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View Full Version : Bandit Apple Carnet Handy (Hanoi Red) - Lots of Pictures



KBeezie
May 22nd, 2014, 08:22 PM
Edit: Images resized to 640px wide max (bottom write samples were already less than that), Click the image to enlarge. Also had to remove a couple images because 15 is max.

I purchased this Banditapple Carnet Handy in Hanoi Red from GouletPens (http://www.gouletpens.com/Banditapple_Carnet_Red_Blank_p/ba-handy-hr-b.htm) when I was ordering a new Platinum Cartridge. The price looked good and I wanted to see how well the Vietnamese Handmade notebook was.

First some initial pictures of the notebook itself:

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_packaging.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/packaging.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_cover.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/cover.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_opened.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/opened.jpg)

Appearance wise it's rather nice, it sort of reminds me of the Moleskine Cahier notebooks and are similar in size. The covering has a more pronounced texture than the Moleskine Cahier, not quite as cardboard feeling. The pages feel smooth but not so 'soft', and they are a tiny bit thicker feeling than the Rhodia 80g paper (though it's 80g itself as well) I have, not nearly as smooth as the vellum on Rhodia.

It can lay flat once you fold it out from the center, but not really that easy to turn it inside out.

There are however some inconsistencies on a number of pages, some blotting/discoloration here and there, the most noticeable issues being a hand print on the last page, and some creases and a hole in one of the center pages:

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_last_page.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/last_page.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_center_page.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/center_page.jpg)


(yes those little yellow pieces are part of the page)

Actually writing on the pages was pretty comfortable, it's not soft/fibrous, but it's also not glossy feeling, more like consistent textured notebook paper that gives most of the pens a somewhat pencil feel writing on them, though a couple of my pens (Montblanc 225 with a fine nib, and Pilot Metropolitan) felt extremely smooth on the paper, not glassy but next to no resistance while still getting that somewhat pencil feel.

Feathering seems to be minimal to non-existent, even with my very wet nib/ink combinations (Falcon+Blue Steel, Goulet Medium + Monteverde Blue, Snorkel Medium + Black Eel), some bleed on the scribble patches from the Falcon, 3776 and Pilot Metropolitan Medium.

Crops of written areas:

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_crop1.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/crop1.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_crop2.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/crop2.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_crop3.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/crop3.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_crop4.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/crop4.jpg)

Shots of the show-thru/bleed-thru (concentrated on three spots that actually bled thru)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_bleed1.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/bleed1.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_bleed2.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/bleed2.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_bleed3.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/bleed3.jpg)

After shooting the above, roughly five minutes later I decided to start rubbing my hand accross the page to see if any of the writing would smear. Only two did, the Monteverde Blue in the Goulet Medium, and the Black Eel in the Snorkel + Medium.

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_smear1.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/smear1.jpg)

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/t_smear2.jpg (http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/smear2.jpg)

The Monteverde Blue is probably quite lubricated, because even as I was padding it down with a paper towel it kept coming off on the paper towel, it was like I couldn't get it completely dry.

Before I scanned it (to avoid getting any ink on the scanner glass), I tried rubbing paper towel across both of the smearing inks (hence why the write sample seems more smeared than the photos above).

http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/banditapple_front.jpg

Backside http://static.karlblessing.com/paper/banditapple/banditapple_back.jpg

Overall for the price I find it to be quite nice, if it was just more consistent (ie: not having some of the discoloration, creases or 'prints') would be quite worthwhile for the price because even Rhodia would feather with my Falcon+Blue steel combination, but Rhodia doesn't absorb ink quite as much as this notebook does.

As a note: This is the only copy of their Journal I have had some experience with, so there's a chance that this is a one in a thousand fluke with the quality of the pages.

Lady Onogaro
May 22nd, 2014, 08:37 PM
These are my notebooks of choice right now (actually, the PeeWee is, but I have a couple of the Handy at hand, too). I have not noticed the inconsistencies with the paper that you have, but I have not pulled out the magnifying glass, as it were, to look for any. The lined version I have seems pretty clean, and so does the blank one with the exception of the place where oils from my hand were transferred onto the inside cover (the paper does seem to pick up oils off of the hand quite easily).

P.S. I appreciate the very clear and detailed photos, but I am wondering if you could post slightly smaller pics. The Handy is a large notebook, and I think if you could post pics closer to the actual size of the pages, viewers could get a better idea of how much the flaws or feathering might bother the average user.

KBeezie
May 22nd, 2014, 08:44 PM
These are my notebooks of choice right now (actually, the PeeWee is, but I have a couple of the Handy at hand, too). I have not noticed the inconsistencies with the paper that you have, but I have not pulled out the magnifying glass, as it were, to look for any. The lined version I have seems pretty clean, and so does the blank one with the exception of the place where oils from my hand were transferred onto the inside cover (the paper does seem to pick up oils off of the hand quite easily).


I didn't need a magnifying glass to see those problems.



P.S. I appreciate the very clear and detailed photos, but I am wondering if you could post slightly smaller pics. The Handy is a large notebook, and I think if you could post pics closer to the actual size of the pages, viewers could get a better idea of how much the flaws or feathering might bother the average user.

This is technically impossible to do since everyone's monitor sizes vary (and DPI has no relevance to digital images on a digital screen). The crops were meant to be close because some people like to get close and personal. Also unless FPGeeks has some kind of automatic thumbnailing support it would be a bit tedious, but will keep it in mind for future (or edit later tonight off my own server).

Edit: Shrunk the images, though had to remove a couple to keep it within the 15 limit since I can't seem to shrink the attachments down, but could shrink and link from my own server.

da vinci
May 23rd, 2014, 02:56 PM
I got a sample of one of these with gridded paper. The notebook itself is a smaller size. I like it a lot. Easy to write on and no bleedthrough or feathering with the ink I used (old fashioned mB blue-black).

KBeezie
May 23rd, 2014, 08:04 PM
The only ink I've seen actually feather on this is Iroshizuku Ama-iro from both my 1958 Ultra (fine) and Pilot 78G (0.7 stub), just bout every other inks I have didn't seem to feather if they did it was barely noticeable.

earthdawn
May 23rd, 2014, 08:18 PM
Nice review!

I have several of these notebooks and really love using them.

I just want him to make them with DOTS !!!

I like dots

Silverbreeze
May 24th, 2014, 09:55 AM
Noodler's Eel Inks are heavily lubricated inks, either cause of the pigment being picky or just to make sure it works with 90% nibs. Never asked Nathan the few times I corresponded with the guy. He is SUPER Busy. I would be shocked if it was dry. They take forever. Though there are times when you want that. Didn't realize the Monteverde was lubricated

KBeezie
May 24th, 2014, 02:55 PM
Noodler's Eel Inks are heavily lubricated inks, either cause of the pigment being picky or just to make sure it works with 90% nibs. Never asked Nathan the few times I corresponded with the guy. He is SUPER Busy. I would be shocked if it was dry. They take forever. Though there are times when you want that. Didn't realize the Monteverde was lubricated

I usually don't have that big an issue with Noodler's Black Eel, especially in my MontBlanc 225 and similar pens of similar line widths. The Sheaffer snorkel with an M2 nib is pretty wet so the extra ink on the paper would no doubt smudge. As you noticed on the scans, the lines by the MontBlanc are dry and not smearing at all, versus the Snorkel.

The Monteverde Blue and Black inks appear to have much more lubrication and seem to require much more time to dry as it smears easily 30 minutes later. (On Rhodia being the one paper I have that takes the longest to dry on, Black Eel will be dry in under 5 minutes on almost all my pens, but that Monteverde Blue, not even 30 minutes and it's still smearing).

But in general, I don't have much problems with it, but I usually don't use it in a Wet Medium or larger. (Also Black Eel is the only one of the Eel line that's bulletproof/eternal/forgery-resistant/waterproof, though Polar does offer lubrication and other colors than black with the same benefits)

Silverbreeze
May 24th, 2014, 03:00 PM
Noodler's Eel Inks are heavily lubricated inks, either cause of the pigment being picky or just to make sure it works with 90% nibs. Never asked Nathan the few times I corresponded with the guy. He is SUPER Busy. I would be shocked if it was dry. They take forever. Though there are times when you want that. Didn't realize the Monteverde was lubricated

I usually don't have that big an issue with Noodler's Black Eel, especially in my MontBlanc 225 and similar pens of similar line widths. The Sheaffer snorkel with an M2 nib is pretty wet so the extra ink on the paper would no doubt smudge. As you noticed on the scans, the lines by the MontBlanc are dry and not smearing at all, versus the Snorkel.

The Monteverde Blue and Black inks appear to have much more lubrication and seem to require much more time to dry as it smears easily 30 minutes later. (On Rhodia being the one paper I have that takes the longest to dry on, Black Eel will be dry in under 5 minutes on almost all my pens, but that Monteverde Blue, not even 30 minutes and it's still smearing).

But in general, I don't have much problems with it, but I usually don't use it in a Wet Medium or larger. (Also Black Eel is the only one of the Eel line that's bulletproof/eternal/forgery-resistant/waterproof, though Polar does offer lubrication and other colors than black with the same benefits)

I like Liberty's Elsium for addressing and other bulletproof type needs personally

KBeezie
May 24th, 2014, 04:21 PM
Noodler's Eel Inks are heavily lubricated inks, either cause of the pigment being picky or just to make sure it works with 90% nibs. Never asked Nathan the few times I corresponded with the guy. He is SUPER Busy. I would be shocked if it was dry. They take forever. Though there are times when you want that. Didn't realize the Monteverde was lubricated

I usually don't have that big an issue with Noodler's Black Eel, especially in my MontBlanc 225 and similar pens of similar line widths. The Sheaffer snorkel with an M2 nib is pretty wet so the extra ink on the paper would no doubt smudge. As you noticed on the scans, the lines by the MontBlanc are dry and not smearing at all, versus the Snorkel.

The Monteverde Blue and Black inks appear to have much more lubrication and seem to require much more time to dry as it smears easily 30 minutes later. (On Rhodia being the one paper I have that takes the longest to dry on, Black Eel will be dry in under 5 minutes on almost all my pens, but that Monteverde Blue, not even 30 minutes and it's still smearing).

But in general, I don't have much problems with it, but I usually don't use it in a Wet Medium or larger. (Also Black Eel is the only one of the Eel line that's bulletproof/eternal/forgery-resistant/waterproof, though Polar does offer lubrication and other colors than black with the same benefits)

I like Liberty's Elsium for addressing and other bulletproof type needs personally


Liberty's Elysium is one on my wish list, but I don't have that one, I do still have left over salix from the Goulet Ink Drop, and it's a little on the dry side (which is to my preference when using the 1.5 stub which was already smooth and wet flowing).

Silverbreeze
May 24th, 2014, 04:27 PM
Get a sample Noodler inks have to be tried, even video reviews can show them fully.
I love Kung Te-Cheng, but in my experience, it needs to be deluted with distilled water.

KBeezie
May 24th, 2014, 04:38 PM
Get a sample Noodler inks have to be tried, even video reviews can show them fully.
I love Kung Te-Cheng, but in my experience, it needs to be deluted with distilled water.

Not really big on purples, and that one is about as expensive as Iroshizuku inks (which I'd rather get Tsuki-yo, but that doesn't have the same level of permanence as Noodler's bulletproof inks)

Silverbreeze
May 24th, 2014, 04:41 PM
The 4.5 bottles are huge if you never had one by the way

KBeezie
May 24th, 2014, 06:51 PM
The 4.5 bottles are huge if you never had one by the way

True, but I'd rather X-Feather or Liberty Elysium than that purple :P, cuz that's a whole lotta ink to go thru.

Silverbreeze
May 24th, 2014, 07:16 PM
I don't think they sell 4.5 Liberty's