Review: Mead Green Leatherette Journal

I purchased this Mead Green Leatherette Journal from my local 5 and Below store or either $3 or $5. I kind of forget. At the time I picked it up because it was my favorite color and was going to use it eventually. I think it has about 200 pages, it didn’t come with any specs. I think I read that the cover was leather somewhere when I looked it up.

I started using it to record items I purchased but stopped because I couldn’t keep up with the things I was buying. Namely art supplies and such. While I was using it I was impressed and I do actually like it. Now it is my next “catch all” journal just because I finished my current one.

Nice supple leather cover in my favorite color, Green. Has the matching elastic band and green ribbon bookmark. Not sure if it is authentic leather but it feels great to the touch.

Has a nice sturdy elastic enclosure and holds up pretty well so far. It’s taunt but and not too loose but if you leave it off you’ll notice it. If you don’t use the elastic you can just hook it over the back cover and forget about it.

A shot of the logo which I kind of like. I don’t really like big glaring logos on the front or back that much. It’s a couple of years old which may explain why it was so cheap. Doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s well made and I can still use it. 🙂

I really like the narrow ruling size. I write kind of small sometimes so I like being able to take advantage of all the space. I do realize my handwriting tends to change based on the size of the ruling. If it’s larger I write larger and if it’s smaller I’ll write smaller to make it fit. lol I don’t know if everyone does that or if it’s just me. If writing on a blank page I tend to write fairly small to medium. Not big unless I want to emphasize something.

Nice little pocket which I hope to utilize in the future. Seems well made. Not all of it is paper, seems like a durable black fabric on the sides to help adjust to the size needed for the pocket.

It decently well with fountain pen ink but isn’t great for wet nibs/ink. I used fine and extra fine nibs with Noodler’s inks and that works. No bleed through. A little show through and a tiny bit of feathering but it’s not bad for a cheap journal.

It’s a nice journal over all and so far so good. I did accidentally get it soaked (spilled a drink inside my waterproof bag, how’s that for ironic? XD) and the whole notebook began to warp especially near the spine. Now the pages are a bit wavy but the pages are all still intact and holds up. I was just disappointed that it happened but it still writes fine and now it’s part of the charm. These accidents are why I need a durable notebook/sketchbook. lol It doesn’t bother me too much now unless I’m writing on a wave. I just flatten it with my hand as I go.

I’ve been using the notebook for awhile and now the edges of the cover are already getting worn down due to my abuse near daily handling and travelling in my bag. It’s not breaking through the cover yet but it is a concern at them moment. It’s still a good little notebook and I would get again for that price.