Mindstone is a new notebook company based in Vienna, Austria, which currently sells a line consisting of a handful of hardbound journals. The Company reached out a couple months ago and offered to send me one for review. Since I liked the look of the notebook, and saw that it used Swedish paper, which typically works well with fountain pens, I happily accepted.
There is little to no branding on the outside of the Mindstone Notebook, save for an imprint on the back cover. Very understated.
Like many new stationery companies, Mindstone has embraced the "minimalistic and modern" aesthetic. The notebooks themselves are relatively understated, with either navy blue canvas or textured vinyl covers. The inside covers feature a pop of modern design, which I personally could do without but that's a matter of preference.
I chose the navy/royal blue notebook with the red elastic ribbon closure. The color combination looks outstanding, and if Mindstone introduced a lined or dot grid version I could definitely see myself using this. Mindstone also makes a sketchbook version, which Jenny over at the Finer Point reviewed. My one critique on the build quality is that I wish the elastic was a bit tighter. I suspect this one will stretch out over time and lose its effectiveness. As expected, the Swedish paper handled fountain pen ink well, with only the slightest hint of show through on the flip side.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Mindstone makes a good notebook, but you have to like plain paper and it would be nice to see some variety. Overall, the build and paper quality remind me a lot of the Slice Planner. While the Mindstone notebook may have a bit of a hard time standing out from the crowd in terms of uniqueness of design, this is a good option and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future as the company grows.
You can purchase Mindstone notebooks directly from the Company's website. Pricing starts at around 18 Euros, which places these notebooks squarely in the $22 range, a fair price point. Shipping to the United States, however, showed as being another 17 Euros - equivalent to the cost of a single notebook - which is prohibitive unless you are placing a large order. Again, that cost may come down as Mindstone grows, but for now this may be a product that's better suited to those located in Europe.
Disclaimer: Mindstone sent me this notebook for review purposes, free of charge. Many thanks to the team at Mindstone for making this review possible.