Notebook Review: Stifflexible Notebooks

August 1, 2018

At this year's Atlanta Pen Show (way back in April, yes I know) I had the opportunity to check out Italian brand Stifflexible's updated line of notebooks. The primary selling point of Stifflexible Notebooks is the cover: it's a hardcover notebook that "flexes," making it easier to cram into an overstuffed briefcase or backpack without permanently damaging the cover. Not a major selling point for everybody, but I can see where it could come in handy for certain people. Stifflexible notebooks are made by the same company as Giuliano Mazzuoli pens, and are distributed by Luxury Brands USA, who regularly attend pen shows with a full display of these notebooks in tow.

Stifflexible Notebooks contain 192 pages of 80g ivory paper, which handles fountain pen ink quite well. 144 of those pages are lined, 32 are blank, and 16 are perforated graph. If you don't like lined paper, you're out of luck: I've not seen any all-blank or all-graph versions, but I can only assume that may be in the works at some point down the line. I'd personally love to see a notebook full of perforated graph paper. If you've tried Stifflexible notebooks in the past and did not have a great experience with fountain pens, the paper has recently been upgraded in response to customer feedback. The paper in my notebook handled pretty much any nib and ink combo I was able to throw at it, including a very wet medium loaded with Colorverse. (I don't typically write with anything much broader on a daily basis.)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

These are very nice notebooks with good paper; my one quibble being the lack of all-graph or all-blank options. The flexible cover isn't something that I necessarily need, but I can see how it would come in handy for students or road warriors who have to lug around an overstuffed bag. The cover art on these books is extremely well done, and I love the gold Paris Metro Map cover that I chose. A wide range of other designs are also available, as you can see from the Luxury Brands pen show display below. I may very well pick up a couple more this coming weekend in D.C.!

Distributor Luxury Brands brings a wide array of Stifflexible notebooks to pen shows.

Anderson Pens carries the full line of Stifflexible notebooks in a range of sizes from extra large all the way to small/pocket. (The notebook pictured here is the "medium" size, which is A5-ish and measures 5" x 8 1/4".) Pricing is $29 for the extra large, $18 for the large, $16.50 for the medium, and $11.50 for the small, all of which is a fairly standard price point for notebooks of this quality.

Disclaimer: I received the notebook featured in this review from Luxury Brands USA, the Stifflexible Distributor, free of charge for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Notebook Review: Dingbats* Earth Collection A5 Notebook

June 23, 2018

I reviewed the initial Dingbats* notebook back in 2016, right after they first came onto the market. I was generally pretty impressed with the overall make of these notebooks, including the paper. Since then, Dingbats* has introduced new cover styles and seems to have grown their business nicely.

Apparently, Dingbats* had received some feedback about the paper in the initial notebooks, which was somewhat absorbent and could result in some bleedthrough and feathering with especially wet fountain pen nibs and ink. In response, they released the new "Earth Collection," which includes 100gsm coated cream paper that is more fountain pen friendly. Personally, I found the original Dingbats* paper to work more than adequately with the pens and inks that I tend to use day-to-day, but it's always good to see companies respond to what the market demands.

The new 100gsm coated cream paper is super nice, and Dingbats* has included marked tabs on the edges of the page to allow you to code/organize different sections of your notebook.

And the new Dingbats* paper is, indeed, great with fountain pens. It's coated to better handle fountain pen ink, and feels like Rhodia or Clairefontaine. The Earth notebooks retain most of the useful features of the other versions (a pen loop, dual ribbon bookmarks, lay-flat design, rear pocket, etc.) BUT the pages are no longer perforated - a touch disappointing but perhaps necessary due to the thicker paper?

A writing sample on Dingbats* new coated paper, in cream with dot grid. No noticeable feathering or bleed whatsoever.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I'm almost finished with the Midori MD A5 that I've been using as my "work notebook"/hybrid bullet journal, and I have this Earth notebook lined up as the replacement. Note that the Dingbats* notebooks are ever-so-slightly larger than standard A5 notebooks, so if you are purchasing to fit a specific notebook cover, be aware that it may not work. For the record, I managed to fit the Earth notebook into my Nock Co. A5 Seed cover, but it was a tight squeeze.

Many thanks to Dingbats* for sending me this notebook for review! Dingbats* notebooks may be purchased directly from the Company's online store, and the Earth series starts at $22.95 with free shipping on orders over $35.

Disclaimer: Dingbats* provided me with this notebook free of charge for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

So what IS that paper you’re using in that photo? You know, the one with the weird lines?

Notebook Review: Clairefontaine French-Ruled A5 Spiral Bound Notebook

June 6, 2018

One question readers always ask revolves around this paper, which makes semi-regular appearances on The Gentleman Stationer. For the record, it’s Clairefontaine “French-ruled”, sometimes referred to as “Seyes-ruled,” which is used in the French school system to teach handwriting. The dark blue horizontal lines are supposed to be used like the ruling on regular ruled notebook paper, with the lighter horizontal lines and vertical "grid" intended to maintain consistent height and spacing of your letters. The Wonderpens blog has a great article on how to use Seyes paper as it was traditionally intended.

Personally, I like this paper because it can be used like graph or dot grid paper. You can use the bold lines to write fairly large, or you can use the smaller lines for writing small. It’s highly versatile, plus it looks cool.

A sample of how I tend to use this paper. Note that my handwriting is not at all consistent.

That’s not the main reason I use this paper, however. On the whole, graph and dot grid paper are probably more practical. I enjoy breaking out the Clairefontaine French-ruled paper every once in a while because it reminds me of when I was living in France during college, and I first started to really enjoy fine stationery and writing supplies. This paper was everywhere, and it was, by far, the best writing paper I had ever used. After that, when I could find it, I’ve always kept a steady supply on hand, even if it meant carting back overweight suitcases stuffed full of notebooks from Europe.

A Clairefontaine A5 Spiral Bound Notebook compared to the A4 Spiral Bound Notebook. As far as spirals go, Clairefontaine's are extremely sturdy, and the covers hold up fairly well. The one on the bottom is at least 5 years old, and contains most of … — A Clairefontaine A5 Spiral Bound Notebook compared to the A4 Spiral Bound Notebook. As far as spirals go, Clairefontaine's are extremely sturdy, and the covers hold up fairly well. The one on the bottom is at least 5 years old, and contains most of the early pen reviews from this blog.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Clairefontaine makes some of the best paper you can buy for fountain pens, and it works great with other wet writers such as rollerballs that tend to bleed through thinner paper. The main drawback to Clairefontaine paper is that it’s coated and non-absorbent, so the dry time can be somewhat long. I’ve found this issue to be most pronounced with highly saturated inks that contain lots of dye, as well as lubricated inks such as the Noodler’s “Eel” series. Inks such as these can still smear days later, though you’ll have the same problem on other non-absorbent papers such as Rhodia or Tomoe River.

Clairefontaine paper is available in a variety of sizes, including writing pads, spiral bound notebooks, top-bound notebooks, and even looseleaf paper. The notebooks and writing pads are the easiest to find in the U.S. (The pack of "looseleaf" paper pictured here, which contains 200 sheets folded into two-page booklets, was carted back from Europe.) My personal favorites are the Side Wirebound A5 Notebook and the Side Clothbound Notebook, the latter of which tends to sell out in A5 but is also available in the larger A4.

Clairefontaine makes Seyes-ruled paper in a wide variety of formats, with prices generally ranging from $3-$15 per notebook, making Clairefontaine fairly economical for high-end paper. The combination of price and quality makes it a go-to recommendation for both new and experienced fountain pen users looking to improve the quality of their everyday writing paper.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect that I now carry Clairefontaine Paper in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of Clairefontaine products.

Notebook Review: Milligram Studio Notebooks

May 9, 2018

Australian retailer Milligram has launched it's own line of stationery products, dubbed Milligram Studio, and they were kind enough to send me a pack of their A5 softcover "Everyday Notebook" to review. I like what Milligram has done here, and look forward to seeing what else they release in the future under their own mark. Be sure to check out their full line - they already have quite a range of offerings.

Milligram Studio notebooks are shipped in minimal packaging, two books to a pack.

The Everyday Notebook features 80 pages of 85 GSM Fabriano paper. Fabriano paper, which is also sold under its own name, pops up from time to time among the fountain pen crowd, but it's still a lesser-known option. For the most part, it works well with fountain pens, though I did experience a touch of bleed and show-through with wet writers. These particular notebooks contained ruled paper, but blank and dot grid options are also available.

The star of the show here, in my opinion, is the textured card stock cover. It's not only flexible, but appears to be coated to offer increased durability. The cover artwork is tastefully done.

Milligram-Studio-Everyday-Notebook-Cover-Stock

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Milligram has made some nice notebooks. I especially like the textured covers, and the paper performs well with most fine to medium nib fountain pens, though especially wet writers may see some bleedthrough. The notebooks are available for $15-18 for a two-pack, depending on paper type and color options. Spend over $199 AUD, and you get free international shipping. This shouldn't be hard to do, seeing that Milligram also has some awesome Kaweco Sport exclusives to help get you over the limit!

Pens pictured here are, from left, the Visconti Van Gogh "Vincent's Chair," Lamy 2000, and the Montblanc 146 Ultra Black. — Pens pictured here are, from left, the Visconti Van Gogh "Vincent's Chair," Lamy 2000, and the Montblanc 146 Ultra Black.

Disclaimer: Milligram provided me with the notebooks featured in this review free of charge. Many thanks to the team at Milligram for making this review possible!

Notebook Review: Bull & Stash Leonard Journal

April 27, 2018

You may have seen me link in recent posts to the new line of updated Bull & Stash notebooks, and I've finally gotten around to taking some pics! Last year, I reviewed the original Bull & Stash "Stash" notebook, which was a softcover notebook with Midori Traveler's Notebook-style proportions (which could actually be modified to accept MTN-style refills, in addition to the proprietary Bull & Stash refills). The new notebook reviewed here, the A5-ish "Leonard" Journal, steps up the quality and functionality, though the continued use of proprietary Bull & Stash refills will likely limit this notebook's popularity.

The leather - both outside and in - is a huge upgrade on the new Bull & Stash Notebook.

The design of the Bull & Stash Leonard makes it very easy to clip a pen to the inside, even a moderately large pen like this Edison Menlo. The notebook will still close with the pen, and the cover has magnets inside to keep it shut.

The cover stays closed, even with the pen inside.

The proprietary Bull & Stash refill hasn't changed. The regular 60lb paper is not the most fountain pen friendly, and there will be some feathering and bleedthrough.  That said, you're not meant to write on both sides of the page. It's more… — The proprietary Bull & Stash refill hasn't changed. The regular 60lb paper is not the most fountain pen friendly, and there will be some feathering and bleedthrough. That said, you're not meant to write on both sides of the page. It's more of a "notepad" setup, where each page is perforated and can be torn out. Bull & Stash separately sells 110lb "Fountain Pen" refills, which I've not had the opportunity to try.

The new Bull & Stash notebooks have added functionality in the form of an inside pocket and card slots, which look very similar to those featured in other products such as the Bellroy Folio A5.

The Bull & Stash Leonard, left, compared against the Baron Fig Confidant, in a One-Star Leather Goods Cover.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like most notebook "systems," whether or not the Bull & Stash Leonard will work for you depends on how you use paper and whether you mind writing only on one side of the page. If you use notebooks primarily as "jotters," and either scan or throw out pages after you're done with them, this may be a system that works well for you. Personally, I don't find this type of paper particularly practical, so my Bull & Stash products only get used infrequently, and mainly as notepads that I keep in the office or around the house. That said, the leather on these journals is very high quality, and the product itself is attractive.

You can purchase the Leonard notebook directly from Bull & Stash for $79.95. Refills are available at $6.95 for 50 sheets, and you have the option of 110lb "Fountain Pen" paper, which per Bull & Stash has increased tooth and less bleed. Two other sizes are available, including the "Allison" portfolio (a larger, top-bound pad) and the "Market" (a pocket-sized journal).

Disclaimer: Bull & Stash provided me with the notebook featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. Many thanks to the team at Bull & Stash for making this review possible. This post contains affiliate links.