Legal Pad Woes

[dickens]

About a month ago I bought a Tops Docket Gold spiral pad (with canary paper) and it has been great: nice feel, no feathering, no bleedthrough.

 

This week, I bought the same pad, but in white. Same pens, same ink: paper feels thinner, feathering, consistent bleedthrough.

 

What happened? Did they change or are the pads just inconsistent? Who has suggestions for other legal pad options that work well and are consistent?

 

Thanks.

[AndyH]

I have sworn by Ampad Gold Fibre Executive legal pads - in white - for several years. Now everyone in my office prefers them to the run of the mill Tops and regular Ampads, and they're only a bit more expensive. They take all of my pens very well, no bleed through, and are equally acceptable for those poor souls who have yet to discover "real" pens.

[DixieAmazon]

Sometimes one brand will have the same pad manufactured in different countries and the quality varies due to that.

[MrMGWard]

I personally use Gold Fiber Retro Writing Pads. (product number 20-011) I love the color of the paper, especially when I use Noodlers Brown on it. I have used it for quite a while, and never have I been dissapointed to date.

[CharlieB]

I have given up on both Tops and Ampad, because neither company seems to understand that their top product lines need to be absolutely consistent from one production batch to the next. I don't mind them outsourcing their regular lines to different plants around the world, but Tops Docket Gold and Ampad Gold Fibre should have greater quality control to justify their higher prices. I will no longer buy paper from either company.

[KMAC444]

I find that while on ocasion it may show through, it rarely bleeds through. I am refering of course to that aristocrat of legal pad the Office Depot brand.

[Opus104]

I have given up on both Tops and Ampad, because neither company seems to understand that their top product lines need to be absolutely consistent from one production batch to the next. I don't mind them outsourcing their regular lines to different plants around the world, but Tops Docket Gold and Ampad Gold Fibre should have greater quality control to justify their higher prices. I will no longer buy paper from either company.

 

 

Agreed. Rhodia is the only consistent pad I have found.

[AndyH]

In all honesty, I have never had a problem with the Ampad Gold Fibre, YMMV of course...

[James P]

I have given up on both Tops and Ampad, because neither company seems to understand that their top product lines need to be absolutely consistent from one production batch to the next. I don't mind them outsourcing their regular lines to different plants around the world, but Tops Docket Gold and Ampad Gold Fibre should have greater quality control to justify their higher prices. I will no longer buy paper from either company.

 

 

Agreed. Rhodia is the only consistent pad I have found.

 

 

I've been practicing law for 16 years and have tried the full gamut of mega-super-store legal pad out there. Hated almost ever one of them. Then I switched to Rhodia pads. Now I swear by my legal pad, not at it.

 

BTW, nice nib, Opus!

 

James

[ipse dixit]

 

When I started practicing law in the mid 70s the legal pads I could get had the same paper as a big chief tablet or worse. I used to go to the county law library and pick up the pads provided by West Law. They were very nice and I still have a couple.

 

Jim

[inkdesigner]

I've always been partial to the Black N Red pads.

 

Inkdesigner

[ProsaicParadise]

I really love the Rhodia legal pads so much, only problem is, they are prohibitively expensive. So I switched to Doane.

 

http://doanepaper.com/

 

I admit I like the Levenger annotation pads too.

[Inka]

I got the Ampad Canary Yellow in Gold Fibre the other day, my favorite paper with dark blue and purple inks used.

Inventory had just been upgraded and I'd noticed all the new pad packaging no longer says "Resists Bleeding" as did the old stock.

I dug under the massive pile of new pads and found one NOS package remaining, got the 6-pack that's Made in USA.

No idea if the new stock is different but the absence of those two words "Resists Bleeding" on the package made me want to avoid it.

 

I recently bought some Day-Timer lined Desk size paper and it's nowhere near the top-quality of my old stock [20+ years old] D-T paper.

The worst was the Coastlines paper, the stuff with the 4 varying pictures of beach and surf pictures, the worst paper I've ever used.

Coastlines soaked up ink like a sponge, feathered terribly and even the finest of fine nibs bled through to the backside.

The lined paper was a little better, only medium and broad nibs began trying to bleed, but there's definitely a difference found in old vs new paper stocks.

[kazoolaw]

If you're willing to order from a supplier, I've used Quill Premium Series pads for years.

They come in several colors:

http://www.quill.com/catalog/browse/SkuSet...%20Ruled%20Pads

I see Quill also stocks Ampad and Black and Red pads.

gary