Endless Works Endless Recorder & Brooch
I have a terrible case of notebook anxiety. I am always afraid that what I’m going to write is unworthy of using up even a corner of a page in a precious notebook. Even when following the great advice to break-in a new notebook by scribbling on the first page, I still get nervous about “wasting” the second or third page, etc. I love notebooks, though, and continue to hunt for interesting ones, so I was very excited when Endless Works sent me an Endless Recorder to take for a spin.
Let’s run down a few specs first. The Endless Recorder is an A5 sized notebook with 187 numbered pages of Tomoe River 68 gsm paper, as well as a hard-cover, a ribbon bookmark, and an elastic closure. There’s also a two page Table of Contents spread at the front of the book, and a pocket inside the back cover. This particular notebook is a color that Endless Works calls “Infinite Space”, and the pages are lined. Endless Works also included an extra clip accessory with my review unit, called the “Brooch”, which is sold separately, although I had some difficultly locating a retailer who currently has them in stock. This clip slides on to the front or back cover (I’d recommend the front if you intend to use the back pocket) and provides you with an additional spot to hold a note card or boarding pass, or other sheets of paper that you need to access quicker than the back pocket. It’s a great idea, but my experience with it was the Brooch was quite stiff, and difficult to slide paper in to. I expect this would get easier over time, however as the Brooch gets broken in a bit more from regular use. Better a little too tight versus a little too loose, when it comes to holding important documents.
Something I was very pleased to find was that the book lays fairly flat when spread open. The pages of the book are divided in to six sewn signatures, with the pages of the final signature being perforated for easy removal. I am not an expert when it comes to book binding, but I was very pleased by what I saw with this notebook, and how it translates to ease of use.
Tomoe River paper is popular in the fountain pen community for a reason. While the thinner 52 gsm paper is the more popular variant, this 68 gsm paper exhibits many of the same features. This paper is very smooth, and will show you shading and sheen in your fountain pen inks that you won’t see with many more absorbent papers. It is also very resistant to bleed-through and feathering. There is a trade-off in drying times, but it’s worth it in a notebook like this. If you need write fast and turn pages quickly, you may want to invest in some blotting paper.
One benefit that the 68 gsm Tomoe variant has over the more popular 52 gsm is that the thicker paper shows slightly less ghosting on the other side of a written page. If you like to write on both sides of each sheet of paper in a notebook, this is definitely worth considering.
Overall, for an MSRP of $22.95, the Endless Recorder feels like a good value to me. The notebook is packed with useful features, and the fit and finish feel nicely done. The Endless Recorder is sold by a variety of retailers around the globe. You can look for a retailer in your area (or one who will ship to your area) using the Endless Works Store Locator.
Endless Works provided this notebook in exchange for an honest review.
