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April 27, 2021

Amanda Rach Lee Bullet Journal Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Amanda Rach Lee. Her Youtube channel is full of creative bullet journal spreads and pen reviews. Her style is very different to mine but I enjoy watching her videos, even if I don’t end up incorporating her ideas in my spreads. She has a tendency to use brush pens for calligraphy which are notorious for bleeding through the thin paper, so when she came out with a dotted notebook with 160 GSM paper (that’s really thick paper), of course I wanted a copy!

Quick facts

  • Size: 5.75″ wide x 8.25″ high (A5)
  • Vegan leather cover with foil doodles on the front and back cover
  • Sewn binding
  • Multiple cover colors to choose from (black, grey, pink, teal and camel)
  • Thick 160 GSM bright white paper
  • 160 pages
  • 5mm dot grid
  • Numbered pages
  • Pocket folder
  • 2 Ribbon bookmarks
  • Pen holder

Price: $26 USD + shipping (cheap international shipping rates)

Let’s take a closer look!

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more planner videos!

My review of the Amanda Rach Lee Doodle Planner is in this post.

The Cover

Finally – a pretty notebook cover! The doodle images are very clear and flecks of the the gold foil haven’t fallen off either. The doodles are printed on the front and back cover.

I’ll be doing a review of the Amanda Rach Lee Doodle Planner soon!

Amanda rach lee dotted notebook and doodle planner review video pen test pros and cons

Amanda rach lee review of the dotted notebook a5 5mm spacing pen testing highlighters stamps ghosting bleed through 160 gsm

Between 0.75 and 1″ thick (2.4cm)

Amanda rach lee dotted notebook a5 review pros and cons teal gold foil doodles pen test 160 gsm bright white paper

The dot grid is 5mm x 5mm (most common dot grid size in bullet journal notebooks).

None of the dots are printed close to the edge or spine

Amanda rach lee bullet journal pros and cons video flipthrough pen test ghosting or bleed through

2 ribbon bookmarks – but unfortunately they’re the same color

amanda rach lee dot grid notebook 5mm honest review pros and cons pen testing 160 gsm paper quality

Pages lay flat (or close to flat) no matter where you open the notebook.

Amanda rach lee dotted notebook a5 review pros and cons teal gold foil doodles pen test 160 gsm bright white paper paper quality

There’s a roomy pocket folder at the back and 1 pen holder (which is fat enough to hold the Frixion erasable pen).

Amanda rach lee review of the dotted notebook a5 pocket folder pen test bright white 160 gsm paper

Pen Testing

Given that Amanda Rach Lee’s spreads usually involve brush markers which are notorious for the ink bleeding through the page, I was expecting very good paper…

amanda rach lee dotted notebook pen test pros and cons bullet journal 5mm highlighters pens stamps

… And was not disappointed! No ghosting or bleed through for highlighters and pens (even the thick maker pens). There is a tiny bit of ghosting from the Happy Planner stamp (not very obvious and wouldn’t stop me from using the back side of the page).

amanda rach lee dotted notebook pen test pros and cons bullet journal 5mm highlighters pens stamps no ghosting or bleed through 160 gsm

Pros of the Notebook

  • Portable size
  • Pretty cover with a design I haven’t seen on another sewn bound notebook
  • Multiple cover colors to choose from
  • Cheap international shipping
  • All pages are numbered
  • Pocket folder
  • 2 Ribbon bookmarks
  • Very thick paper (160 GSM with no ghosting or bleed through)
  • Pen holder (fat enough to fit a Frixion pen too)
  • Bright white paper
  • Bookmark colors coordinate with the cover color

Cons of the Notebook

  • Elastic band leaves an indent in the cover material (at the top and bottom)
  • Bookmarks are the same color

Would I use this notebook?

Yes! The notebook has a pretty cover and it’s paper is bright white, numbered and basically no ghosting or bleed through. This notebook has everything I look for in a bullet journal!

More dot grid notebook reviews:

  • Archer and Olive Dot Grid Notebook (Is the 160 GSM Paper Worth the Hype?)
  • Vivid Scribbles Dot Grid Notebook (bleedproof 140GSM paper!)
  • Clever Fox Dotted Journal Notebook
  • Jumping Fox Designs Dot Grid Notebook

Bullet Journal Tips:

  • Trying out my custom Agendio bullet journal (is a 0.25″ grid too big?)
  • Bullet journaling in the Scribbles that Matter Notebook (is it worth the hype?)
  • Weekly spread with the Helix Circle Maker in the Dingbats* Notebook

Browse all posts

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

Amanda rach lee dotted notebook review a5 page size 160 gsm thick paper pen testing pros and cons video

amanda rach lee a5 dotted notebook review a5 bright white paper 160 gsm thick paper pros and cons video

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  • Amanda Rach Lee Doodle Planner Review (Pros & Cons)Amanda Rach Lee Doodle Planner Review (Pros & Cons)
  • Archer and Olive Dot Grid Notebook (Is the 160 GSM Paper Worth the Hype?)Archer and Olive Dot Grid Notebook (Is the 160 GSM Paper Worth the Hype?)
  • Slow Journal Dotted Notebook Review including video flipthrough and pen test (160 GSM Paper)Slow Journal Dotted Notebook Review including video flipthrough and pen test (160 GSM Paper)
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  • Esc. Goods 160 GSM Bullet Journal Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)Esc. Goods 160 GSM Bullet Journal Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)
  • Buke Stationery Dot Grid Notebook Review (180 GSM thick paper – NO ghosting or bleed through!)Buke Stationery Dot Grid Notebook Review (180 GSM thick paper – NO ghosting or bleed through!)

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Comments

  1. MaryAnn Coy says

    April 28, 2021 at 22:13

    Sew two different colored buttons or bits of ribbon to the marker ribbons. Only take a few minutes and then you have 2 different markers.

    • Rachael says

      April 29, 2021 at 23:46

      Good suggestion!

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