Editing The Pen Addict 665/transcript (section)

== IA Writer Notebook Review ==

* All right. Well, this is a good lead in. This silliness is a good lead into this next topic because I don't actually know where to take this. Okay. So the IA Writer Notebook. Yeah. That we have discussed in the past. It won a Red Dot Design Award. Okay. Okay. So this was like I'm on their newsletter or somehow it came through. This is a really cool notebook that we discussed probably for like two years. They announced it about a year before they launched it and then they launched it. And, you know, it's been a long running topic. And you bought one. Like, you know, we both like wanted to see this notebook in person. It's very expensive.
* So like I held off on it and you ordered one because like you're in the making business. You wanted to see what was up with it. So the concept of this notebook, just to give a lead in, it's a, I call it letterpress lined notebook. It's where the lines of the page are basically indented into the page. Right. So there's no visual printing on the page for lines. It's a line notebook. It's considered to be a line notebook. But those lines essentially vanish like from sight when you're writing. You have the texture and feel of a line on the page.
* But to keep your, you know, your handwriting, you know, on, on the level. But it essentially looks like a blank page. So this is not a, this is a design that some other companies have played around with. Like, like Potter's had some. Midori, I think, might have had some. So this is a thing in Japan where a few manufacturers have done this. And that's where IA Writer's Base. That's where they made this notebook. So anyway.
* Cool. Cool notebook. And you got one. Can you remind me, like, of the, of your review of the notebook? Because it seems like while design is beautiful, functionality may be a little bit lacking. Yeah. I actually broke it out today because I wanted to remind myself. Because I remember I didn't like it, but I didn't remember why. Like in my mind today, I was thinking, oh, did, did like the, the letterpress or indented lines get in the way? They don't. I mean, it's very subtle, which I think is, you know, is actually a pro-Anecon, right? Like at the same time. And, you know, as I said last time, like it's the most, it's the most out there packaging I've ever seen for a notebook, right? It's like the notebook is inside of an actual wooden box that they made, which is then inside of a paper sleeve. Like you're getting something that feels like the money it costs, right? Like it's actually bound incredibly well. It's really nice. The thing is the paper just doesn't feel very good. Like I tried a bunch of things and I did it again today. The only writing implement that felt nice or like even like that I didn't notice felt bad was a mechanical pencil. Like I used a Mark 1, I used, I used my tactile turn, I don't remember what refills in my tactile turn. But, you know, and then I used. Is it a big one or a small one? Like a large. The kind of medium-y one. Yeah. So that's probably just like a Schmidt Easy Flow. Yeah. And then I used a few fountain pens of different thicknesses. And it's just like, the way I would discover, I think the texture is just too rough. It's not that like, you know, my fountain pens don't catch on it, but everything feels like a slog to write with. Like the feedback that you receive is unpleasurable. Like I just, I don't think that whatever paper they chose to get the lines that they wanted, I think undermined the quality of the notebook. And I've fallen into this trap. I think all makers have fallen into this trap. If you have an idea and the compromise that you make to reach that idea lowers the overall experience. I don't know what a non-pen person would think when they use this notebook. I'm not sure that they would notice. I don't know. Right? But like I know that I notice and I know that I do not find it a pleasurable experience at all. But I know why it won this award. Because look at it. Right? The idea is really good. And they execute it upon the idea that you're seeing. The part that is lacking, which to me is the most important part, is not the most important part for probably most of the people that buy this product.
* But it is important to me. Yeah. And I think about maybe for the people that vote on these awards too. Right? Exactly. I was really trying to understand the concept of the Red Dot Design Award. And it's a pretty cool thing. Brad, I would say to you that the majority of people that voted for this have not actually used Snowbook. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you don't need to use it to appreciate its design.
* In fact, it's actually better if you never use it. Because it just looks better when it's not used.
* This is a design award. A product design award. And depending on your definition of product design, this thing either excels or doesn't. You know? Yeah. So, honestly, I swear, I am not trying to denigrate this award at all. Like, I've used Red Dot Design Award winners. I love looking at who they choose for this. It is a fee to submit your project to Red Dot, right? And they don't have the 2025 list up on the site yet, which I have a real problem with their website, like managing it. But, like, I pulled up just the results from 2024. And there were 3,695 winners from 2024. So, then I pulled up, like, the stationery category. Like, they cover all categories, right? And, like, the stationery winners from, like, it's like an office accessories and furniture. So, like, pens are right there with, like, office chairs and stuff like that. So, like, one of the products that won is the Ohuhu Honolulu S Series Soft Chisel and Brush Alcohol Markers. It's basically your Copic copies, pens, right? So, they look exactly like a Copic, but this is what won, right? Then there's the Aurora. Because Copic probably didn't submit. You know what I mean? Right. You've got to put yourself there. Right. There's the Aurora notebook with Northern Light. So, it's like a Northern Light gradient cover notebook. Obviously, really beautiful. And matte-coated paper gives a pleasant and tactile feel. And that just makes me cringe a little bit. There's a product called the Slide Note, which is a loose-leaf paper notebook with, like, a metal binder over the edge. You know, that could be fun and functional. You know, I was just on the IA website, just real quick, to go back to that. And they say that fountain pens are the best pens for this product. And they recommend finding medium nibs. Now, maybe I just, you know, maybe I just don't have enough. Find the product on the site. It's on the… Oh, you're saying from the IA site. On the IA website. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Like, they say that fountain pens are best. And they recommend fine and medium nibs. Now… So, they use a Platinum 3776 in the product imagery and writing, you know, Japanese characters on the page. You know? And today, I was using my M90, which I know is a medium. All right? And so, like… Yeah. You know, I used… When I initially tested it, I used, like, 10 different… Different pens of different… Different things… You know, different properties. And today, I used a few. I didn't use any fine nibs on it.
* Maybe it works great with fine nibs. I just… For me… I'm really surprised that they recommend this as a fountain pen notebook, personally. I mean… It is in the sense of doing what they say, which is the paper that is designed to handle the patent pen ink without bleeding or feathering, which I agree with, ensuring smooth writing and clean lines. Now, it depends on your definition of smooth. I think maybe they mean smooth ink to the page, which it does do. Like, it's a good quality paper for that particular purpose. I just don't find it nice to write on. I really want you to buy one of these. Yeah. Because that… So, that is done. So, yesterday, I was like… I was… I rage bought it. I was like, I'm buying this dang notebook once and for all and figuring it out for myself. Because I'm tired of talking about it without using it. Yeah. Right? So, I need to use something. If I'm going to continue to talk about this, I need to use it. So, I actually bought two.
* One of y'all is either going to be fortunate or unfortunate to win this whenever I'm going to buy… I'm going to review it, then give it away, which is… And give away a second one, which is what I probably do. It is a design piece. Like, it is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Like, truly. I am not knocking them whatsoever for this. But, like, I just want to know about… Like, the actual usage part of it is what's kind of breaking my brain a little bit. So, just because I know you didn't have, like, the best time with it. So, we'll see. We'll see. So, I put my money where my mouth is. I have two of them on the way.
* Oh, my.
* Yeah. Yeah, like $150. Yeah, like $150 worth of notebooks coming my way. But I wasn't going to buy just one. I wanted to give one away. Like, that's just kind of my mode these days. So, we'll see. It should be fun. I look forward to seeing it. Like you said, it's… God, it's gorgeous. It's gorgeous. But we'll see. We'll see if it works. So, all right, Myke. If you need to buy other stationery, we have a new stationery map out there for people to check out. People are always emailing, say, hey, I'm going to such and such place. What stationery place should I hit up? And there's been different maps and things that people are keeping tabs of. But you can literally go to stationerymap.com. This is put in place by my friend Connor, who runs Pentadex, which is an app, an iOS app for stationery, which, you know, disclosure, he has advertised on the Pentadex blog several times, maybe on this show in the future. But what he's really doing is building out the stationery store map. So, right at the top of the map, there's a submit store info. So, if you're, you know, around the world listening to this and don't see your favorite stationery store on the map, go send it in. Submit it and it'll get added. And this will be a good reference point for all of us as we travel and check out stationery stores. So, really cool thing that I wanted to make sure to get in here.