Rhodia Meeting Book 90

 Rhodia recently released a new Meeting Book 90, a note jotter "invented (more like designed?) by a CEO for his personal use". I was lucky enough to win one from Rhodia's blog giveaway so here is my review for it.

Just like the existing Rhodia A4/A6 meeting book, it comes with 80 pages of pre-printed paper but this uses 90g  (instead of 80g) paper. As a given, the paper is smooth a dream canvas for fountain pen users: No feathering or bleed through and it brings out the shading in most inks.

 

Even with a wet-broad - The show through is minimal.

 Beside the pre-printed Date/Note/Action, each page is micro-perforated "for easy and clean removal". Since the paper itself is relatively thick, the removal is clean but I find it much easier and quicker to just rip the page from the spiral.

 

One should never judge a (meeting) book by its cover so I save it for the last (And no, it wasn't chewed by a dog). From the short online research I have done, it seems that the another new feature of the Rhodia Meeting Book 90 is the ribbed pattern on the black polypropene cover, a subtle make-over from the bland version. The ribbage looked rather handsome when I first got it (If it were a human, it would be named Don Draper) but after a few days, I started noticing white flakes on it.

  Initially, I thought it was drool (God knows how it got there...) and went ahead and tried to scratch it off. Then I realized that the textured ribs, which seem to be made of a waxy coating, are flaking off with small amount of friction. It might not be that big of a problem, if you only use it during meetings and have it kept inside a tidy drawer. I generally don't babysit my stationery so I prefer something that's lower-maintenance . 

Overall: I love the paper and binding but the new ribbed design is nuisance that I can't quite ignore. I am hoping that after a few more toss-in-the-bag, the coating will flake off completely (so it look like the older meeting book, just with better paper).

Rhodia No.11 Notepad

 

So...I won an Quo Vadis Blog giveaway again. This time, I received a Rhodia No.11 Notepad and a tin of green ink cartridges (Thank you! Sunny at Exaclair! Does it mean that I have used up all my karma for the year already?). It was a very nice pick-me-up after a two-week-long cold and it turns out to be an even better list-keeper than the Clairefontaine mini notebook I won back in February. 

Basic info - The no.11 notepad is 7.4 by 10.5 cm and contains 80 sheets. The paper is slightly lighter (at 80 instead of 90g/m^2 ) compared to the Clairefontaine so it feels a little thinner but I get no bleed through with fountain pen, the traction it provides actually makes writing more convenient (Clairefontaine is too slippery when I use a  soft and broad nib) and comfortable.

 
The notebook is single stapled bound at the top and has some fold-lines to be flipped around and the hard cardboard cover fairs well with all the tossing actions.

I mainly use the graph paper to keep lists (here is just a "Things to Take Photo Of/Review" for the two blogs I have) and the ruling is perfect for that.

I did a little watercolor test and it passed : Not only it didn't crimple much, the surface is smooth so I have have a long while to move the water/pigment around. I hate it when my uneven blotch of color just got sucked right in (I am still a rookie).  By the way, my ever-changing (still trying find my "style") cartoon figure now looks really different since I chopped off my hair...

Overall: I like the paper (even though still prefer Clairefontaine 1951 collection for the appearance) and I guess if the paper is the same as their webbie, I would totally cave in (I just need to decide which color I want).