In late 2019 Desk Bandit released an A5 notebook that comes with a cover. There are lots of A5 notebooks out there so what sets this one apart from others? The notebook uses established fountain pen friendly 68gsm Tomoe River and a simply bound cardboard cover. But it does have some extras to it!
Thanks to Desk Bandit for sending this notebook in for review!
The notebook comes in one colour, and that colour is a deep dark low saturation purple. An interesting choice but the darkness and low saturation mean that it’s excellent for many use cases. The notebook has 192 pages of 68gsm Tomoe River (the thicker of the two Tomoe River varieties) and uses the whiter Tomoe River (which can go by White or Ivory) and not Cream.
The cover is a simple matte cardboard that works well but can attract scuffs and stains (as it is absorbent). Personally, I think this develops a nice patina, but that’s definitely subjective! But if you don’t want the scuffs then Desk Bandit have uniquely included a simple cover to go with the notebook. There is no insignia or logos (printed or debossed) on the outside of the notebook and so the notebook is presented in a very minimalist way.
The binding is simple with a spine made from an adhesive tape that connects the board with the book signatures. It’s simple but effective binding.
My copy, which was an early copy, did come with some of the spine not glued properly (on the front board), however, I let Desk Bandit know and they have addressed the issue so that it won’t happen again (and my copy was the only one with the issue that they could find!) so this shouldn’t be an issue! I also haven’t found it to be an issue with me as the glued part is fairly strong.
As mentioned the notebook comes with a simple clear plastic cover that slips over the front and back boards and will protect the front and back of the cover. If you are familiar with Hobonichi’s cover on cover then this is fairly similar except this covers most of the endpapers and is is designed to cover the notebook directly (rather than cover a cover). It’s a unique and thoughtful addition to a notebook in a rather flooded market. There is a little overhang of the cover (about 5mm) everywhere but the spine.
The front end paper noticeably heavier/thicker than the regular 68gsm Tomoe River paper and is unadorned and in a cream colour. The first page of Tomoe River paper is more closely glued to the end paper (same on the back) so you don’t get as much page space on the first page (or last page).
The back end paper has the only area of the notebook where there is any descriptions or names. It has The Desk Bandit and their website. It then describes the paper (dimensions, paper, pages, dot grid). The “Made in Japan” and finally “Proudly Supporting Sustainable Forestry”.
One of the best aspects of this notebook is how well it lays flat. It’s one the best notebooks I’ve used for laying flat, if not the best! The weight of your hand or a quick brush of the paper is easily enough to make the very few loose leaves on the top flatten out. Very easy to write on from any position in the book (beginning, a quarter through or middle etc.).
Top to bottom: Desk Bandit Notebook, Leuchtturm 1917, Hobonichi A5 Techo, Lamy Notebook, Franklin Christoph Firma-Flex.
The binding uses a 12 signature book block with an 8 hole saddle stitch, I believe.
The 192 68gsm Tomoe River paper and the simple cardboard and binding gives the notebook a rather slim profile being only 8.5mm thick.
The notebook is also decently light at 242g (8.54oz).
The paper is a staple amongst the fountain pen community being. It’s an established and well renowned fountain pen friendly paper. Compared to it’s lighter sibling, 52gsm Tomoe River, the 68gsm offers better resistance to ghosting at the expense of slightly less sheen (though it still produces sheen very well!). If you want to see how well 68gsm Tomoe River performs please check out some of the other notebooks I’ve reviewed that demonstrate this paper or every ink review shows a sample of the ink on 68gsm Tomoe River as well. The notebook uses the pretty standard 5mm dot grid.
The Desk Bandit Notebook with Cover- A5 (Dot Grid) is a simple and minimalistic notebook that wouldn’t initially stand out in a lineup, but it’s thin, light, and because of it’s excellent ability to lay flat it’s really easy to write in (and that’s the main purpose for a notebook!) plus it comes with a simply plastic cover for protection which is a novel approach to standing out in this flooded market. I quite like the minimalist approach to the notebook as well; sometimes too many logos can be an eyesore and there’s no issue with that here!
The notebook can be purchased from Desk Bandit for AU$37 (US$24, €22, £18.8). This isn’t the cheapest option out there but for me the practicality of laying flat and the simple cover are enough to push it towards the more premium price point.
Thanks again for Desk Bandit for sending this in for review!
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I received this notebook free of charge for the purpose of giving an honest review. I was not otherwise compensated and everything here is my own honest opinion. There are no affiliate links. Desk Bandit is a sponsor of the blog.