Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook B5 Squared (Graph/Grid) Review

Kindly Note: If you find the images somewhat blur, clicking into it will show you a much clearer version

My interest in Maruman actually started 5-6 years ago after watching The Goulet Pen Company's video on Maruman Mnemosyne Notebook. Just when I thought my interest would die down since there isn't any stationery shop in Malaysia ( at that time ) that carries that brand and it's crazily expensive to buy from overseas because of the shipping fees, YouTube got me obsessed with it again by aggressively recommending me Jetpens's video on Japanese stationery. 

Where to Buy Maruman Stationery in Malaysia?

Previously, the only way to get it was through online overseas platforms like Taobao.com (a Chinese online shopping website). The thing with Taobao is there's a learning curve on how to use the website effectively to get the best deals and everything - it just wasn't for me.

Luckily for me, Maruman Stationery is finally being distributed in Malaysia by Office Pen N Paper Sdn Bhd. Based on their company description, they’re the sole distributor for many stationery brands in Malaysia such as PLUS, Uni Mitsubishi Pencil, Carl, Colleen, Lihit Lab, Maruman, Sun-star, and Seed. Since they carry many other stationery brands, you can always mix and match to get free shipping. 

If you're interested, you can purchase it via:

1.  Their website: https://www.mostastationery.com/ 
   If you're from West Malaysia, shipping is free for orders above RM60, however, it's above RM100 for East Malaysia. If you're from overseas and would like to buy from them, kindly contact them via their email to see if they're able to send to your country.
   
   
2.  Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/office-pen-n-paper 
   
   
3.  Shopee: https://shopee.com.my/office_pennpaper 

Maruman Spiral Note Basic Specifications

Which do you prefer: Ruled, Plain or Grid?

Sheet Style Variations : 5mm Grid/Squared, Plain, 6.5mm Ruled

Sizes Available : B6, A5, B5, A4

Binding : Spiral Loop

Sheet Color : White

Paper Weight : 70gsm

Perforated Pages: Yes

Number of Sheets : 40/80

5mm Graphing Lines

The lines are dark enough to see but it's not too distracting, which I like.

The issue I have with most Graph Paper is that the lines (whether it's black, blue, or green) are sometimes too dark, making it hard for me to read especially if I write or draw graphs with a pencil. That is why I enjoyed writing in this notebook until I turned to the next page... The ghosting is a bit too heavy for my liking. It is expected since the paper is only 70gsm. 

Another thing to note is that the paper is smooth. However, it’s not that kind of smoothness where your pen will skip/slip. It's the type where it offers a smoother feel when writing. 

Pen Test - Will there be Feathering, Bleeding, or Ghosting?

Yup, there's ghosting. And feathering only for the Pilot Petit 1 Mini Fountain Pen.

I thought there might be some bleed-through for the calligraphy pens but it held up well. 

There’s some bleeding from the Stabilo Boss Original Pastel Highlighter but honestly, this is more on the highlighter itself cause I do find it bleeds on most paper surfaces.

I also find it interesting that there’s only feathering for the Pilot Petit 1 Mini Fountain Pen. And that it was completely fine for the Monami Olika Fountain Pen. So if you’re a fountain pen user, you might wanna watch out for this. There may be a chance that your pen ink might feather on this Maruman notebook.

As the Maruman Spiral Notebook paper is smooth, I find it’s nice to write on when I’m using my brush pens (so far my brush pen tips haven’t fray but I can’t guarantee there won’t be any in the future #hopefullynot).

Arrow Guides - Subtle & Useful

Four little grey arrows on on each side.

These arrow markings are what I love about this notebook the most. As they are situated in the middle on each side of the paper, it’s really helpful for finding the centerline. 

So let's say if I wanna draw a line in the middle or maybe split the page into fours, gone are the days where I have to use the ruler, fold the paper in half, or manually count the squares. These subtle grey arrows are here to guide me. 

Perforated Pages

Very Smooth and Clean Tear

Usually, for perforated pages, I always had to use a ruler or maybe fold the page beforehand for it to have a smoother clean tear. If I ever do freehand it, sometimes I will accidentally rip the end and that bothers me a lot. But for the Maruman Notebook, you can tear the page with one hand, it's that smooth and easy. Their micro-perforation lets pages come out very easily.

Another thing to note, the length of the perforated sheet is 25.2cm while the width is 17cm.

 

Spiral Binding

Their Spiral Bound is very sturdy, you need a great amount of force for it to be out of shape.

The great thing about spiral binding notebooks is that they can turn 360 pages around on themselves. This would mean you can be only looking at one page at a time so it’s extra convenient if you have limited table space. Pages also tend to lay flat when open without it having any slight “puff”.

Right now, let's just ignore the fact that it has perforated sheets and you want to tear out a page completely. The pages will also tear out cleanly! You won’t get those little shreds of paper left over when you rip paper out of a spiral notebook (the internet calls it “kadoobies”) 

Thick Kraft Cover

When I received the notebook, the cover was already bent at the bottom corner. The saddest thing is that the papers inside were also affected. Also, I find it interesting that the cover has rounded corners but the paper inside doesn’t. 

So if you're particular about this, you would have to treat it with care and not just simply throw it into your bag. 

In Short

I do recommend the Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook. 

1. Its light grey markings are easy on the eyes.
2. The arrow markings are really helpful for note-taking, drawing graphs/tables etc.
3. If your friend needs a piece of paper, the perforated pages gives out a clean tear.
   (Happy Notebook, Happy Owner & Happy Friend)

If you plan to get one for yourself, do consider:

1.  The weight (roughly around 309 grams) 
   As it's spiral, it can be heavier and bulkier than most thread-bound notebook.
   
   
2.  The type of writing instruments you will be using 
   Will it irk you if there's heavy ghosting or bleeding?
   
   

If you do have any other questions on the Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook, just let me know by commenting below. I'll do my best to answer them. Have a great week ahead and stay safe :)

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