.

 

Maybe this is a little harsh, but coming off the earlier paper straight into this stuff I really feel the difference.

 

I agree that the paper is thicker, it's also much stiffer. It's not well suited to a top flip reporter's pad, finishing one page I fumble trying to grip and flip over to the next; the pages tend to clump together. It feels heavily coated, extraordinarily so when I crumple up say a completed task list to discard - feels and sounds more plasticky.

 

Writing wise - it copes with ballpoints and gel inks.

It's a less engaging tactile experience than the 90GSM that came before when using fountain pens, all of which write a little drier on the surface -all nibs but the wettest feel more 'chalky' moving across the page. There's no feathering or bleed through, al least.

 

I asked if I could exchange unused pads for runout stock of the older ones, but unfortunately they have none left. I do feel the site and marketing photos should have been updated to reflect this by now, which they have said they intend to do soon.

 

The new paper isn't 'bad' necessarily. But it's not something I take pleasure in writing on, or would actively seek out like with the previous 90gsm pads, or buy up in bulk as before. There's plenty of generic 80gsm paper pads to choose from after all.

 

 

Thanks for this initial notice and follow up. 

[Wil D]

On 6/19/2024 at 8:41 AM, Wil D said:

I use the College Notebloc. Recently bought some, and they are still 90grm. On Amazon nl there is also the Campus Notepad, and it states it is 90grm. But that could have changed. Only thing is here they are wired from the left side, yours are wired from the top.

Well they changed the college notebloc too, no longer 90gr optik paper. Just optik paper now. It does not say how much gr it is.

[El Gordo]

The story behind the change is on my-oxford.com

 

[Wil D]

21 minutes ago, El Gordo said:

The story behind the change is on my-oxford.com

 

Thanks. So now we have optik+ paper (with a lower gsm).