Ah! I have a few Nock Co. cases, but I was most curious to try out the cute pocket notebooks they launched! Thanks to Nock Co. for sending these over for me to review!
ABOUT
Size: 3.5 x 5.5 inches
Color: Yellow & White
Ruling: Dot Dash
Sheet Count: 48
Price: $9.00USD for three
Where to buy:
Nock Co.
APPEARANCE
Ahh I love bright colored things! Especially pocket notebooks, which is what these are. They are top staplebound, so they flip up to open, or if you use it sideways, they flip sideways. The corners are rounded, both covers and pages, and the pages inside are definitely intriguing.
The covers are bright yellow with the Nock Co. logo on the front and a made in USA print on the back. The paper is white with cool grey dot dash rulings.
PERFORMANCE & FEEL
The top staple binding is great. The front cover flips up reporter-style and it folds back completely behind the notebook, if you don't want it flapping around. The cover is tough enough but flexible enough to be shoved into pockets without issue.
Pencils, ballpoints, and gel pens performed well on this paper. It feels nice to write on these pads. Rollerballs and liquid ink pens work fine, too, with no feathering. Not too shabby. Pencils also erase easily - the paper doesn't shred or fall apart. Markers bled through but did not feather.
The paper inside is 50 lbs and is said to be fountain pen friendly. Fountain pens are interesting. I tested a variety of nibs and inks and to summarize, I found that there was minimal feathering with normal nibs (fine - broad). With double broads and beyond, and flex pens, feathering is more visible. I did experience show through, which was more pronounced with broader nibs, and bleed through was inevitable, again, especially with broader/wetter nibs. Particles are visible on the paper (i.e J. Herbin Stormy Grey), but sheen is toned down (P.W Akkerman Shocking Blue).
While writing, I could see and feel the paper sucking ink up as words were written. The paper is not coated and slick, so ink dries quickly. This can make nib sizes look a little broader than what they are. The way the paper sucks up ink takes away from the tactile fountain pen feeling, and doesn't shade as it would on paper that is coated (ie. Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Tomoe River).
There is some feathering and definite show through and bleed through, but I don't find the writing experience terrible. It can handle fountain pens to an extent - probably the nib sizes that most people use (whereas I often use a bajillion-broads). The finer the nib, the drier the ink, and the lighter the ink, the less it will show through and bleed through. Is this really fountain pen friendly? I guess it depends what you consider fountain pen friendly. For me, it's no feathering. I'm pretty easy going with everything else. This paper does okay with fountain pens - not the best, but not the worst either. It's a pocket notebook, so it should be carried in your pocket or bag, or somewhere. If you like to use fountain pens instead of ballpoints (for example), it can take it on the go. It's a good EDC notebook.
I enjoy how these notebooks feel when the pages are full - nice and crinkly. I carry mine in a
Nock Co. limited edition black and pink Hightower case, along with a some of my (rare) finer nib fountain pens. This is a great on the go set up for notes and scribbles. I enjoy this notebook a lot - the ruling is unique and handy, and it's affordable.
OVERALL
These notebooks are fairly priced at $9 for a three-pack. This is pretty typical for pocket notebooks. It's not the most amazingly fountain pen friendly paper there ever was, but it can handle fountain pens. I use fountain pens with mine, but to be honest, it's really going to vary by personal tastes. Whether you like the paper with fountain pens will be up to you. I like it. And I LOVE it with everything else, so it works for me.
I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.
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4 comments:
Is there an optimal paper weight for pocket notebooks?
Awesome review :)
According to the product page on the Nock site, the paper is 50lb, not 50gsm, so the weight is actually 74gsm (1lb = 1.48gsm) (:
I read an article where the author thinks "fountain pen friendly" differs for pocket notebook, namely it their ability to absorb ink and dry fairly quickly since pocket notebooks are often used for jotting down notes. In this sense, "nicer", coated paper isn't very practical, as the ink will take much longer to dry and will smear/stamp when the notebook is closed.
So in that sense, these Dot Dash notebooks could be seen as fountain pen friendly :)
(Sorry for all the smiling ;)
Ahhh thank you for pointing that out!! I have updated to reflect the proper weight. (Also, thank you for being nice about it, I really appreciate that).
I agree with that author... that's kind of what I was trying to say but probably wasn't so eloquent about it. If it's meant to be carried, you want it to dry faster, right?
Smile away. I prefer that to the alternative :)
Hmm good question, I guess it depends what kind of paper you prefer. For me, I'd guess at least 50 lbs though.
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