Piccadilly Essential Notebooks

I've been using these for a few years with small entries almost daily.  I miss quite a few days.

Tried to use the same pens as on the other post rather than using my original Piccadilly image in an earlier post.

I started using these soon after I first moved to FL and found them in Books-A-Million on special price quite often.  Over the past 15 years I have not seen these increase in price when on special.  They run about $7.00 almost every place I've found them, mostly in grocery stores.  Normally,not on special, they sell between $12 and $15 locally.  Generally the large only cost a dollar or two more than the medium, and many times the same price.

Believe it or not part 1 and part 2 are scanned to the same size as are the Jpeg Horizontal resolutions, but typical old Blogger they will not display properly. I'm getting closer to moving to Word Press.

Large is on the left, medium on the right.

I decided to measure these as the Piccadilly site only lists an approximate dimension.

I will measure typical page thickness of all journals.

Hopefully all the important points have been covered. I'm sure I missed something on this as well as my other journal review post.

I tried to compare the flatness of this one to the green book, but it'll take a video and more work. I may do a video after I do all the reviews.  This brand has consistently laid flatter than any similarly bound journals I have used, yes, even the over priced Moleskine.  The only side bound that lays flatter are the sewn and staple bound soft cover pocket journals such as a Field Notes, Cahiers, and these that were my go-to pocket notebook until I discovered the one I presently use that will be reviewed later.

These are quite comparable to Markings brand, but I don't know if I have any that are not fully used and packed. Wal-Mart and Staple's used to sell the Markings brand. There is no Staple's here, and our Wal-Marts don't carry Markings as they only sell the store brand which I found quite inferior to good journals.  I have one, if I did not throw it in the trash.

Stay home & stay safe.

Notebooks Part One, Federal Suppy 7530-00-200-3521

Typecast from my 1964 Hermes 3000

Old issue is on the left. The next oldest, center. The new on the right.  Inside they are all alike. 96 sheets of college ruled white sulphite paper.  Pages are not pre-numbered.  Binding is sewn and almost lay-flat.  These are often referred to as the Green Books.

This is the back cover.  Covers are hard and the binding is smith-sewn, but the structure of the spline does not allow completely flat opening.  The binding can be forced without damage and then the notebooks do lay nearly flat.  I found Piccadilly lay the flattest.  I get to those later.

I found the mil-spec on these and it does not list paper weight or if it is acid free.  I have some  of these that are probably 40 years old, and not stored in a climate controlled environment, and none yellowed.  I measured a sheet of paper. It is .0041 inches thick. I think this is about the  same as 50 pound?  I lost my notes on weight vs. thickness.

Here's a Moleskine. .0037 inch thick.  0.0003 thinner, for whatever it is worth. I know it bleeds through more or about the same depending on the pen as the green books.

I tested the ink with the pens I have inked.  There is a smudge on the L in Pilot, but I have had this pen smudge or blot on almost every paper I used.  Feathering is quite limited until I use a wet nib such as seen with my desk pen.  I like the Noodler's.  It is the ink I generally use. Bullet proof and I like the color.  Uni inks are also temper resistant.

The bleed through is less than the Moleskines I've used. I have those reviews on this blog.

The covers of these books measure 5.125 inches by 8 inches and the pages 4.750 inches x 7.750 inches.

These notebooks are often described as having a cloth cover. I do not know how old the ones are with cloth covers.  I got my first on in 1972 from the Army. I don't remember the cover being different than the oldest one I have.  I don't remember where I got that one.  It may have been from the government or I may have gotten it when I worked in the Army Surplus store where we'd have gotten them on government auction.  All of the covers are nice and seem like cloth.  If it is, it is very very thin cloth. The oldest is the nicest.  It may be cloth.  They all seem more like embossed paper though.

I like that the covers are not too brightly or darkly colored, and I can write on them with a Sharpie or other felt tipped marker. 

I'll be reviewing some Chinese and one from Taiwan that are cloth covered hard bound A5 notebooks.

The white sulphite paper is nothing different from 3 ring binder notebook paper or the paper found in many spiral bound notebooks and the black and white cardboard cover Composition Books. I have some of those Composition Books since high school (Hey! I'm an old guy. It won't be long I'll be out 50 years) that were stored in attics and basements, and the paper has never yet deteriorated.  I guessing the paper is acid free since I have many other books and notebooks that have yellowed under those same conditions.

I have not had problems using a fountain pen with these notebooks. If the nib is too wet there is shadowing through to the back, but I seldom write on the back.  I may use the pocket Moleskine I have and compare the two.  I'd rather a plain page or a lined page though.  Quad paper makes bleed though a bit harder to see.

For the ink feathering and bleed through I do not change scanner settings or edit the image files.  Setting manipulation and file editing can make the ink look better and the bleed through lighter or even darker.

Overall these notebooks are very nice for what they cost, and the are nearly indestructible.   I've not had any where the binding loosens or the pages fall out or come loose.  I use these at home, in the garage, and out in the outdoors.

Stay home, get out in the yard for some fresh air (or open the windows if the outside temperature is ok, and stay safe.

Sunday Afternoon Typing