Alright, I'm not a hipster, and the title of this notebook suggests that I may have been brought over to the darkside, but fear not, I remain resolutely stuck in the 80's. However, having seen these suggested on a random page whilst looking on the internet (I shouldn't be allowed to browse, really...), I thought to try them out.
For once, here's me just going out and buying a notebook, rather than waiting for the free sample, so it was to be hoped that they were going to be something special...
Cheerfully I wasn't disappointed...
Very well packaged, address written in real ink with a broad nib and a practised hand, it certainly looked the business when it arrived, but at a fiver a piece, they're more expensive than a lot of the notebooks I look at, and given that they're only 130 x 95 mm, they're not the most massive of books either. The cover is very thin and feels very much like textured plastic, not something to recommend most people to the book, but it works when you're putting it in a pocket journal. Sturdy enough to stand every day use and light enough to bend and flex with the rest of the paper in the journal.
Front page is a normal contents page, more in keeping with a daily set of updates, and it'd need you to number the pages to make it useful, unlike such things as Leuchtturm where it's already good to go.
The paper within is what makes it stand out, lightly coloured, with red outline on the edge of the page, it allows fast drying, 5mm lines, margin on every page which will be to personal preference, and sadly the primary reason why I bought the books (the promise of a perforated page on every page) did not materialise.
But as evidenced, even though the paper feels like less than 80gsm, the bleed through is negligible, and the feel of the paper makes for pleasant writing, even with very sharp nibs.
I bought two, and I'm enjoying the use of the first, it's not the best notebook I've ever tried, but it's easy to work with, and works well for scribbling things down in a rush. There are a wide variety of other notebooks on the site, and they're available at www.choosingkeeping.com
