This Neo Deco themed A5-sized notebook features 48 sheets (96 pages) of super smooth ivory 90g Clairefontaine lined paper with a sewn spine binding. The cover is made of cardboard with a matte coating, finished with shiny gold printed accents. Photo courtesy of Goulet Pens.
Basic Info:
Price: $8.50 USD
Size: A5 (8.3 inches by 5.9 inches)
Format: Lined
Purchased From: Goulet Pens
Pros:
- The notebook is available with a number of aesthetically pleasing covers.
- This is what initially drew me to the notebook.
- The notebook held up well over my time filling it (approximately a month), though I did almost always have it in a cover of some sort.
- There is almost no bleed or show-through when using my collection of fountain pens.
- Some inks take minutes to dry; I had this problem even with medium nibs and a fairly bog-standard ink (Pilot Black).
- if you are going to use this notebook with fountain pens, I recommend having blotter paper (or even tissue) handy.
- The paper feels different than other Clairefontaine notebooks I've owned (such as the 1951 cloth-bound notebook). I'm not sure if this particular example is a lemon, but both products are listed as having "90g Clairefontaine paper."
- I would describe the paper as "glossy bordering on laminated," instead of just, "glossy smooth."
- The paper squeaks when written on more often than I would like.
- (nit-pick) The notebook is stitch-bound along its spine. I am listing this as a nitpick because 1) I don't find this binding method as aesthetically pleasing (but it may work for you), and 2) I am concerned said binding type may not hold up over the long run. In particular, I've seen bindings like this fray over time, even if this example did not.
- (nit-pick) The notebook is barebones, eschewing features often found in other notebooks (e.g. a ribbon, back pocket, perforated paper, or other pack-ins).
- This wasn't a deal-breaker for me because most Tomoe River notebooks don't include these features either, but if they are essential to you, you may want to look elsewhere.
- (nit-pick) The paper exhibits a bit of feathering.
Conclusion:
If you're not a fountain pen obsessive and you appreciate the aesthetics, this may be a good notebook for you. As far as I'm concerned, the notebook is fine for what it is. It doesn't "tick enough boxes," to take me away from my current favorite paper type (Tomoe River), however.
If you're not a fountain pen obsessive and you appreciate the aesthetics, this may be a good notebook for you. As far as I'm concerned, the notebook is fine for what it is. It doesn't "tick enough boxes," to take me away from my current favorite paper type (Tomoe River), however.
Final Score:
6/10
