Friday, November 8, 2019

PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK

PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
A few months ago, a mystery package arrived at my doorstep. Inside was a notebook by the brand Endless, and a letter adressed to me. I couldn't recall ever communicating with Endless before, so I was sort of spooked by the fact that it arrived without a heads-up. Then I realized I had been talking to Dr. Sreekumar from Krishna Inks in India, and I realized this was a joint effort of his brand and Endless, both being shipped out from The Pen World shop online store in India (not to be confused by either Penworld or The Penworld Magazine -confusing indeed!).

So once I realized how the Endless Recorder made its' way to me, I cracked it open and tried it out. The Recorder comes with Tomoe River paper inside (the heavier 68 gsm version, not the more 'famous' 52 gsm), which is probably its' biggest selling point right off the bat.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
On the outside, it's a pretty simple hardcover notebook made of a nicely textured leatherette material, minimally branded with the Endless logo embossed on the front. The cover material reminds me a lot of the Dingbats Earth notebook. It only comes in one size, A5 (8.4" x 5.6"). The Recorder counts 187 pages, of which the last 16 are perforated. The lower-than-average page count, combined with lightweight TR paper makes for a fairly thin notebook, which is quite practical in use.

In terms of build quality, I've actually read some mixed reviews. My sample seems quite good, although I did also find that the paper stock isn't cut and bound very precise, which causes the printing (e.g. the page numbers) to not be perfectly aligned on each page. Apart from that, the paper block has a sewn spine and the entire notebook feels sturdy. I've been using the notebook for a few months, and the leatherette cover still looks like new.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
The Recorder features all the usual doodads: ribbon pagemark and elastic closure (always in turquoise), a back pocket for loose papers or cards, numbered pages and a table of contents on the first two pages. The notebook itself doesn't have an elastic pen loop, but the linnen bag in which the notebook is packaged, does! The drawstring bag makes for a neat way to present the notebook, and it can be used to keep your notebook pristine while also carrying a pen.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
The Brooch  can be personalized with your name
Endless has created two other products to further improve the functionality of your Recorder. One is the 'Brooch': a metal clip that snugly fits on the cover of the notebook and can be customized with a laser-engraved name or initials. It doubles up as an additional way to store loose sheets of paper. The second product is the 'Toolkit'. This is a free download that you can get from their website, and it provides you with several sets of guide sheet downloads. Especially if you choose the blank paper option (which already comes with a lined and grid guide sheet), these guide sheets can help in creating certain layouts for journalling, sketching or writing. Sometimes it's the small gestures like this that differentiate a product from the rest. Things like the Brooch, carrying pouch and Toolkit it shows how the people behind Endless are committed in packing a lot of funtionality into their product.

Let's get down to business: the paper.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
sheen for days!
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
As I already mentioned, the Recorder uses the 68 gsm version of Tomoe River paper (steadily becoming a more common choice in many TR notebooks), which is still a good bit below the average 80 or 90-ish gsm paper that is commonly found in notebooks. I actually like that it's a bit thicker and more substantial than the regular Tomoe River, it feels a bit less frail. The paper handles fountain pens with absolute ease. I threw everything at it, from fine to broad, stubs, flexible nibs and other wet writers... and it all looks equally crisp with plenty of shading and sheen but without bleedthrough. If I had to really nitpick, the 52 gsm TR still is the king of shading and sheen... but it's a subtle difference. The slightly thicker paper seems to handle ghosting a little better, with the back side of the page still perfectly usable. 
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
Showthrough (ghosting) is not bad at all on this 68 gsm Tomoe River paper
As usual, Tomoe River is not without its' quirks. Very wet applications of ink (swabs or calligraphy dip nibs), or permanent marker WILL get the paper to yield and show bleedthrough. Although to be fair, very few paper brands can actually deal with this. Also, dry times are of course a bit longer than usual. These downsides are common for all TR paper though. It may not be the most practical paper for generic use, but as far as fountain pens go, I can't think of another paper that renders inks quite like this.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
The Endless Recorder honestly wasn't really on my radar. So if they hadn't sent one out of the blue, I probably never would've reviewed it. I'm glad I did though, because I'm really quite enjoying it as my main journal (I don't actually journal, but I always carry a notebook for ink and pen testing, and random doodles, so TR paper is ideal for me).
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
The reported build quality issues are the only negative I can really think of, although my particular review sample didn't show any major issues. Other than that, I think it's a well-rounded product. I very much enjoyed my time with the Endless Recorder notebook

22€/ 23$ Is very much in line with typical prices of Tomoe River notebooks, and it's well worth the premium over a 'regular' paper notebook. The closest competition I can think of is perhaps the GLP 'Author' (28$) notebook, which has the same paper stock and similar pagecount, but in a softcover design.

NOTE: This product was provided by Endless, 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.
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
PAPER REVIEW: ENDLESS RECORDER NOTEBOOK
back of the test page

2 comments:

  1. I've been thinking of getting a lined one of these. Not that I "need" another note book, but... well... you know! :D

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    Replies
    1. Is "need" ever the deciding factor in our purchases though? lol! These are definitely worth a try I'd say!

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