I've been struggling to find any pictures or reviews of Smythson evergreen refillable notebook. Especially after some time of using it. Does any of you use this luxurious diary? All photos are usually stock pictures, but I would love to see these in everyday use, how did the leather cover aged and if it is worth it. Show me please....

Never had on before, now I can organize it 78 times. Haha

A pretty old-school notebook. Tsubame is founded 80 yrs ago, a pretty low-key company I'd say. low-key colorways, designs and prints yet great quality.

Pretty limited (and straightforward) paper lineups:

• Fools White (this review) / Cream pH neutral Paper
• High Quality Paper (for entry level products)
• Washi Printer Paper

I tested this the same way as my previous review on Tomoe River.

❌ Cons:

• Not very opaque despite a higher weight. (92%@81.4gsm) (Better than MD's 91%@80gsm. Tho I've seen 95%+ ones.)
• Inks are not as vibrant as they should be (desaturated).
• Not great for color pencil layering.

⚠️ Characteristics:

• The bind is 12+18+18+12 sheets, which doesn't lay as flat as typical 8/per.
• 7mm ruled for under A5, 8mm ruled for B5 and bigger
• Normal sheen

✅ Pros:

• Great feathering and bleedthrough resistance. Slightly worse than MD under extreme conditions.
• Great hand oil resistance.
• Adequate writing frictions. I can comfortably use a 0.28mm all the way up to a 1.0mm ball pen. (UEF~B)
• Fast drying.
• Very sturdy paper and acid free.
• Less pigment transfers and pretty easy to erase:

With a slightly better value than MD notebooks (which don't offer B5 size nor 8mm ruled). I don't need to worry if my pen writes bad on this.

I purchased this at a discounted price ($4). All opinions are my own.

Thanks for reading.

“New” music to me for a playlist. Do you know any of these songs?