Kleid 2mm Grid A5 Notebook In-depth Review
Kleid is a brand launched by the venerable Japanese stationery company Shin Nippon Calendar. I am introducing one of their most popular products, Kleid 2mm grid A5 notebook, along with a thorough review and writing test.
Basic Features
| Number of Pages | 64 pages (32 sheets) |
| Size | A5 (210 x 148 x 3mm) |
| Paper Type | 2 mm grid |
| Color Variation | 6 colors |
The Kleid 2mm Notebook is available in only A5 size, with six different cover colors: Black, Red, Olive, Navy, Gray, and White. The paper is also available in White or Cream according to the cover color.
- Black / Red / Olive: Cream paper
- Navy / Gray / White: White paper
The White paper is the same as the regular notebook, but the cream-colored paper is more like yellowish rather than cream, I would say.
Design
Cover
The cover is made of drawing paper-like material that is easy to pick up and flip through the pages. It has rounded corners to prevent its softcover from breaking easily.
The cover design has the same pattern as the 2mm grid on paper, with the Kleid logo printed in gold on the bottom right.
There are no decorations on the backside. The overall design is quite simple, so it is especially recommended for people who like minimalistic designs. Incidentally, the brand name “Kleid” means “clothes” or “dress” in German, and it is a stationery brand that pursues the fusion of functionality and design. I personally love brands that give this kind of attention to detail.
Binding
The book is handmade, and its binding thread is deliberately exposed to the outside. But it matches the color of the cover so that it is inconspicuous.
The thread is also visible on the page right in the middle, but it does not interfere with writing. When placed on a desk, the pages are slightly raised in the middle. But when opened, any page can be opened horizontally without any problem.
Paper Quality
OK Fools Paper
The Kleid notebook is made of high-grade paper called “OK Fools”. When you look through the paper in the sunlight, you can see the stripes and the watermark, giving the paper a dignified appearance.
Here is a photo comparing Kleid notebook with other Japanese notebooks, LIFE Noble Notebook and Midori MD notebook.
Compared to the other two, Kleid notebook is more yellowish-white than cream as I mentioned.
And here’s another comparison of thickness with the 100-sheet Life Noble notebook.
Kleid notebook only has 64 pages (32 sheets) which makes it convenient to carry around.
By the way, this Life Noble Notebook is a special collaboration product between Life and Kleid.
Writing Test
The paper is neither smooth nor rough but somewhere between, which makes it very comfortable to write on. The pen nib doesn’t slide around too much or get stuck. The quality of the paper is just right. I also did ghosting and bleed-through test. And as you can see, it’s not noticeable at all. (In fact, the watermark is probably more apparent.)
We can write on both sides without worrying about them.
Where To Get
Here are a few online stores that allow us to buy and deliver outside of Japan.
Amazon.com sometimes seems to be out of stock, but Amazon Japan (Amazon.co.jp) always has it in stock. See here for more information about how to order from Amazon Japan for international shipping using Amazon Global service.
Overall Score
As expected from a high-quality paper, the writing experience is perfect. But as it is a thin notebook, it is not as durable as it should be. Having said that, the pace at which the notebooks are used up can be pretty fast because of the limited number of pages. And you can change it to the next one before the old one gets dirty. So, in the end, I don’t think we need to worry too much about durability. But I would still say it would be nice to have more options for size and number of pages as I prefer notebooks to be somewhat thick.
