Black 'n Red Notebooks

[nkk]

I was wondering if black and red notebooks (actually, the paper) were good. My local store stocks then, along with Clairefontaine and Moleskins, however as a student, I am reluctant to pay the prices for a Clairfontaine notebook if the cheaper ones work well for things such as note taking. So...does Black 'n Red paper pass your quality test? If not, please tell, as with my notes feathering does not necessarily matter so much as if the ink seeps through and whatnot.

 

Thanks,

Nathan

[jbb]

I think Black 'n Red paper is great! Very good with fps.

[RandyE]

They seem to be very good for most inks as far as I can tell. They also come in a variety of sizes and in either sewn or spiral bound bindings.

 

- R

[WhosYerBob]

I was wondering if black and red notebooks (actually, the paper) were good.

Excellent paper - use them all the time.

[wpblaw]

I was wondering if black and red notebooks (actually, the paper) were good. My local store stocks then, along with Clairefontaine and Moleskins, however as a student, I am reluctant to pay the prices for a Clairfontaine notebook if the cheaper ones work well for things such as note taking. So...does Black 'n Red paper pass your quality test? If not, please tell, as with my notes feathering does not necessarily matter so much as if the ink seeps through and whatnot.

 

Thanks,

Nathan

 

I've begun using Black N Red and Rhodia for notetaking and seem to like them as well or better than Clairefontaine. Black N Red handles fp ink very well and lies flat (spiral). I don't like spiral bound notebooks but they do have cloth bound too. I strongly recommend them. Rhodia, too, if you can find them.

Edited April 11, 2008 by wpblaw

[JohnS-MI]

I think they are great. There have been several other threads on them and you may want to try "search" for more info.

 

Also Rite-Aid has begun to carry them and have very attractive prices compared even to OfficeMax, Staples, etc.

 

There have been some comments the paper in the bound notebooks is a little different (still good). I have only used the spiral bound. The paper is excellent and a remarkable bargain at the Rite-Aid price. I think my last A4 size was $4.

[Gothmeister]

I'll second all the positive comments. Some of my inks dry to a different colour than on my Clairfontaine or Rhodia paper, which makes life interesting.

[limesally]

Very robust, it does take most FP inks well, even inks that are disastrous on other papers. It doesn't have the smooth, luxurious feel of Clairefontaine, say, but that is sometimes an advantage with some nib/ink combinations. They're inexpensive, so can't hurt to try!

[rufius]

I use a black'n red as a journal that I take everywhere with me. I quite like the paper. It works well with the main inks I use (Parker Quink black & PR DC Supershow Blue).

 

Quink Black is a fairly light ink so I rarely have problems with it bleeding through but DC Supershow can be a bit overpowering to less than optimal paper. My black'n red takes DC Supershow in stride and provides beautiful color variation. You can sort of get an idea from this post. Its not a direct writing sample but you can see that there is no bleeding with my Parker 45 which is a wet writer with most inks.

 

The other notebooks you might look at if you're willing to order a bulk of them to make it cheaper are Apicas. They're relatively inexpensive compared to Clairefontaine & Rhodia books. Actually Apica notebooks are cheaper than any Black'n Reds that I've been able to find.

 

Hope that helps

 

-Zac

[KCat]

Love 'em. Buy 'em 5 at a time from somewhere I can't recall at the moment. Cheaper that way.

 

Best substitute for high end (Clairefontaine, Rhodia) that I've seen. No, they aren't "cheap" but they are a darn sight better than Mead or any other common brand I've found.

 

I love the A4 spiral hardbound - If you write a lot and hate carrying a clipboard, this is the notebook.

[rroossinck]

Interesting thread, especially someone highlighting that they've read remarks of differing paper quality based on sewn vs. spiral. I've recently noticed a difference in them too, but I'd take the distinction even further. I've got a repair journal that's spiral and small that has some of the smoothest B&R paper I've ever used; quite different, in fact, than the hardsided spiral, and the sewn-in journal.

[KCat]

I haven't tried the sewn notebooks so didn't know there was any difference. wonder why.

 

I have tried samples of the notepads and was disappointed. Not bad, just not as good as the spiral paper. Tended to spread the ink more.

[Dr.Grace]

I agree that there's a huge difference between the spirals (smooth paper, little feathering) and the hardback sewn notebooks (coarser paper, lots of feathering). I would not recommend the sewn notebooks. I wonder why they didn't use the same paper??? Makes no sense to me.

[PowerfulMojo]

I've only ever used the hardbound A4 books & I love 'em. I do have long trying times for some of my long-drying inks (esp. PR American Blue). If I don't blot or wait 10 minutes, it will transfer so neatly to the facing page you can read it in a mirror. Other inks like Noodler's Upper Ganges Blue give me no trouble at all.

 

Cheers,

Andy

[KCat]

I agree that there's a huge difference between the spirals (smooth paper, little feathering) and the hardback sewn notebooks (coarser paper, lots of feathering). I would not recommend the sewn notebooks. I wonder why they didn't use the same paper??? Makes no sense to me.

 

Maybe they figure people buying the sewn notebooks are looking for a cheaper alternative and would be less concerned about the paper quality. In essence, are the hardbound books their elite model? Just ruminatin'.

[adair]

KCat's recommendations are famous for being right on the mark. (This vivid and persuasive writer has cost me a pretty penny, but I've never been disappointed by any of the inks or pens that she has suggested that we buy.) However, though I've been tempted by the Black N' Reds, and though I am delighted that they are available at the local Rite Aid, the paper in the sewn-bound journals does feel rough---you just know that it is going to feather. I'm not at all surprised by some of the reports of feathering. I don't think that these sewn-bound versions open flat, either. As for the spiral bound, the paper feels deliciously smooth, I can see why KCat loves them, but I don't like the loose movement of the covers caused by the spiral binding. I prefer the firm bindings of Clairefontaine notebooks and Rhodia pads.

[Dr.Grace]

I've just looked at one of the spiral elasticized A6 notebooks and, although the paper is smoother, a number of inks still feather and bleed badly. Some inks give acceptable results, however.As with the Moleskines, the inconsistency has been disappointing, and I now use other brands, like Clairefontaine and Canson, exclusively.

[PAKMAN]

I have been using Clairefontaine journals and just recently tried Black and Red. I really like them, they are much better priced and very fountain pen friendly. I also like that they are locally available at Staples.

[nkk]

Well, I did buy them (I bought a spiral bound one, and a small hardbound one), and my short experience with both is good, although the hardbound one feathered a little more than I would have liked, but not too much.

 

After taking it through a day of classes, I do see what adair meant by the binding being lose. Especially if one of those ridiculous spirals (they are not actually spirals, but more of the bindings where the wire goes through two holes, comes back, and forms a U shape) snags on something else, most notable a second notebook. Then you have to reinsert the U shape into the hole, and it is a pain and never actually returns to where it was before it snagged. But that happens with all notebooks of this type of binding, so I guess it is not a big deal.

 

Anyway, thank you for the feedback. Now I do not have to use my life savings (all 17 years of it ) to buy paper.

 

-Nathan

Edited April 12, 2008 by nkk

[RandyE]

Especially if one of those ridiculous spirals (they are not actually spirals, but more of the bindings where the wire goes through two holes, comes back, and forms a U shape) snags on something else, most notable a second notebook. Then you have to reinsert the U shape into the hole, and it is a pain and never actually returns to where it was before it snagged. But that happens with all notebooks of this type of binding, so I guess it is not a big deal.

 

Indeed. I never use spiral bound anything if there is an option to do otherwise for this very reason. In most cases I've found that a glued or sewn binding is around the same price for however many pages, and those are the variety that I tend to buy.

 

- R