My favorite daily journaling tools:  my Hobonichi Techo and Sailor Imperial Black Fountain Pen. — My favorite daily journaling tools: my Hobonichi Techo and Sailor Imperial Black Fountain Pen.

Five Months with the Hobonichi Techo

May 14, 2016

After almost five months with this journal/planner/notebook, it's past time to provide my thoughts on it. I've been using my Hobonichi since January, which has given me nearly five months to figure out whether or not this product is something that is going to "stick". So far, the answer is a resounding, "Hell yes!"

What is the Hobonichi Techo?

Honestly, the Hobonichi kind of defies explanation. It's sold and marketed as a planner, and many people use it for that purpose, but the pages aren't set up for any particular system. For example, the pages are graph-lined, which makes it very easy to break each page down into a "daily schedule" in whatever increments you so desire, but you're not locked in to a specific planner system. The only predetermined "numbering" is the date at the top of each page and a single "12" in the margin halfway down the page. Many people, myself included, don't use the Hobonichi as a true planner at all. The notebook contains 365+ pages of high-quality, fountain-pen friendly Tomoe River paper that you can use however you please.

The Hobonichi contains the ultra-thin, super smooth Tomoe River paper.

The A6-size Hobonichi Techo (in cover) compared to the A5 Leuchtturm 1917.  I've found this journal to be the perfect size to carry around, and the fact that it holds 365+ pages in such a compact format is incredible.  That's the beau… — The A6-size Hobonichi Techo (in cover) compared to the A5 Leuchtturm 1917. I've found this journal to be the perfect size to carry around, and the fact that it holds 365+ pages in such a compact format is incredible. That's the beauty of Tomoe River paper!

How Do I Use My Hobonichi Techo?

The Hobonichi is marketed as being "infinitely customizable," and I've taken full advantage. How I use this hybrid journal/planner/notebook changes from day to day. Some days, I will use it as a journal, simply recapping the day: what I did at work, good things that happened to me, gratitude items, etc. Other days, I'll use it for a version of morning pages, brain-dumping everything running through my head before I leave for work in the morning (or, sometimes, before I go to bed at night). Less frequently, I'll use the Hobonichi as a planner of sorts, but for specific things. If I'm planning a busy week of blog posts, for instance, I'll use a couple lines of each day to note a reminder of the writing project I'm supposed to be working on to keep myself on track.

Last Wednesday was a particularly uneventful day, so I used it to jot down thoughts prior to starting a draft of this review.

The Hobonichi also contains over a year's worth of "monthly" pages at the front.  I use them for ink swabs to document what pens I have inked up with with which colors. — The Hobonichi also contains over a year's worth of "monthly" pages at the front. I use them for ink swabs to document what pens I have inked up with with which colors.

On days when you don't necessarily have something to write about, or simply need some inspiration to power through, the Hobonichi provides a daily quotation.  Some translate to English better than others. — On days when you don't necessarily have something to write about, or simply need some inspiration to power through, the Hobonichi provides a daily quotation. Some translate to English better than others.

Where To Buy the Hobonichi Techo?

I purchased my Hobonichi early, directly from Japan, because I wanted my journal in hand as early as possible to start the year off right. The English version of the website is fairly easy to navigate, and shipping is relatively quick and easy. I believe it took the journal about a week to reach me here in Tennessee, USA, and I was able to add on a navy blue journal cover for minimal cost. All in, given the exchange rate at the time, I believe I spent around $50. (One Note: on the Japanese website, the English language version of the Hobonichi Techo is called the Hobonichi Planner. The "Hobonichi Techo" is the Japanese version.)

Takeaways

The Hobonich is a unique, highly versatile stationery item that I'd place in a category unto itself: neither a true planner, notebook, or journal--it's, well, the Hobonichi. I'll definitely order another one next year, based on my experience to date. It's a rare thing for me to stick with daily journaling for nearly five months, and what's kept me on track is the fact that the Hobonichi is not intimidating. There's a relatively small blank page for each day, and it doesn't take much effort to jot down a few things. If this product interests you at all, the barrier to entry is fairly low (even if you have to order from Japan), and there are so many potential uses for the book that it's worth a shot even if you're not a traditional "planner person."

Book Block Customizable Notebooks

April 26, 2016

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Phoebe at Book Block, a maker of custom notebooks based out of the U.K. Book Block ran a successful Kickstarter campaign last year to fund their "Bookblock Original" brand, which they bill as "The World's First Truly Custom Notebook." Here's how they describe the Bookblock Original concept:

“We thought it odd that all the good stuff only happens inside a notebook. Why not make the notebook your own and jazz up the cover with something awesome that’s personal to you? Bookblock Original is the brainchild of custom notebook manufacturers Book Block. Bookblock creates fully customised notebooks for businesses, brands and organisations in high-volumes. As a team of people who are passionate about art and design and involved in the creative world, we realised that more and more people wanted to be able to create products that were completely personal to them.”

Book Block will print a design of your choice onto a Moleskine-style notebook, which you can customize with your choice of ribbon, paper, etc. The printed cover is good quality--they print at 2400 dpi, and the result is much better than other "customized" Moleskine-style notebooks I've received at conferences, for work, etc. They also offer custom debossed leather covers, an option that I would be interested in checking out in the future. I can see how this could be a lot of fun--if not addictive--if you were a designer or artist with some very detailed, intricate designs that you want printed on a notebook. I stuck with my blog logo for my test notebook. Not the most original, but it came out well. These high-quality, professional images were provided by Book Block, along with my notebook. I've also included some shots of other custom notebooks they have done, to give you a sense of what's possible.

A Mini-Review of the Monsieur Notebook

The notebook I received is a customized Monsieur notebook, a brand that was heavily promoted a few years ago as a Moleskine-style notebook with a leather cover (either real leather or vegan leather). The notebook itself is very nice and sturdy, and lays flat. The paper in my notebook is the 80 or 90 gsm plain paper, which is better than Moleskine paper but still has a lot of bleed and show-through with fountain pen and rollerball inks. I wouldn't consider it unusable by any means, but this particular book will probably see more use with ballpoints, gel, and pencils. If you decide to place an order with Book Block, and you write primarily with fountain pens, I would recommend that you upgrade to the 100 gsm "Fountain White" paper. Also, YMMV with Monsieur's ruled or dot-grid paper, instead of the blank. Ana over at The Well-Appointed Desk had a good experience with Monsieur's stock 90 gsm ruled paper, which also comes in a dot grid format. Monsieur Notebooks are more easily found in the U.K. than in the U.S., but you can order them through Amazon, with prices ranging from $15-25 depending on size and paper choice.

Takeaways

I'm very happy with my custom notebook, and once I burn through some of my notebook backlog, I'm considering ordering a few more in different cover designs (with the "fountain" paper). I will be interested to see how well the cover on the notebook holds up. The soft-cover feels very nice in the hand, but it does pick up finger marks and the spine creases fairly easily. That's likely due to the soft texture and the fact that I chose solid black, but I did want to mention it because people can be very particular about that sort of thing.

A big thank you to Phoebe and her team over at Book Block, who worked with me on this notebook!

DISCLAIMER: Book Block provided me with a single notebook, free of charge, for review purposes. My thoughts here are my own. This post contains some affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase something from certain sites linked to in this article. While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase an item you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!

The Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook: my current "daily carry" — The Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook: my current "daily carry"

Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Notebook: The Fountain-Pen Friendly Basic Black Notebook

March 30, 2016

I always think of the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook as the fountain-pen friendly option for those who like the Moleskine aesthetic but hate Moleskine paper. I have nothing against Moleskines per se, but I've found the paper so inconsistent that I even had one where I couldn't write on both sides of the page with a ballpoint pen, the show-through was so bad.

The Leuchtturm 1917 A5 in basic black:  a similar aesthetic to the ubiquitous Moleskine, but the quality is much, much better. — The Leuchtturm 1917 A5 in basic black: a similar aesthetic to the ubiquitous Moleskine, but the quality is much, much better.

But paper quality issues aside, I admire Moleskine's simple, functional design, with the elastic closure, ribbon bookmark, back pocket, and relatively durable faux-black-leather cover. Enter the Leuchtturm 1917 from Hamburg, Germany. This particular notebook that I've been using started life as a bullet journal, but I've since moved on from that system and I'm now using it as miscellaneous ideas/drafts/research notebook.

The Leuchtturm 1917 also has the catchall "back pocket" folder.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this notebook. I'm currently about a quarter of the way through it. This version has well-spaced dot-grid paper, which handles fountain pen ink better than a Baron Fig, but probably not quite as well as a Rhodia Webnotebook or a Quo Vadis Habana. I did a pretty thorough test yesterday, and the only two pen-ink combinations that I used that had bleed or show-through (albeit minimal) were Sailor Bung Box Espresso Brown in my medium TWSBI Eco, and the Schmidt Capless .6mm Rollerball refill in my Baron Fig Squire. Neither rendered the other side of the page unusable by any stretch.

A dozen inks and pencils tested on a Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebook, dot grid version.

My favorite features are the 249 numbered pages and the built-in "table of contents," which make the Leuchtturm 1917 an easy notebook to index and an excellent option for those who work on multiple projects simultaneously and don't like to carry multiple notebooks.

Bottom line: this notebook probably won't turn any heads, but as I mentioned, it's very functional and will stand up well to heavy daily use. The version that I've reviewed here is the "classic black" A5, but Leuchtturm offers other colors and patterns as well. Check out the various colors they offer here (though I have no idea how many of these options make it to the U.S.).

The Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Notebooks compare favorably to the Rhodia Webnotebook and the Quo Vadis Habana, both of which are also excellent and can be highly recommended because they feature Clairefontaine paper. All of these notebooks are pricier than a Moleskine, but you are paying for quality, and plus, I haven't yet found Moleskine hardcover notebooks with dot grid paper as an option!

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase an item from any of the sites linked to in this article. While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase something you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so. Many thanks!

The "Stamps" and "Brown Leaf" editions of the Backpocket Journal.

Backpocket Journal by Curnow Bookbinding and Leatherwork

June 27, 2015

After reviewing my backlog of pocket notebooks, I opted for a product I have a small stash of but have never tried: the Backpocket Journal by Curnow Bookbinding and Leatherwork.

Vanness Pen Shop edition. — Vanness Pen Shop edition.

At first glance, the Backpocket Journal doesn't break any new ground: it's another pocket notebook similar to Field Notes, Word Notebooks, and the Baron Fig Apprentice (although Backpocket Journal predates the Apprentice). Two things set Steve Curnow's products apart, however: (1) the paper is much more fountain pen friendly than existing alternatives, and (2) the Backpocket Journal comes in custom covers and is hand bound with a sewn binding, which is both attractive and durable. For those who insist on using fountain pens with their pocket notebooks, the paper is on par with the new Nock Co. dot-dash paper. With non-fountain pens and pencils, I found that the Curnow paper was too smooth for my taste, but perhaps I've been spoiled by the super-tactile Baron Fig paper that I've grown to love.

My writing samples show what happens when you try to push the limits of this paper with a fountain pen. I used a TWSBI 580 with a 1.1mm stub nib, and also my stubbed Montblanc 146. The standard Backpocket Journal paper easily keeps feathering under control, but there is slight bleed through, similar to what you would see using the same nibs on the Field Notes America the Beautiful or Shelterwood paper. All other fountain pens performed beautifully. Those who want to use flex or stub nibs in their pocket notebooks may want to spring for the Tomoe River paper edition.

Pricing for the Backpocket Journal is consistent with the pocket notebook market in general: $9 for a three-pack of the "standard" edition, and $10 for a three-pack of the custom cover editions. The slightly more expensive Tomoe River Edition will run you $12.50, and comes with a lined guide to help keep your writing straight on the unlined Tomoe River paper. Doug over at Modern Stationer has a great review of this product. If I wasn't on a "new purchase" hiatus, I would order some of these immediately.

The Backpocket Journal can be purchased directly from Curnow via their Facebook page or through the e-mail contact printed on the back of the notebook (how I purchased the "Brown Leaf" and "Stamp" Editions), or you can purchase the Vanness Edition used in the review from Vanness Pen Shop. I received the Vanness version as a free sample when I purchased some ink at the Atlanta Pen Show (or maybe it was D.C., I lose track).

The standard Baron Fig Confidant.  No, the slightly frayed ribbon does not bother me. — The standard Baron Fig Confidant. No, the slightly frayed ribbon does not bother me.

Perfect Paper for Pencils? Agreed.

February 6, 2015

I've had a Baron Fig Confidant notebook for a while, ever since backing their Kickstarter campaign, but I only started using the notebook a couple of weeks ago. In December, I bought a second: the limited edition "Three-Legged Juggler" Special Edition, which arrived just before Christmas. And I will buy more. The Baron Fig Confidant is everything I look for in a notebook, and I see this becoming my go-to "larger-size" notebook of choice.

A notebook that actually lies flat without having to hold it open with your hand!

There was something about this project that I liked, from the tastefully designed, understated cloth cover, to the very reasonable price (about $16--take that, Moleskine), to the fact that the notebook opens and lies completely flat. The latter is something you would think stationery companies would have mastered by now, but they haven't. I give up on, or simply don't purchase, many notebooks because you have to hold them open to actually write on the entire page, and when you do this to a cheap or poorly made notebook it breaks the spine and causes the entire thing to fall apart. I've intentionally abused the heck out of the Confidant to see how this thing will hold up, and it's an attractive, well-made notebook.

But what about the paper? It's handled everything that I've thrown at it flawlessly. On the fountain pen side of things, I don't use extremely wide or wet stub or music nibs for daily writing, and I don't use high-maintenance ink, so I've never had a problem with the paper in the Confidant. If you use broad, wet nibs (especially flex nibs), and write with highly saturated ink such as Noodler's or Private Reserve, you will probably seen some bleed-through and feathering on the paper. But as many have realized, this paper truly shines with pencils. The paper is slightly textured, which makes it extremely nice for writing with all types of pencils, especially lighter grades of graphite that don't show up as well on smoother papers. I would go so far as to call it the perfect pencil notebook, of all the books I've used to date.

A writing sample with both very dark and very light pencils.  I have small handwriting, so the dot grid doesn't get in my way.  I've also noticed that there is next to no ghosting (i.e., graphite transfer) when you write on both sides of a… — A writing sample with both very dark and very light pencils. I have small handwriting, so the dot grid doesn't get in my way. I've also noticed that there is next to no ghosting (i.e., graphite transfer) when you write on both sides of a page, even with extremely dark pencils like the Musgrave News Pencil.

I'm currently using my Confidant (the standard gray) as my Morning Pages/free writing notebook. (In other words, the stream of consciousness, nonsensical-to-everyone-other-than-me stuff they could use to lock me up if anyone ever found it and read it; sort of like this blog.) I haven't started to use the Three-Legged Juggler book yet, but I like the color and will grab one or two more before they sell out.

Other well-made, bound notebooks that I've found include:

Papier Plus: These very nice, high-end books are made in a small shop in Paris, which is probably one of the nicest stationery stores I have ever visited. Seriously, I was within 8 oz. or so of having to pay the overweight bag fee coming home. They are filled with blank laid paper that also handles ink and pencil well (though they primarily sell pencils in the shop, so I expect the notebook is designed with graphite in mind). The downside to these notebooks is the price (35 Euros for the size I have, plus shipping), but again, they are a luxury product, and for those of us in the states we have an improving exchange rate and no VAT.
TWSBI: On the slightly more economical end of the spectrum, if you're looking for a nice soft-cover notebook, check out the TWSBI notebooks. I've been using one of their large notebooks at work notes for the past year or so. The version I have uses a fairly narrow ruling, and there's a good number of pages, so it lasts forever. This notebook also has been subjected to significant abuse (i.e., air travel, coffee spills while working in rental cars, etc.) and it's remarkably still in one piece. It looks....distinguished.
Emilo Braga: I vaguely remember using one of these years ago when I was living in Europe, and really enjoying it. Emilio Braga is a family owned Portuguese company that makes very nice looking "cloud" patterned notebooks that apparently haven't changed much since 1918. They have that classic "composition book" look. These are next on my list. The large size is available from CW Pencil Enterprise, and there is also a smaller size that comes with an elastic closure.

Notebook size comparison, from the top down:  Field Notes County Fair (Tennessee, y'all!); Baron Fig Confidant; Vintage Cavallini & Co. notebook; Zequenz; Papier Plus  ("L'epais" size); Twsbi Large-sized notebook; Staples bagasse compo… — Notebook size comparison, from the top down: Field Notes County Fair (Tennessee, y'all!); Baron Fig Confidant; Vintage Cavallini & Co. notebook; Zequenz; Papier Plus ("L'epais" size); Twsbi Large-sized notebook; Staples bagasse composition book.

Papier Plus and TWSBI Notebooks.  The Papier Plus Notebooks are so nice I haven't been able to bring myself to use them yet, but their day is coming. — Papier Plus and TWSBI Notebooks. The Papier Plus Notebooks are so nice I haven't been able to bring myself to use them yet, but their day is coming.

They say that the last stage is "acceptance". . . . I'm gradually coming around to the fact that I will never burn my way through my notebook backlog. (But that's the point of having a "stash," isn't it?)

What is the Hobonichi Techo?

How Do I Use My Hobonichi Techo?

Where To Buy the Hobonichi Techo?

Takeaways

Further Reading

A Mini-Review of the Monsieur Notebook

Takeaways

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