kissy smooth

i don’t usually put reviews on this site, mainly because so many others have written great ones on many items that i love and use nearly everyday (see sidebar links under viscosity). they are far more articulate than i am, and though i love reading these reviews, i just can’t seem to bring myself to write one. they set the bar high, these folks.

and so what am i doing writing a review now after all this time? well, it just may be high time i tried it. so here goes.

rhodia is a fine stationer, founded in 1932 and continuing to this day under clairefontaine (both are distributed in the u.s. by exaclair). their orange and black staple-bound pads are the company’s signature line, and a long-established favorite for those with a penchant for great paper. in recent years rhodia has expanded their lines to include webnotebooks (a superior alternative to moleskines, in my opinion, particularly for those who prefer writing with fountain pens), a mousepad, and limited edition designer series pads (currently featuring paul smith).

their latest release is the weekly notebook, a planner made by quo vadis but with the excellent rhodia paper. they come in two sizes: the 4x6 and the 6x9. i bought the latter size from art brown in nyc, and it was one of the last of the rhodia planners on their racks (lucky!). i opted for the larger size because i’m the type of person who likes to stick bills and random pieces of paper in books; unfortunately, the rhodia planner only sports a band and not a pocket at the back of the book. this is a minor issue for me, but it may be an important consideration for some of you.

rhodia 2010 weekly notebook cover (pen not included)

description:
the cover is soft, with a texture similar to leather, but very thin: this makes sense since, well, i’ll only use it for a year then store it come 2011. the first few and last pages of the planner feature references such as international telephone codes and holidays, maps, and an address book. also included are left-right page spreads for “anno-planning”: 2010 at the front of the book, and 2011 at the rear. i don’t usually use these, but they’re a great feature for trip planning and goal-setting.

rhodia weekly notebook, title page

rhodia weekly page

the weekly pages begin on december 14, enough time to help you transition from the old planner into this shiny, fresh one. on the left side of the page is the entire week with tiny dotted rules for each day, incremented by the hour from 7 am to 8 pm. the numbers are small and unobtrusive. to the top left of each day is a series of numbers counting down the days of the year: 1-364 signifies january 1, 2-363 for january 2, etc., so on and so forth. to the top right of each day gets a label for holidays and important cultural international events; i would have preferred the positions of these two small details switched — i would have liked to see holidays on the foredge of the book rather than close to the gutter. (besides, i get more excited when i see a holiday coming up.) on the right-hand page is a large grid for notes, just as unobtrusively printed in gray as the opposite page. below the grid is a three-month mini-calendar for reference, and a perforated corner to help you navigate quickly to your current week of the year.

performance:
first let me tell you that i don’t use this planner for everything. i am a lax follower of gtd, and as such use this planner mainly as a calendar and tickler file. i write down appointments, events, and dated reminders with relevant notes on the grid section of each week, and update only as needed. i use a separate clairefontaine 4x6 clothbound notebook for the nitty-gritty to-do lists, but this planner helps keep track of my days and all of the very important stuff my brain often wants to forget, like bills. for my particular use and purposes, it is excellent and does exactly what i need it to do for both work and play.

another important factor for me is the paper’s performance. i use fountain pens almost exclusively these days, and i don’t mind if i have to pay extra for good paper. this planner isn’t cheap (~US$15), but it doesn’t disappoint me or my fountain pens. i’ve used various nibs on the planner, from a bb stub nib that sometimes drools to a dry extra-fine nib, and the planner remained steadfastly unruffled and unimpressed by my antics. and of course, what works for the fountain pen will work for the gel pen user, too. (i didn’t try ballpoints, people. i’ll only use them under the most extreme circumstances, and i won’t do that even for you. i still love you though.) bleedthrough is non-existent, see-through is something i can live with (for me, it’s minimal).

the rhodia planner does exactly what it needs to do: it gives you a calendar for your appointments, some space for notes, and references you need on the go or when your smartphone dies (my phone is dumb so it never dies). while it isn’t my ideal planner (that would mean two pages per day just for my to-do list, plus another three pages for my diary, we could go on and on), it is the best planner currently available that meets my needs. i never leave home without it.

rhodia is available from these lovely merchants.

rhodia agenda made by quo vadis

rhodia 2010 weekly notebook: anno-planning spread

rhodia 2010 weekly notebook mini-calendar

rhodia 2010 weekly notebook: see-through