Sunday, May 5, 2019

PAPER REVIEW: PEBBLE POCKET TOMOE RIVER NOTEBOOK

Sure, there are plenty of pocket notebook brands out there, but Pebble Stationery Co. took the path less travelled to create their own take on the 'Field Notes'-type booklets... And I think they did a fantastic job! 
Pebble Stationery Co. is a young brand based in Australia, and their product catalog is - so far - focused on just two products: Pocket notebooks and pencils. The Pocket notebooks aren't just your run-off-the-mill ones though, because the Pebble team decided to go with the excellent 52gsm Tomoe River paper - something you don't see very often on pocket notebooks.
On the outside, the notebook looks clean and simple. The cover is made of an elegant linen-textured grey carboard stock that feels waxed, and is branded only with the Pebble Stationery Co name stamped in the bottom right corner. What's cool about these notebooks, is that you can't see the binding on the spine. That's because the outside cover is made up of two cardboard layers. The paper is sewn cleanly onto the inside layer, and the outer cover is glued over it to create a very clean and minimal look - as well as adding some extra durability. 
In terms of durability, you can definitely notice the double-layered cover, as the entire notebook feels a lot stiffer. I can see this last longer with gentle use (it certainly has held up nicely in the couple months that I've been using them!), although it may not be ideal for pocket carry (ab)use. That being said, I don't feel like this notebook, despite its compact 3.5" x 5.5" footprint (almost identical to Field Notes), was designed for pocket carry EDC use. It feels too fancy for that. Even the paper stock on itself: let's be honest, Tomoe River isn't exactly the easiest paper to jot down quick notes.
Talking about the paper: The dot-grid pages are perfect, dots are properly spaced (4mm apart) and the paper is fantastic - as you'd expect. TR obviously shines with fountain pen use, it's damn close to perfect: no feathering, no bleedthrough, excellent shading and sheen, and smooth to write on. BUT... it dries slooooooow, and I think that's a huge bottleneck for a pocket notebook. On the plus side, you do get a welcome 80 pages in a notebook that's thinner than a standard 48 page Field Notes.
Pebble also sells woodcased pencils with a 2B hardness, specifically to leave a dark mark on the slick TR paper. The pencils itself are a rather generic, metallic silver eraser-topped type with the Pebble branding hot-foiled on them, but they do the job (and aren't too expensive at 8$ for a dozen). Of course pairing these notebooks with a pencil, roller or ballpoint would make a bit more sense as an EDC kit, but I feel like you get the most out of this paper with fountain pens - the choice is of course up to you.
With every purchase from Pebble Stationery Co., they donate pencils to children in need!
I'm sort of divided on where this notebooks sits on the market. Is it meant for quick notes, or long writing sessions? I think the Pebble notebook sits somewhere in between. It's not a beater EDC notebook, neither is it really a full-fledged journal, but it can definitely do a bit of both. I've been using mine to try out inks, keep track of inked pens and do short writing tests. I may actually designate the other one to become my new ink collection 'catalog' (I currently have all my inks swabbed in a Leuchtturm notebook, but I've been really dissapointed in their paper quality lately, so this could be a nice and portable alternative).

While I think the combination of Tomoe River paper in a pocket notebook form factor is perhaps not the most ideal for everyday carry, there's plenty of ways the Pebble notebooks can be put to good use. One thing's for sure: they are incredibly well-made, stylish, and come with fantastic paper. At just 10$ for a two-pack, I feel like they are priced very reasonably (keep in mind that you get more pages than with a three-pack of Field Notes!).

It's GIVEAWAY time! Pebble Stationery offered a pack of their notebooks for a lucky reader of the blog. Participating is simple: leave a nice comment below on how you use your notebooks, and enter in the rafflecopter widget to confirm your entry (Only when you did both steps, it counts as a valid entry!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY RULES: Open worldwide! Giveaway ends 12/5/ 2019. Winner will be chosen via announced in a separate post and contacted directly via email, if he/she fails to reply within one week, a new winner will be picked. Invalid entries are denied.

NOTE: This product was provided by Pebble Stationery Co., so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.
Definitely some ghosthing, but bleedthrough is rather limited.

12 comments:

  1. I carry my pocket notebook(s) with me, primarily as To Do lists, phone message logs, etc. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  2. I always carry my pocket notebook with me, you never know when an idea or solution for a problem strikes you like a lightning.

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  3. Glad to see another option in this market niche.

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  4. I use these small notebooks as a journal when I’m travelling as my 5 year hobonichi is just too heavy to travel with. I then transfer my notes when I get back home.

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  5. Use my pocket notebooks for everything from grocery lists to small project planning type stuff.

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  6. I use my field notes style notebooks as a way to organize writing ideas. Also I have a few geocaches out there and keep them as log books in the bigger ones.

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  7. It's interesting to see this as another option. We like to utilize these style notebooks to take quick notes that need to be transferred somewhere else later.

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  8. I use my notebooks for everything: morning Pages, bullet journal, lists, EDC, commonplace, you name it!

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  9. I always carry my pocket notebook. I mainly use it to write things I need to do or to search, while also for taking notes during sessions or speeches

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  10. Saw these at Nero's Notes and was tempted. Time to succumb...!

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  11. I like to keep my small notebooks in my purse, car, desk-- just in case!

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  12. I'm interested in trying these notebooks. I've been looking at them for quite a while now, but I've never written on TR paper before and the slow dry times are somewhat concerning, but I've heard the writing experience is amazing.

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