Notebook Review: Endless Recorder Notebook

Back in the day, when I still wrote on lined paper and didn’t prefer graph or dot grid, my hardbound notebook of choice was the Quo Vadis Habana, which at the time did not come in a dot grid format. For whatever reason, that notebook became difficult to find, and I moved on to other things, but the format always stuck in the back of my mind - a slim, A5-ish notebook with a leatherette cover, elastic closure, and exceptionally fountain pen friendly paper. I used several Habanas as my personal journals over a multi-year period, and still have them on my shelf.

The Endless Recorder, the product of a relatively new company based in India called Endless Works, has updated this format by incorporating 187 numbered pages of 68 GSM Tomoe River dot grid paper into a compact notebook with a similar faux-leather cover. The notebook comes in four colors: black, blue, red, and green, each with a sky blue elastic closure.

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The specs of the Endless Recorder. The only possible complaint I have is that I wish the elastic were a bit tighter. I have some concern that it will loosen up over time.

The Endless Recorder feels well-made, and lays flat - a relatively uncommon feature in a notebook this thin. As for the paper, this is my first experience with 68 GSM Tomoe River. Most “Tomoe River” notebooks use the lightweight 52 GSM paper, which handles fountain pen ink quite well but which I’ve personally found less durable and subject to tears. If you put a lot of ink on the page, you can also experience extremely long dry times, in addition to the “crinkling” effect which I personally dislike. Though I have several 52 GSM Tomoe River notebooks that I use regularly, I do wish that this 68 GSM version would receive more attention and make its way into more products. The heavier paper is more absorbent, allowing ink to dry quicker, and also has a bit of tooth to it, which I prefer over the glassy-smooth texture of “standard” Tomoe River paper. (Added texture is one of the reasons I enjoy Baron Fig’s paper so much.) While the 68 GSM Tomoe River isn’t quite that toothy, it’s still very pleasant to use with pencils. Many pencil aficionados dislike the 52 GSM variant because it’s too smooth and doesn’t offer enough feedback when writing with graphite.

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You don’t sacrifice the signature thinness of Tomoe River notebooks by opting for the heavier 68 GSM paper. Shown here (bottom) compared against the Baron Fig “Gather” Review Journal.

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It’s relatively uncommon to find a smaller bound notebook that lays completely flat without breaking the spine or holding it open, much less one with 187 pages (16 of which are perforated).

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I’m impressed with the Endless Recorder, and plan on picking up a couple to use for work. Given the slimmer profile and general absence of bulk, these notebooks would also make excellent travel journals. Since the pages are numbered, this notebook could also easily be converted into a bullet journal.

You can purchase the Endless Recorder directly from Endless via their online shop. Pen Chalet also carries the standard journal, priced at $22.95, as well as a Pen Chalet special edition in “Rust”, currently priced at $17.99.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Endless for sending me this notebook to review, free of charge. This post contains affiliate links.

Notebook Review: Baron Fig Gather Review Journal

Baron Fig ended their quarterly limited edition subscription program a few years ago, but continues to release special editions of their Confidant notebook at regular intervals. The Gather “Review Journal” is the latest in a string of special-purpose notebooks issued by Baron Fig that they call “Guided Editions”, including the well-received Clear Habit Journal (a habit tracker), the Grow Daily Journal (designed to help you “form and keep a journaling habit”), the Savor Recipe Journal (self-explanatory), and the Wander Dream Journal (dream tracking). While each of these latter notebooks was a bit too specialized for me, and I took a pass, “Gather” intrigued me because, well, I spend a large part of my time reviewing products, and a notebook structured to help you track your notes on whatever it is you may be reviewing - pens, movies, books, music, wine, beer, etc. - struck me as potentially useful.

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I love the olive green fabric, and wish Baron Fig would sell the standard Confidant in this color.

How I Intend to Use the Gather Review Journal

As I work to grow The Gentleman Stationer and ensure that I maintain a steady flow of content that people want to read, I’ve made an effort to improve my systems - namely, keeping better track of notes and thoughts on the various products I’m using and other topics that I want to write about. Gather intrigued me because I immediately saw the case for a structured notebook that I could use to collect my notes on different products at various stages of the review process. Overall, I can see this working out, and not just for pen reviews. I purchased a couple Gather journals, and I’m also considering dedicating one to keeping a logbook of other things, probably books I’ve been reading because I’d like to do a better job of retaining what I’ve read.

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My only quibble is that I would have preferred either narrower ruling or a dot grid. There’s not much space to write your reviews, and I will probably end up using two pages for some products.

A Note on Paper Performance

Baron Fig has made my preferred “daily use” paper over the past few years, given it’s relatively low cost (at least in the standard Confidant), it’s reasonable performance with most pens and inks, and the texture, which I absolutely love for both pens and pencils. Paper is a highly personal preference, and what works for me may not be the best choice for you. Lately I’ve read a couple of comments about inconsistency in Baron Fig’s paper quality. While I’ve not personally noticed any significant drop-off over the past year, I would note that I don’t believe Baron Fig (or their manufacturer) single-sources their paper, so there may be slight batch variations in notebooks. For the most part, I would compare the performance of Baron Fig’s paper to something like Leuchtturm 1917 - it’s fine for most people, but you will start seeing some feathering and bleed-through if you use broader nibs, particularly wet-writing stubs or flex pens. Due to the slight texture, I find Baron Fig paper especially pleasant to use with pencils, and have since the beginning.

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Takeaways and Where to Buy

Like all Baron Fig Confidants, the Gather Review Journal is a well-made hardcover notebook, and Baron Fig designed this particular release with a specific purpose in mind. While I have a use-case for this notebook, I do question how broad the appeal will be for this layout, and whether it’s playing too much into the current trend of encouraging everyone to “track” everything, from money to habits to, now, hobbies. I’ve always been a tracker and list-maker, but sometimes I wonder whether it might be better to just sit back and enjoy things without trying to quantify or “review” them.

You can purchase the Gather Review Journal directly from Baron Fig’s online store. This “Guided Edition” Confidants start at $24, with a 5% discount if you purchase two and a 10% discount if you purchase three. The pricing represents a markup over the standard $18 Confidant, but it’s understandable given the additional work that went into designing and producing a special purpose notebook with a custom layout.

You can read my initial review of the original Baron Fig Confidant, titled “Perfect Paper for Pencils? Agreed” here. It’s hard to believe Baron Fig has been around for nearly five years!

Disclaimer: I purchased the notebook featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use.

New Notebook Alert: Yoseka Stationery

My friend Cary Yeager - of both Fountain Pen Day and Kenro fame - introduced me to this notebook at a pen show earlier this year. I can’t remember exactly which one, but I believe it was the Arkansas Pen Show in Little Rock. A few weeks later, this sample notebook showed up in the mail from Yoseka Stationery, and I have to apologize for how long it’s taken me to do a review, especially since this is such an interesting product. Cary explained to me that the owners of Yoseka Stationery had just opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Sunnyside, Queens, and had designed this notebook from scratch after sourcing the paper from Taiwan.

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You can read the full description here on the Yoseka website, but in short this notebook contains 85gsm “KBU2” paper from Conifer, a Taiwanese company that has been around since 1955 and apparently experiments quite a bit with different paper properties. Yoseka chose this particular paper because “it encourages a quick dry and it perfectly reflects the sheen of the pen ink with minimal bleeding.” Since the paper is fairly absorbent, it does dry quickly, with no smearing once the ink is dry - something those who love “sheeny” inks will appreciate since many of those tend to smear even days later.

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I had minor issues with bleed-through in the Yoseka notebook, but I’m beginning to suspect that the primary culprit is one particular ink (Lamy Crystal Peridot), which has been temperamental on several different papers. I experienced serious bleed-through with that ink on a Rhodia pad.

The design of the notebook itself merits some discussion. Yoseka uses a plain “cement grey cardboard hardcover”, which reminds me of the thick chipboard covers used on the Doane Paper notebooks, as well as a “naked binding” that shows off the stitching and gluing. Yoseka describes the cover and binding as “durable,” but that characterization will, of course, depend on how hard you use your notebooks. Fans of minimal design will like the look, and the binding allows the notebook to lay completely flat.

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A true lay-flat binding!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Yoseka Stationery makes a nice notebook featuring a simple design and durable construction. This notebook also contains a lot of paper, which should handle most fountain pen inks relatively well and show off any inks that sheen. I’d offer a note of caution for those who anticipate writing on both sides of the page with very wet nibs and inks, as you might experience a touch of “pinpoint” bleedthrough (pictured above). Otherwise, this notebook should meet most people’s needs, and generally has been well-received by fountain pen users.

You can purchase the Yoseka Notebook directly from Yoseka Stationery in Queens, New York, either via their online store or in person at their brick-and-mortar location in Sunnyside. It’s reasonably priced at $20, and I definitely plan to make a visit when I’m in New York City next month (along with visits to my other favorite NYC stationery shops)!

Disclaimer: The notebook featured in this review was sent to me free of charge by Yoseka Stationery. Many thanks to them for making this review possible!

My 2019 Journaling Setup: Nanami Paper Cafe Note and Midori 5-Years Journal

I was on the Hobonichi Techo bandwagon for a while, using everyone’s favorite A6 Japanese planner as a one-page-a-day journal. I actually have three of them filled up from 2016-2018. Although I liked the Hobonichi, I wanted something slightly less structured, that offered me the flexibility to write more than a page on one day, and sometimes skip a day with less “journaling guilt.” Some days absolutely nothing of note happens, right, much less nothing that justifies wasting a full page of precious Tomoe River!

Enter the Nanami Paper Cafe Note B6. I’ve long enjoyed the Nanami Paper Seven Seas series, both the original “Writer” and the “Crossfield,” but a couple years back they released the “Cafe Note,” which is a smaller Tomoe River notebook measuring roughly 4 x 7 inches in what is referred to as the Japanese “Shinsho” size. You can read more about the background of the notebook on the Nanami Paper website, but what’s notable is that this size book was “created for rail commuters that spend a lot of time standing in trains and hanging out in cafes between trains or after work.” In other words, if you’re looking for a highly portable notebook that’s easy to slip into a bag and write with in a coffee shop, on a train or airplane, or anywhere else space is at a premium, consider the Cafe Note.

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Small grid ruling with lots of boxes for organizing/summarizing notes? Count me in.

This layout works much better for me than the A6 Hobonichi. For starters, I appreciate that the Cafe Note is rather long and narrow, like these hardback Kunisawa “Find” notebooks, since I do much of my writing and note-taking in list or bullet format. Some people dislike the boxes at the top and bottom, but I find it convenient for organizing my notebook entries by date and topic. Finally, the grid/graph ruling is pretty small, but I have small handwriting so it works for me. Nanami Paper makes a lined version if grid isn’t your thing.

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At the end of the day, I did miss having a classic diary or “daily journal” to record the mundane happenings of life. For Christmas my family gave me a Vanness gift card, which I cashed in on a Midori 5-Years Diary. To me, the beauty of this particular journal is how easy it is to use consistently. There’s a page for each day of the month (including February 29 for those years), with each page broken down into five sections containing five lines each. I don’t care how boring the day was, you can always find one thing to record, and I recall that after I had used my old Levenger 5-Year Journal for a few years it was quite enjoyable to write each day’s entry and see exactly what I was doing and/or thinking one or two years earlier. I don’t have a perfect record of daily entries, but I’ve been pretty good so far.

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Noticing a trend here, size-wise?

Takeaways and Where to Buy

This particular setup has worked well for me in 2019, and in all likelihood I will continue it next year. The great thing about the Midori 5-Years Diary is - wait for it - that you only have to purchase it every five years, and the Nanami Paper Cafe Note has so many pages that it will also last you a long time. I do use an annual paper planner, the Jibun Techo 3-in-1 A5 Slim, for tracking tasks and logging things, but I plan to hold the review on that particular tool until the 2020 versions are released in the Fall.

I purchased my Midori 5-Year Diary from Vanness Pens, and it comes with either a red or black cover. At first glance, it’s not inexpensive at $42, but then again you’re only purchasing the Diary once every five years, so that’s $8 annually. The Nanami Paper Cafe Note “Slim B6” can be purchased directly from Nanami Paper, priced at $18, which to me represents an exceptional bargain given that you’re getting 384 pages of Tomoe River Paper. A ruled version is also available. If you’d like to add the Gfeller natural leather cover shown in my pictures, you can purchase it separately for $68.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.

Kickstarter Alert: Tomoe River A5 Cahier by Pebble Stationery Co.

Many readers of this blog backed the first Pebble Stationery Kickstarter, for their Pocket Tomoe River notebooks. Now Pebble Stationery Co. is back with a new project: larger A5 notebooks that pack 120 pages of ultra-thin, fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper into a slim, understated notebook that Pebble describes as “designed for busy professionals who would like a lot of pages, but don’t want to drag around a large notebook, particularly commuters and mobile office/hot desk type set ups.” I particularly like the idea of this notebook as a potential insert for portfolios like the Galen Leather A5 Zipfolio or the Bellroy Workfolio. With the Tomoe River paper, you will get a larger page count than if you used a standard softcover, slim A5, and I appreciate the understated branding and demure linen-weave finish on the grey cover. The paper is dot grid - a personal favorite!

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Visit the Pebble Stationery Co. Kickstarter page to check out this project, and if you’re interested in purchasing the original pocket notebooks, they are available for sale on the Pebble Stationery website. This particular Kickstarter has a tight two-week time frame, so if you’re interested, you’ll have to back relatively quickly (unless you don’t mind waiting for these to hit stores). Many thanks to Lois at Pebble Stationery for supplying the production sample pictured here!

Disclaimer: Pebble Stationery Co. sent me the notebook pictured here free of charge. I have not otherwise been compensated for this post.