Notepads & notebooks summary list

[dimeotane]

Is there a master list of notebooks and notepads on FPN? If not, shall we make one? By now I must have bought a dozen different types to test out with my fountain pens. Feel free to reply with your list of what you do and don't recommend thats available in your area. Here's a list of all the 'letter' size ruled pads and notebooks I've tried in Ontario, Canada. Just how consistent any of these are from batch to batch remains to be seen however.

 

 

Fierro Paper Industries - color pattern one subject notebook:

blue paper, 80 sheet, 50% recycled, college ruled, 8.5x10.5", perforated, 3 hole punched, wire bound, flexible covers, made in Canada?, item #9365.

review: 9/10, recommended, heavier weight, smooth surface, premium quality feel, very ink friendly, no bleedthrough or feathering, black ink looks dark.

 

ucreate (Carolina Pad and Paper) - 1 subject notebook

80 sheet, 8.5x10.5", perforated, 2 hole punched, wire comb bound, solid covers, © 2006, made in Vietnam, $3.66 @ Walmart

review: 9/10, recommended, light weight, smooth surface, nice feel, very ink friendly, no bleedthrough or feathering, black ink looks dark.

 

Ampad Envirotech 1 subject notebook:

100 sheet, 100% recycled, 20lb, 8.5x11", 3 hole punched, wire bound, flexible cover, solid backing, made in Mexico, Item # 40103,

review: 8/10, recommended, heavier weight, smooth surface, premium quality feel, ink friendly, no bleedthrough, minimal feathering, black ink looks light.

 

Ampad evidence 10x10 Quad pad:

50 sheets, 8.5 x 11", white, 10 squares/inch, heavyweight paper, #22-006, made in china

review: 8/10, recommended, heavier weight, smooth surface, premium quality feel, ink friendly, no bleedthrough or feathering, solid cardboard backing, black ink looks light.

 

HS Media / Loblaws 1 subject notebook:

80 pages, college ruled paper, 8x10.5", 3 hole punched, wire bound, flexible cover, solid backing,©2002 made in Indonesia, $1 @ Loblaws.

review: 6/10, recommended, thinner paper, smooth surface, nice feel, ink friendly, minor bleedthrough or feathering, black ink looks dark.

 

Hilroy Premiere Business Notebook:

80 sheets, 8x10.5", perforated, poly cover, cardboard back, made in China © 2006, #1302, wire comb binding, $7 @ Zellers

review: 6/10, useable, heavier weight, smooth surface, premium quality feel, ink friendly, bleedthrough and minimal feathering, black ink looks dark.

also available as 40 sheet notebook with leatherlike padfolio cover $9.50 @ Zellers or Walmart. I got it for the nice padfolio.

 

Cambridge 3-Hole Punched Office Pad (by Hilroy):

70 sheets, heavyweight bond paper, wide ruled, 8.5x11", solid cardboard backing, made in USA, Item #59864 ©2004, $3.35 @ Wal-mart,

review: 6/10, useable, heavier weight paper, smooth surface, premium quality feel, bleedthrough and minor feathering, black ink looks dark.

 

Cambridge Limited Poly covered business notebook:

100 sheets, wire comb binding, 8.5x11", college ruled, perforated, flexible poly covers, $9 @ Staples.

review: 6/10, useable, medium weight paper, smooth surface, premium quality feel, bleedthrough and minor feathering, black ink looks light.

 

Mead - Cambridge Limited Pads, 3 pack :

50 sheets, 20lb paper. 8-1/2" x 11". wide ruled, ivory, perforated,solid cardboard backing, $5.50 @ Staples

review: 4/10, not recommended, heavier weight paper, smooth surface, premium quality feel, feathering and bleedthrough,

 

Notebound - Carolina Pad and Paper - (CPP Int'l) - 1 subject notebook

70 sheets, 8x10.5", wire bound, perforated, 3 hole punch ©2005 made in China

review: 1/10, not recommended, light weight paper, cheap feel, feathering and bleed through.

 

Hilroy Quadrille graphs wire bound notebook:

200 pages, 8X10.5", © 2000, made in Canada, flexible cardboard covers

review: 1/10, not recommended, light weight paper, cheap feel, feathering & bleed through.

 

 

 

 

[Anne-Sophie]

Ampad Recycled Perforated Legal Rule Pad

White, 50 Sheet, 8.5" x 11.75",Legal/Narrow Ruled

 

Recycled Content 100%

Post-consumer-waste% 50%

 

I have been taking notes and done journaling on those pads for a long time.

 

The quality is not up to par with Rhodia or Clairefontaine but nor is the price.

 

My medium nibs pens behave well and I don't remember being really bothered by feathering with

bold nibs.

 

The color is soft white not as bright as Rhodia or Clairefontaine.

 

My pads have no margin, I bought them a while ago, a dozen at a time.

They might be the previous incarnation of the recent product.

 

Ampad show that it is Made in the USA but one vendor states that they are made in Mexico.

 

I shall try Nature Saver Recycled Legal Ruled Pad -White- 50 Sheet(s) - 15lb - Legal/Narrow Ruled - 8.5" x 11.75"

 

 

 

[dimeotane]

Some I've tried, others are summaries of reviews posted on FPN:

 

Clairfontaine

6"x8", wire comb bound, 90 sheets, acid free archival, 90g/m^2, 5x5mm grid, plastic covers, made in France, $10 CAD, SKU: CLA C8542

review: 9/10, highly recommended, smooth surface (almost slippery), premium quality feel, no bleed or feather, longer dry time, black ink looks dark.

'the best on earth'?

 

725 Originals - 1 subject notebook (Walmart Brand?)

50 sheets, perforated, 3 hole punch, college ruled, 8"x10.5", wire comb bound, inside pocket, transparent blue poly covers, made in China, $3.80 @ Walmart, Sticker on the inside back cover: "MeadWestvaco Corp Made in China #66601(SJ)"

review: 7.5/10, recommended, lighter weight, smooth surface, nice feel, ink friendly, almost no bleedthrough or feathering, black ink looks dark

 

Strathmore Sketch Pad

300 series: sketch, acid free, light weight, lightly textured, made in USA, $1.99 @ Deserres art supplies

unlined, 3.5"x5" 100 sheets, 50lb (74 g/m^2), 1" wire comb bound

review: 8/10, recommended, bond weight, toothy surface, very ink friendly, no bleeding or feathering, black ink looks dark.

nice for a small notebook in your back pocket. Feels unpleasantly toothy for doing cursive with a flex nib, but good for jotting down notes or drawing.

 

Deserres - Notebook

3.5"x5.5", ivory paper, acid free, hardbound, leatherlike cover, expandable inner pocket, ribbon bookmark, elastic enclosure, 'moleskine' clone, made in China, $8 @ Deserres, SKU: DNB6534

review: 9/10, highly recommended, premium quality feel, no bleed or feather, black ink looks dark

 

Apica

7"x10", 200 pages, cloth or wire bound, soft cover, $6.00 USD, made in Japan, online @ Laywine's, Nota Bene

5"x7", 40 sheet $1 @ http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com

review: 9/10, highly recommended, smooth surface, no bleeding or feathering

 

Blueline

A796 Record series is 7.6875" x 10.25", black hard cover, 200 ruled pages, made in Canada

review: not recommended, smooth surface, feathering and bleeding

 

Kunst & Papier - hard bound sketch book

8.25" x 11.75", 112 page, off white, 100gsm, acid free,hard bound, synthetic linen cover, $18.95 @ artsuppliesonline.com

review: recommended, toothier feel, no feathering or bleedthrough.

 

Miquelrius - A6, spiral bound, microperf, lined rule, poly cover

review: mixed reviews, paper quality/weight varies, some toothier, bleed and feather

Edited November 15, 2008 by dimeotane

[dimeotane]

Here's an alphabetical list of brands, many of which have reviews posted on FPN. If you like the idea of a pinned summary master list, feel free to take on a few and add the summaries.

 

Alvin - reporter/steno style note pads, smooth surface, ruled or quadrille, @ Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble "Moleskine" clone

Black N Red

Campus

Colored-Edge

Crane & Co.

C.R. Gibsons - Markings

Elan field books - 4 5/8" x 7 1/4", hard bound, grid ruled, 80 sheets, 24lb, 50% cotton rag paper, archival, water resistant, orange hard cover, $5.95

Exacompta

Fieldnotes

König & Ebhardt

Kokuyo - made in Japan

Leevaley.com - Everyman's Journal

Letts of London perfectbound books

Levenger's Notabilia

Maruman "Libretto" and "Boston Note" -8.5" x 11", college rule, vellum paper, made in Japan

Mirage Ecojot - 'tree free' 100% recycled post-consumer waste

Moleskine - frequently not recommended, bleeding and feathering

National Brand notebooks

Nava Notes - A5 notebooks, thick paper

Pantone - spiral bound

Paper Blanks

Paperchase (UK)

Pukka (UK)

Rhodia

Semikolon / Pierre Belvedere

SOKKIA field book - 6.5"x8.5, 10x10 blue grid lines, 80 sheet, 50% cotton rag, yellow hard cover, $10

Super-Conquérant

Whitelines - coil-bound A5

Winnable

Xonex Ru - A5 size

 

[offbase]

Ampad show that it is Made in the USA but one vendor states that they are made in Mexico.

 

Could be. Under NAFTA, "made in USA" has become a bit of a misnomer, as a product can be 90% made in Mexico but the final step or 2 performed in the U.S., but the manufactuer will be allowed to claim it is "made in USA." Perhaps they're simply bound here.

[Aunt Jill]

Deleted—in the wrong forum. Sorry.

Edited August 15, 2011 by Aunt Jill

[lightless]

Is there a master list of notebooks and notepads on FPN? If not, shall we make one? By now I must have bought a dozen different types to test out with my fountain pens. Feel free to reply with your list of what you do and don't recommend thats available in your area. Here's a list of all the 'letter' size ruled pads and notebooks I've tried in Ontario, Canada. Just how consistent any of these are from batch to batch remains to be seen however.

 

 

Fierro Paper Industries - color pattern one subject notebook:

blue paper, 80 sheet, 50% recycled, college ruled, 8.5x10.5", perforated, 3 hole punched, wire bound, flexible covers, made in Canada?, item #9365.

review: 9/10, recommended, heavier weight, smooth surface, premium quality feel, very ink friendly, no bleedthrough or feathering, black ink looks dark.

This thread is over five years old, but I'm curious about the Fierro notebooks after reading it. In all of FPN this thread is the only mention of this paper. I went to their website, where cartons of 40 single subject notebooks can be purchased, but I can't find them being sold retail anywhere. I don't mind having a stash of 40 notebooks, but I'd want to try some out, first. I guess this is where I contact the company, right? It just seems strange that they're hardly anywhere online that I can find, and even here they're a secret.

 

You're probably not around this forum anymore, dimeotane, (though I could be wrong ) but thank you for making these lists.

Edited February 5, 2014 by lightless

[Moshe ben David]

Its also worthwhile looking at Staples. Not in their 'notebook' or 'journal' section. Go to the display of ledgers etc for bookkeeping, tracking car mileage, etc. I've found some hard cover notebooks in this section labelled as 'Record' books as well as bookkeeping journals. Some are made by National. They're not cheap; but I came across these before I knew of such things as Clairfontaine or Rhodia. The ones I bought are fairly heavy paper. I have yet to have a fountain pen ink feather or bleed through.

[bluebellrose]

Op if you are still around, this brand no longer exists. if you do find it in a store somewhere, beware it has been sitting in the backroom for god knows how long. Loblaws doesn't stock HS Media anymore. They've changed to everyday essentials . Swapped to the J+ brand and have now since changed to Everyday Essentials.

Everyday essentials now is made in China. Has a smooth coating and is fp friendly. I tested it with a wing sung using merangue
fp ink. No bleedthrough or show though. Applies to all everyday essentials notebooks and loose leaf paper.

Priced at 2.29 for the simple 200 page cardboard cover 200 sheet notebook. 2.99 for polycover.

[Jan2016]

Leuchtturm 1917 (like them more then Rhodia, beside my Tomoe River Hobonichi my favorite)

Hobonichi (Tomoe River, what more can I say...)

[skyfox66]

I adore my leuchtturm1917's and my Miquelrius notebooks. I admit a few years ago they weren't very good but I tried them again about a year ago and only use fp's in them with the Noodlers Bulletproof Black with fine nibs though.

Edited December 10, 2017 by skyfox66