Kobeha Graphilo A5 notebook
I wasn’t sure if the 4 mm grid of this Kobeha Graphilo A5 notebook was going to work for me, if I would like the colour of the paper or its texture. The colour is more of an off-white compared to white Tomoe River, yet whiter compared to cream Tomoe River paper, Itoya Profolio Oasis and Leuchtturm 1917. I searched for specs and found that it’s 68 gsm; however, it feels thicker than 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Maybe it has to do with the ruling (ink and heat used to print the grid – just guessing). I find the colour of the grid helpful yet unobtrusive. And the size of the grid itself is perfect for me; I was able to print, keeping within the 4 mm lines with my Sailor 1911L 21 kt H-B, which has generous flow. I used P.W. Akkerman #01 Passage Blauw, Diamine Claret, Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire (watery ink), Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai-Benitsuchi and Diamine Ancient Copper. These inks all presented shading and some even sheen. I find the inks retained their colour and didn’t fade into the background. I observed the same results in thinner nibs: Scribo Blu Cosmico showed red sheen in my H-F and H-MF, Scribo Rosso Chianti showed golden-green sheen in my H-MF and H-M. Waterman Absolute Brown shaded well. I used a Pilot Petit 1 <F> with the included Blue-Black cartridge without a problem (this ink usually bleeds through and feathers on some of my papers). My Platinum Preppy 03 <F> with the installed Blue-Black cartridge did very well. I also found that inks having a green component retained that characteristic; for example, Scribo Classico Seppia and Grigio Scribo, as well as Midnight Sapphire. I find this paper has some tooth, but not enough so that the nibs caught on it. Nibs with feedback retained their feedback. Some show through is present, but not enough to deter people from using both sides of the paper; I don’t because I like to shuffle my pages around: when I get notebooks, I usually undo the binding and use the ARC system. I almost forgot: the stitch binding on this notebook is sturdy, and the notebook easily lies flat after it’s been bent backwards a few times.
