I meant to write this post a while back, but between the move and job hunting, things have gotten away from me! I also haven't written a review in a while, so I'm glad to be back on track.
I've always heard fantastic things about Quo Vadis. Laurie over at Plannerisms (if you haven't visited her blog, I give you permission to leave this post and check her out... I'll wait here patiently!) sings praises over her Quo Vadis products and has written several fantastic reviews. So when I saw she posted on Facebook that Quo Vadis was hosting a giveaway for one of their Robert le heros notebooks, I quickly submitted my entry for one of the three books. I was shocked to hear from them a few days later, emailing that I was selected and would receive a notebook as soon as I provided my address!
The notebook I received was the Robert le heros series in blue. The cover listed it as 4 x 6 7/8 inches - it is a great size to carry around. I'm not sure of the cover material, but it is very soft to the touch and pleasing to hold. The design, called Evergreen, wraps around the spine to the back of the notebook. The book can be held closed by coordinating deep teal elastic band that attaches to the back.
The series is also a part of their green agenda and the Clairfontaine paper is made only from renewable forests. As a recycling junkie, seeing things like this make me very happy! The notebook included a sleeve with information on PEFC certified forests and a pamphlet with the Quo Vadis Green Agenda.
If I'm being completely honest, recycled paper also scares me sometimes. It takes me back to elementary school with spiral bound notebooks filled with a greenish-gray "paper." Thankfully, my fears were quashed as soon as I opened the cover. The 96 pages in this book are clean and white - perfect for writing on!
Not only that, but the notebook almost lays flat straight away. I think after a bit of breaking in, this little guy will be perfect!
Of course, no notebook review can be complete without a pen test. I certainly don't have every pen out there, but I did my best to provide a wide variety of inkiness and nib size. Here's what I came away with:
The paper was lovely to write on, and there wasn't any feathering - even with my Lamy 1.1 italic nib. But how bad would the bleed through be?
Not fantastic, but certainly not as bad as some of my other books. Of course the Sharpie Ultra Fine bled through, but they bleed through everything. Other than a bit of bleed through with the Pilot V5, the rest just had show through. I was quite happy that my pen of choice, the Sakura Pigma Micron 01, had some of the least show through of the bunch. I'll have to see if I can deal with the amount of show through over time.
In all, I'm pretty pleased with this little notebook. I'm not sure what I'll be using it for, but since I'm focusing on really compartmentalizing certain aspects of my life, I'm sure I'll come up with something!
Have you used any Quo Vadis products? What are your experiences?
Obligatory side note: While I did receive this notebook for free, it was won in a competition, not in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions on the Robert le heros notebooks are my own, in fact, Quo Vadis doesn't even know I'm writing this... Labels: Notebooks, Paper, Review
