Stálogy is best known for it’s 365 days notebook, which is more or less a direct competitor to the Hobonichi Techo. Many people might not be aware that they make regular notebooks as well. I had occasionally seen Stálogy suggested as great paper for fountain pens, but their notebooks are not widely available. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on one to try out. Let’s take a look at the Stálogy 016 Notebook.
The cover of the Stalogy 016 notebook is simple yet attractive.
First Impressions
On the cover of this notebook, Stálogy claims that this is “a notebook without the needless frills” and I couldn’t agree more. This is a plain and simple notebook that is meant for one thing: writing. It doesn’t have any extras like an index, page numbers, rear pockets, marker ribbons or elastic closures. The paper feels incredibly smooth to the touch, so I have very high hopes for how it will perform with fountain pens.
The cover has some relevant information about the notebook.
The Details
Let’s take a look at the Stálogy notebook and see what it’s all about:
- Pages: 68 (34 sheets)
- Paper Weight: 81.4gsm
- Binding: Stitch
- Page Style: Lined (7mm)
- Size: B5
Ink-handling characteristics (A table with the following properties can be found at the bottom of this post)
- Sheen: Medium
- Shading: Medium
- Bleeding: Very Low
- Ghosting: Low
- Feathering: Very Low
- Dry Time: High
Other features
- Comes in 5 colors
- Very light lines
- Lovely cover texture and material
The stitch binding allows this notebook to lay flat.
Actual Use
As I mentioned earlier, this notebook is no frills. It is simple and well-made. The stitch binding allows it to lay flat (with a little encouragement), making writing in it that much easier. The light-grey lines on each page are easy enough to see, but almost disappear when there is writing on the page. To me this is ideal, as I don’t like paper whose lines stand out. The lines on each page begin and end before they reach the edge of the paper and there is a small margin at the bottom and larger margin at the top of each page. Overall, I love the page layout of this notebook.
This simple page layout is ideal for me.
I wasn’t expecting it, but this paper is one of the smoothest and most satisfying to write on that I have ever tested. Where Clairefontaine is very smooth but is almost “slick” and the Itoya Romeo notebook is smooth and “buttery”, the word that kept coming into my head when I was writing in the Stálogy notebook was “whisper”. It is velvety smooth and writing on it feels like beautiful voices whispering into your ear. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, as my wife just thought it felt “nice”, but it’s still great to write on.
Fans of extreme sheen might want to look elsewhere for a new notebook. While this paper does show some sheen, sheening inks don’t stand out on it like they do on Tomoe River or Life Noble paper. It has decent shading as well, but again, not as good as many other papers that I’ve tested. Dry times are on the high side, as is usually expected for high-quality papers.
Stalogy Paper Test: front
This paper handles fountain pen ink very well. I did encounter a bit of random feathering when I used a combination of very wet nib and saturated ink, but for the most part I saw no feathering in my writing samples. As for bleed-through, I only observed the very beginning of bleeding where a lot of ink was applied, and it wasn’t even enough to see the color of the ink on the other side. Ghosting is low and I wouldn’t hesitate to use both sides of a sheet.
Stalogy Paper Test: back
Conclusion
I love the paper in the Stálogy 016 notebook. Writing on it is extremely calming and satisfying. It also handles fountain pens very well. Despite a few instances of feathering, I would say that it is very fountain pen friendly. While the notebook doesn’t have any extras, it doesn’t need them. It is made for writing and nothing else.
Interested in trying this paper before buying a notebook? Head over to my shop and pick up a paper sample pack.
If you’d like a bit more information about how I test papers and notebooks, I wrote an article about my paper rating system.
Stálogy 016 Notebook
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Sheen (higher is better)
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Shading (higher is better)
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Bleeding (higher is better)
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Ghosting (higher is better)
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Feathering (higher is better)
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Dry Time (higher is better)
Fountain Pen Love Overall Rating
Pros: High quality paper, incredibly smooth
Cons: Harder to find, some feathering, somewhat expensive
Value Rating: 3.29 Stars, Cost per A5 sheet: $0.21
Who this notebook is for: People who want luxurious paper that feels great to write on
Upgrade to this notebook from:A Baron Fig notebook
Upgrade from this notebook to: A Graphilo notebook
Comments 12
Wow. Any suggestions on where this paper can be found?
Author
Hi Ray, it’s a little difficult to find in the US. I found this notebook at Maido in San Francisco. I know that Amazon sells some of their notebooks as well. Hope you can track it down!
I found it online here: https://www.deskstore.com/en/brands-a-z/stalogy/notebook-016-stalogy-green.html
Also available here: https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/681482749/stalogy-notebook-016
Author
Thanks, Elaine!
I just bought this exact notebook (well, actually in blue) at the library bookstore in Vancouver, BC. I didn’t realize I could fall in love with paper until now! I’m a wannabe writer and have been dashing off a story in this perfect notebook. I found your website when googling how to find these when I head back home to Florida. Loved your review!
Author
That’s so great, Patti! I’m glad you found this post helpful and are enjoying the notebook. Hope you can find them in Florida!
I’ve done a similar exercise to you except I don’t have a blog 😉
This is one of my favourites. As you say, it’s a superb writing experience, which no other paper beats. I saw sheen on the inks I tested. My favourite is Sailor Ink Studio 731 where everything shows up. I’ll read the other reviews now to see if we agree elsewhere!
Author
Glad to hear our experiences line up (so far at least). I haven’t tried the Sailor 731, but it looks pretty intense… maybe similar to Lamy Vibrant Pink?
More vibrant ! And different… much more complex.
Awhile back I got some of this paper in my custom paper sample pack. I love it, but how does it compare to the paper in the Stalogy 365 days notebook? I’m eyeing that in B5 and wondering whether the paper in that is like this. Do you happen to have tried it?
Author
Hi Sara, I haven’t tried the Stalogy 365 notebook, but I would assume it’s the same paper. Unfortunately, I can’t confirm it, so hopefully you can find out elsewhere.