I’ve always been a fan of Musubi. The owner Daryl is completely transparent about what he is trying to do: create beautiful writing tools and notebooks that fully support artisans who hand make many of the products. The Pocket Folio Notebooks are just the newest to a wonderful product lineup.

There are a lot of pocket folio notebooks out there to choose from, often at similar price points. This particular one comes in a slim A6 size (90mm x 140mm, or 3.5″ x 5.5″. The books have cardstock covers and sewn binding, reinforced with tape.

The paper itself is Spica Bond 75, a white 75gsm paper made from 25% cotton. The books are available in blank, lined (7.2mm) or cross grid (5mm) and each book contains 48 pages.

The notebooks come in eco-friendly packaging of cardboard and ribbon. And here is why I love Daryl’s products so much – he truly thinks about how every part of the product and packaging can be used. The cardboard used to hold the package of 3 notebooks together is actually perforate and designed as index cards. These cards can then be used to sort your notebooks (for easy storage in any box that can store standard 3.5″ x 5.5″ index cards or photos). The only part of the cardboard that is “waste” is the small tab connecting the two index cards. The ribbon can be repurposed to be a bookmark, or used to tie the notebooks back together.

So let’s talk about the paper a little more. The paper is smooth to the touch and my pens glide across it easily. One thing I do really like is that the cross grid still absorbs the ink as normal – in some notebooks the ink is repelled by those grid points making it harder to read. I don’t see any feathering on the front side.  As for the backs, it’s not bad news. There is some bleed through where I reinforced my lines (the musubi up top) and when I used larger nibs (the Sailor Music nib I used for “pocket notebooks are the best!”)

Even so, I think these notebooks are perfectly functional for an every day carry. I can see carrying one in my purse or pen case (specifically the Sinclair) to jot notes, quotes I want to remember, to do lists, or more. And again, I appreciate that if I want to keep the notebooks as an archive of my daily life, I have some handy index tabs to sort them by! Are they the cheapest notebooks on the market? No, but it’s roughly comparable to other popular pocket notebooks like Field Notes and a number of other smaller brands. However, if you want to support a business that is committed to creating great craftsmanship and ethical production, I can’t think of a better place to shop.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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Being of small hands, I’m always up for trying cute pocket pens. So when Ana sent over the Ensso XS Minimalist Pocket Fountain Pen in Silver Aluminum ($59) that she backed on Kickstarter, I was excited to give it a try!

Ensso is committed to building “Sleek, minimal, and modern pens made in aluminum, brass, and titanium.” I’d say the XS fits the bill!

The XS is a machined pen made out of aluminum (available in silver or black) or a limited edition Titanium version. The site makes mention of a brass version, and I see that in the Kickstarter, but it doesn’t appear to be available currently on the site. It is a 12-sided pen, designed that way so it doesn’t roll away from you! It is embellished with black rubber rings on the finials and near the section and two extras are included with the pen in case you need replacements.

The XS sports Bock steel nibs (available in F, M and B) and there is a titanium nib available if you’re interested in an upgrade (available in M, $40 extra).

The XS is comparable to other EDC pens. I took a few shots for comparison with my Kaweco Liliput in Fireblue and the Kaweco Sport. As you can see, it’s closest to the size of the Liliput in length and girth, but when posted it also compares to the Sport in length. The actual length is 95mm/3.75″ capped and 115mm/4.5″ posted.

The most interesting factor on this pen, at least for me, is the weight. It weighs in at just 9.7g because of the aluminum body. If you’re into lightweight pens, this one’s for you! (Titanium weighs in at 15g.)

The XS takes standard international cartridges or will use a small aerometric (bulb) converter. However, based on my experience with the little Kaweco converters, I’ll be sticking with cartridges for this one.

When I loaded up a cartridge in the pen, it only took a few seconds for the ink to get flowing. It flowed smoothly and the nib wrote well on the first try. I think what I love most about this pen is that the facets keep it from rolling, but the section is left smooth so it’s not uncomfortable to hold (I’m looking at you Lamy Safari!).

Honestly my only complaint about the pen is that it’s SO lightweight. I prefer a slightly more substantial pen and the Kaweco Liliput just feels better in my hand. Even though the machining on the pen is great and the nib writes well, I guess I just wanted MORE pen out of the XS. But again, if you’re looking for a super lightweight carry, then you should give this one a try!

• Paper: Ghost Paper Notebook ($25)
• Pen: Ensso XS Minimalist Pocket Fountain Pen in Silver Aluminum ($59)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Fountain Pen Review: Ensso XS Minimalist Pocket Fountain Pen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Last month North of Rosemont contacted us and asked if we’d be interested in trying their pocket notebooks. Of course I wanted to try!

North of Rosemont is headquartered in Montréal and produces pocket size notebooks based on a few key principles.

To use only the highest quality, premium paper. To be sturdy and stylish for everyday use. To be made in Canada yet remain affordable.

NO+RO generously sent me a pack of two notebooks ($14.95 CAD), one in the Deep Blue color and one in the Grey 67 color.

Let’s start from the beginning: the outside. The covers of these notebooks are made out of 100lb paper with a vellum texture. The Deep Blue and Grey 67 are colors in the permanent collection, and it looks like there are other colors available as limited editions. The books are staple-bound.

Inside each notebook are 48 pages of 70T bright white paper, with NO+RO’s signature dot grid. The grid is actually made up of little crosses rather than dots! The paper is advertised to be high quality and super smooth and the second part is definitely true! There are also grey and white speckled front and end pages.

The interesting thing about these notebooks is that they are advertised as “smart size” and have 20% more surface area than regular pocket notebooks. This means that rather than being the standard size of 3.5″ by 5.5″ (9cm x 14cm), they are 4″ x 5.75″ (or 10cm x 14.5cm). While I’m often of the school of thought that more is better, at these dimensions, your notebooks may or may not fit in your pocket notebook covers (something to be wary of).

I do have to say that the paper in these notebooks is excellent. It is actually super smooth, and ink goes down beautifully and dries super quickly. The paper does show some ghosting and a bit of bleed through in heavy applications (where I added extra strokes on my letters), but with regular writing and fountain pen inks, both sides of the paper could still be used easily which is always a sticking point with me.

Overall, I was pleased to try North of Rosemont and I look forward to their future offerings!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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