Kyokuto Expedient Notebook Review

This semester I decided to try out a bunch of new B5 notebooks. I prefer the B5 size best for note taking, so I started out with the Kyoto Expedient Notebook in B5 dot grid. I've been using this notebook for the last month for one of my classes. 

The paper measures 7.0 x 9.9 inches and has a 5mm dot grid. There are 80 sheets of white, 81gsm, non-perforated paper. There is a sturdy clear plastic cover then a second silver cover below. The binding is a twin-ring spiral. If you look at the bottom of the binding you can see I have already bent it a bit. I added the tabs myself to keep my notes organized.

On the top corner of every page there is a space for the page number and the date, which I like. I also like the bright white color.

I tested out a bunch of fountain pens and inks, mainly medium and broad nibs since that's what I use the most. 

Unfortunately, there was some feathering on every one, and every one bled through to the other side of the page. I prefer to use both sides of the page, and I need a paper that can handle fountain pens.

Diamine Lilac Satin dries in about 16 seconds, which is a little bit faster than Rhodia, which dries in about 20 seconds. A fast dry time is great, but not at the expense of feathering and bleeding.

I tested out a bunch of pencils, gel pens, and highlighters. The paper felt a bit too smooth for the pencils-it just felt a bit too slippery for me, but it worked well for the gel pens.

There was some show through, but none of them bled through, which I appreciate. Out of everything I tested out on this paper, I think I like the gel pens on it the most.

One issue I ran into with gel pens was when combining them with highlighters. For this page I used a Zebra Sarasa 0.7 gel pen and a Zebra Mildliner. When I wrote the gel pen and then used the highlighter on top, it smeared the gel pen across the page.

Papermate Inkjoy Gel 0.7 paired with a Stabilo Boss highlighter faired a little bit better, less smearing. 

Overall, I like gel pens best on this paper. There's just too much feathering and bleeding for me to recommend it for use with fountain pens. I do like the design and cover. It's well constructed, but the paper could be a little bit better.

Disclaimer: I purchased this item myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page.