Review: Spicebox 5x8 Duo Journal

 (Ignore the random marks on the cover, that was from ink accidentally smearing on the cover from my fingers as I was writing.)

The 5x8 inch Spicebox Journal came as a 2-pack with 176 pages each book (only pictured is my green journal). I started this journal in July 2011 and finished in Mid-January 2012. Tried several types of pens and realized ballpoints wrote the best. Even gel pens worked ok but you could still feel the tooth as you wrote. I guess it depends if you like having your pen drag when you write or if you like the effortless writing instead.

(Ball point on the left of the bookmark, Fountain pen on the right. I apologize for my horrible handwriting.)

Then again it's another cheap journal that I bought from Half Price Books and it came with two journals. I split it up with my sister. I took the Lime Green and she took the Turquoise Blue (our favorite colors). I thought it was a good price and hoped that the paper would be good. The short story? It's not great. Well it's kind of bad for fountain pens. The paper had a grainy texture to it which I was worried may rub and wear down the nib. If you know mind a little tooth, I guess it's perfect for ballpoints, pencils, and works with felt tips if you don't mind a little feathering. Even so, if you like a smooth writing experience, this journal and paper probably isn't for you.

I actually did like the cover, it's sturdy and well made. It's stitched with a sort of a textured almost leather feel and I enjoyed it because I was able to get a good grip on it. I was able to write in my journal without having any problems. However, my sister's journal didn't fair so well. She only started to use hers for a little while before the spine started breaking. She said she wrote at an angled surface which caused the binding to break. So I made sure mine was written on a flat surface and it held up well. Even so, a well made book should be able to take a good amount of abuse in my opinion. She stopped using that journal and started another because she wasn't happy with it.

Overall, the journal is adequate if you don't mind what you write on or the writing experience. They are good for random jotting or if you don't care what you write on. I just settled on it for the time as I just am starting to journal more and am figuring what qualities I like in journals and pens. It has a bookmark which I use sometimes but no pocket. In the end I would not get this type of journal again because the paper was too thin for me and I didn't love it enough to use/buy it again. Some good points is that I liked the cover and the amount of pages it had for more history.