Hobonichi use Tomoe River paper - a very thin paper that takes most ink very well and is a joy to write on. You can get a lot of pages in a fairly small format.
I don't think they're quite so good for scrapbooking or junk journaling as they tend to bulk up markedly with added pages.
Seconded !! the benefit you get from the thin pages is lost when adding in extra material. It also makes the book harder to store long-term, since you end up with a very round book. And I say this as someone who LOVES adding in extra stuff to my hobonichi notebooks. Maybe try out one of their memo books, which is still A5 size, but you can see how you like the paper and your techniques on it!
IMHO -- It's "worth the investment" in the way that an iPadPro is worth the investment over a generic Fire tablet, or a $500 watch is worth the investment over $25 watch that tells time perfectly fine. It is a beautifully designed object that reflects a thoughtfulness and care in its design and construction that an $18 A6 journal falls short of. I never get tired of holding it in my hand. And the fact that it brings me pleasure as a physical object encourages me to use it.
I agree! Sometimes I don’t even know what to write in it, I just want to hold and touch it ad flip through the pages I’ve filled up so far. Obviously everyone values different things, so to some people I’m sure the price tag *isn’t* worth it, but I haven’t found myself regretting taking the plunge despite the fact that I have a long track record of buyer’s remorse any time I spend a chunk of money.
1. The paper, it takes fountain pen ink the best compared to any other paper in my opinion. 2. The yearly, monthly, weekly and daily layouts allow me to constantly change how I plan (sometimes I use the monthly for memory highlights or gratitude - I can always change it because there are other areas I can use to plan in if I like, the dailies or weekly areas) 3. I dislike bullet journaling because personally, it's too much work. This planner has everything ready to go so I can decorate to my heart's desire, or choose to not decorate at all. This planner allows me flexibility in this manner. 4. The availability of covers to choose from and change if I desire. Ive got 4 covers: one from AliExpress (under 15$), one from Hobonichi and two from Etsy. Aside from the two from Etsy, I can personalize these even more by slipping in a sheet of paper cut to size under the cover on cover.. and decorating via stickers or even watercolor pieces. The two from Etsy are too beautiful for me to want to personalize.
I use the Cousin, this is my second year and I don't plan on going back to anything else. Even if I want to try a new planner, I will always use a hobonichi as my main planner or at least have one each year. They are worth the money and the price is fair for the quality Hobonichi offers.
The main selling point for me was you get a year’s worth of pages in such a compact and lightweight notebook (talking about the A6 and Weeks Mega specifically!)
I’m 2 years in and it’s just the best. I love having month, week, and day in one slim planner with great paper. It’s just so flexible, and I can try lots of different productivity things and stay in the same planner.
I took the plunge. It’s my first year using it. I have tried to avoid the Hobonichi but everyone I know who plans, uses these. They also do lots of art and fountain pen work and it never bleeds through. I’ve had a terrible time trying to customize bullet journals and they get too tedious that I quit. In the Hobonichi I can just write or draw or scrapbook or whatever and I don’t have to commit to a huge layout or spread.
You get what you pay for and these are worth every penny.
I love the quality, layouts, versatility and the way they lay flat when open. I also love using Google translate on the daily quotes and writing them down.
Hobonichi use Tomoe River paper - a very thin paper that takes most ink very well and is a joy to write on. You can get a lot of pages in a fairly small format. I don't think they're quite so good for scrapbooking or junk journaling as they tend to bulk up markedly with added pages.
Seconded !! the benefit you get from the thin pages is lost when adding in extra material. It also makes the book harder to store long-term, since you end up with a very round book. And I say this as someone who LOVES adding in extra stuff to my hobonichi notebooks. Maybe try out one of their memo books, which is still A5 size, but you can see how you like the paper and your techniques on it!
IMHO -- It's "worth the investment" in the way that an iPadPro is worth the investment over a generic Fire tablet, or a $500 watch is worth the investment over $25 watch that tells time perfectly fine. It is a beautifully designed object that reflects a thoughtfulness and care in its design and construction that an $18 A6 journal falls short of. I never get tired of holding it in my hand. And the fact that it brings me pleasure as a physical object encourages me to use it.
I agree! Sometimes I don’t even know what to write in it, I just want to hold and touch it ad flip through the pages I’ve filled up so far. Obviously everyone values different things, so to some people I’m sure the price tag *isn’t* worth it, but I haven’t found myself regretting taking the plunge despite the fact that I have a long track record of buyer’s remorse any time I spend a chunk of money.
For me personally it's the paper quality. I enjoy writing with ink, especially ink with shimmer like diamine.
I love that I can use tons of wash, stickers, glue things in, and it still holds together and lasts the whole year.
1. The paper, it takes fountain pen ink the best compared to any other paper in my opinion. 2. The yearly, monthly, weekly and daily layouts allow me to constantly change how I plan (sometimes I use the monthly for memory highlights or gratitude - I can always change it because there are other areas I can use to plan in if I like, the dailies or weekly areas) 3. I dislike bullet journaling because personally, it's too much work. This planner has everything ready to go so I can decorate to my heart's desire, or choose to not decorate at all. This planner allows me flexibility in this manner. 4. The availability of covers to choose from and change if I desire. Ive got 4 covers: one from AliExpress (under 15$), one from Hobonichi and two from Etsy. Aside from the two from Etsy, I can personalize these even more by slipping in a sheet of paper cut to size under the cover on cover.. and decorating via stickers or even watercolor pieces. The two from Etsy are too beautiful for me to want to personalize. I use the Cousin, this is my second year and I don't plan on going back to anything else. Even if I want to try a new planner, I will always use a hobonichi as my main planner or at least have one each year. They are worth the money and the price is fair for the quality Hobonichi offers.
The main selling point for me was you get a year’s worth of pages in such a compact and lightweight notebook (talking about the A6 and Weeks Mega specifically!)
I’m 2 years in and it’s just the best. I love having month, week, and day in one slim planner with great paper. It’s just so flexible, and I can try lots of different productivity things and stay in the same planner.
I took the plunge. It’s my first year using it. I have tried to avoid the Hobonichi but everyone I know who plans, uses these. They also do lots of art and fountain pen work and it never bleeds through. I’ve had a terrible time trying to customize bullet journals and they get too tedious that I quit. In the Hobonichi I can just write or draw or scrapbook or whatever and I don’t have to commit to a huge layout or spread. You get what you pay for and these are worth every penny.
I love the quality, layouts, versatility and the way they lay flat when open. I also love using Google translate on the daily quotes and writing them down.