Ill admit that I probably spend way too much time shopping on Amazon, and its not even because of cool office supplies, I pretty much buy anything I can from there so I can avoid going to actual stores. I stumbled across this pretty basic but reasonable looking Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover notebook (via Amazon) while shopping one day so I grabbed it so I could do a quick review here.
So the Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover notebook measures about 5 and 13/16″ by 8 1/4″, although its admittedly funny to say something is “about” 5 and 13/16″ since thats pretty precise. Although I’m reviewing the ruled version here, they also come in a blank and grid format if those work for you.
The binding on these Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover notebook sis glued but each of the individual sections that are glued to the binding are individually sewn to each other. Its a squared binding that feels pretty solid, and with a little bit of additional pressure will fold open for a fairly “lay flat” feeling for this notebook. Its nice that the covers also have some pre-defined fold marks to help facilitate this lay flat feel.
Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover Writing Sample:
The writing sample for these Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover notebooks was surprisingly better than expected. To the naked eye there is pretty much minimal to zero feathering with fountain pen inks, although a closer look if you zoom in really close you will see a minor amount of feathering. The nibs for each of my pens which included a Pilot Vanishing Point, Lamy Safari, and Pelikan M805 were all super smooth across this 90gsm paper. While the performance on the front of the page is pretty outstanding, there is definitely a minor amount of show through on the back. For me its just on the border of being too much, but it wasn’t enough for my scanner to pick up.
The Northbooks Lines Sewn A5 Softcover is one of those notebooks that might now “wow” you at any point, but its definitely one that will make you think that you didn’t waste any money and got better value than you would if you spent more on something that rhymed with shmoleshkin. Have a gander at the Northbooks Lines Sewn Softcover here on Amazon and take the plunge if you want to try something new, you may not fall in love with it, but I definitely don’t think you will regret it either. If a budge notebook is in your sights, the quality and price here are certainly worth a look.
©2017, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.
