Noteboook review: Apica Mini

Well, I have to say, this is one of the few notebooks that I've tried, and was disappointed with. Maybe I expected to much, or maybe I got a bad one.

Either way, I was not too impressed with this sample of my Mini Apica notebook.

This notebook was in fact, a bit of a let down. To bad, because I really wanted to like it. :(    55/100


Overview: This notebook was a bit of a let down for me, for a few main reasons.

1. I just tried out some other Japanese papers (see my review of the amazing m.memo pad here!), and they were simply fabulous. I was expecting this to be like those.
2. Because the notebook was so simple, I was assuming it would really be focused on the paper. It turns out the paper is pretty "simple" too.
3. I really wanted to like this notebook, so when I discovered it's less-than-optimal writing qualities, I was rather disappointed.

Overall, it just didn't meet my expectations. You know how that is - when you're expecting something to perform a certain way, and it doesn't, at all. :)

The good:

• Notebook is exceptionally small, and easy to carry.
• Design is simplistic, and minimalist.

The bad:

• Paper is not what I would call FP friendly.
• Feathers and bleeds.

The Ugly:

• Well, I couldn't quite say there's anything ugly about this notebook.

Let's jump into the details now:

So here it is. A very minimalist and simplistic notebook. No frills. Paper cover, with cloth strip on the side to hold it together.  It is stitched, not stapled.

And here's the paper! I was expecting an experience similar to the m.memo pad I reviewed the other day. No such luck unfortunately. :|

You can see on the back, not just showthrough, but some dots of bleedthrough as well. Definitely not horrible, but not what I was expecting either.

And here's a shot of the feathering. Take note of the word "Not", on the left side. That one really shows it. I should mention that this was written with very dry ink. Once again, not horrible, but not what I was expecting really.

The paper isn't smooth either. It has some tooth, which is not a bad thing. However, when coupled with these results, is gives it a rather "paper I have to use at work" feel, if you know what I mean.

For a size comparison: My hand. :)

It's a pretty small notebook - very thin too.

Conclusion:

 Overall, my experience with this notebook has been rather bland. Nothing "horrible" so to speak, but nothing really great either. For a notebook this plain, I was expecting the paper to shine forth, or some other feature, but it never really did.


Now maybe I got a bad one, and normally the paper is great. After all, I've heard many stories of how wonderful the Apica paper is. I'm willing to give Apica another shot, and I've got a few of their other notebooks to try out.


But, with some regret, I feel it's proper to give this notebook a "Not bad, but not good" rating. It's certainly no worse than others, like the Mead Moleskine I reviewed, but it just doesn't have much to offer me, personally.




That wraps up this review! I realize this one could be fairly controversial, so please, leave me a comment and express your opinion. Politely of course. :)


I'd like to know if this matches your experience with Apica paper, or did I get a bad one?