Furrow Book Notebook Review

The Furrow Book is made by the Zeller Writing Co. and available direct from them. It’s available in two sizes – roughly A5 and A6 (Field Notes size) and two colours: “Great Plains” (white) and “Founding Supporter” (blackish). The A5/large size is available in a two-pack for $11.99 and the pocket size is available in a three-pack for $9.99.

I’m reviewing the Great Plains version here. The photos are of the larger A5 but the smaller notebooks are pretty much identical in every way but size. I picked up mine as part of the Kickstarter campaign. The exact specifications for the larger notebook are: 5.5″ by 8.25″, 96 pages of 60lb (90gsm – good and thick) recycled paper, held together with three staples. The smaller notebook is 3.5″ by 5.5″ with 48 pages of the same paper and three staples.

The cover is a nice thick card and a creamy/ivory colour. If you are so inclined this lends itself to decoration. If you’re not so inclined, it lends itself to getting a bit grubby. Obviously the Founding Support edition wouldn’t have this problem.

The branding is restricted to a small section at the bottom of the back cover.

The paper is plain and this is your only option. However each Furrow Book comes with a cardboard insert with grid markings on one side and lined markings on the other.

These make the notebook very versatile. While it’s perfectly possible to make your own I like that these are included and it does mean you have all options available to you as well as some extra support if you’re resting the notebook on your lap.

I’ve been using this notebook to record the pens and inks I’ve been using. There is very little feathering – only the very wettest pens and inks have any difficulties at all. The paper shows inks off well.

Ink does show through the page, though, and there is a lot of bleed-through too. I can’t use fountain pens on both sides of the paper. This won’t be a problem at all if you use other kinds of pen or use pencils.

These are perfectly reasonable notebooks. They cost about the same as other notebooks and perform as well as most which is to say, fine with anything but fountain pen. They definitely have appeal if you want to spend time decorating the covers with doodles or art. The guide inserts are a nice addition. Otherwise, there’s little to separate them from others, which is neither good nor bad.