Notebook Review: The Scribes Crosby Journal
Hello everyone! Today’s post is quite special as it is my first official notebook review. I was kindly sent the Crosby Journal, free of charge, in exchange for a review. (As of this writing, they do have a holiday code: ‘Holiday15’ for 15% off).
Background:
The Scribes is a rather new company that was founded in 2019. The company consists of three friends: Mike, Pooja, and Allen, who were inspired to create journals after realizing that they often took notes during meetings.
Their mission statement is quite simple: “design high quality journals and support worthy causes”. Currently, when you purchase one of their notebooks, another is given to a student in need.
Line-Up:
The Scribes offers pens as well as journals, but for today’s review I will focus on their notebooks.
They offer several designs:
The Original; $25
The pages on this journal alternate between lined and blank.
The Crosby: dotted pages; $20
The Essential: lined pages; $20
The Maxie: Blank Pages; $15
The Huntsville; $25
I received the Crosby Scribe in Emerald Green with a soft cover. The color is true to online pictures and I have to say, the cover is quite soft! It allows the journal to lay completely flat and feels smooth in hand. I used the notebook for a week and was surprised to see that it had held up to wear and tear.
This notebook has 200 pages and is slightly smaller than an A5 notebook. When turned 90 degrees, it functions very well as an A4-sized template. The size of the notebook is 8.5” x 5.5” x 0.5” with rounded corners. It also comes with three notebook bookmarkers—-my only worry is that the ends of these will fray over time.
Paper:
The paper is dotted and acid-free with a weight of 100 gsm. The dots are slightly larger than Rhodia Dot-Grid paper, which I prefer. I am near-sighted and anything “large” is viewed as a blessing from my point of view. In terms of texture, this paper is not as smooth as Tomoe River 52 gsm or 68 gsm. The feel is similar to Rhodia’s Square Grid paper—slightly rough.. I would describe the feel as “substantial”. You can tell that you are writing on paper that has been thoughtfully designed.
Ink:
I apologize for my messy handwriting: I wanted to include a sample of how the notebook performed when I took notes during my lectures. Inks used:
To my surprise, this notebook exceeded my expectations. I confess that I am wary of trying new notebooks as you never know if they are fountain-pen-friendly or not. This journal held it’s own with swabs as well as wet inks. There is no bleed through (even with wetter inks) and slight ghosting. The ghosting is not as prominent as Tomoe River paper.
The star of the show has to be how well this notebook shows off shading. I was extremely impressed! My previous experience was that thinner paper = better shading (looking at you Rhodia) but I was proven wrong. The shading is close to what you would expect to see on Tomoe River paper.
Ink: Montblanc Midnight Blue
Pen: Pilot 823 <M>
Overall:
Overall, I am in love with this notebook. The size (and dot grid) make it a small, yet meaningful, carry. I like that the notebook lays flat as well as the softness of the cover. I love that I’m able to use fountain pens without worrying about bleed through. The paper has pleasant feedback which reminds you that you are writing. I definitely see myself buying a few more of these notebooks for personal use.
If you are in the market for new notebooks, or are looking for holiday gift ideas: I highly recommend checking this company out.
Note: Thank you to The Scribes, who kindly offered this notebook in exchange for a review.