Esc. Goods 160 GSM Bullet Journal Notebook Review (Including Pen Test)
There are a few 160 GSM notebooks with bright white paper however the Esc Goods is the first I’ve come across that’s from a company that’s based in Australia!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this notebook for free in exchange for this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Quick facts
- Size: A5 (5.75″ wide x 8.25″ high / 14.5cm wide x 21cm high)
- Vegan leather cover (grey)
- Sewn binding
- 5mm dot grid (27 dots horizontally x 38 dots vertically)
- Double sided lined index page
- 158 numbered dot grid pages pages
- 160 GSM thick paper
- Pen test page
- 2 bookmarks (different colors)
- Elastic pen holder
Price: $38 AUD + $5 AUD flat rate shipping to Australia. Orders above $49 free shipping to Australia.
Esc Goods ship worldwide. Flat rate $15 AUD for New Zealand customers or $20 AUD for rest of the world.
There are 2 versions of the notebook – 160 GSM thick with white paper and 150 GSM thick with black paper. I chose the 160 GSM with white paper.
You can purchase the Esc. Goods notebook from their website.
Let’s take a closer look!
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The Cover
There is only 1 cover option – a neutral ‘sky grey’ color (at least it’s not black!)
Approx. 0.75″ thick
Index
At the front of the notebook is a double sided lined index page with 6mm line spacing.
Dot grid pages
This is followed by 158 dot grid pages (5mm).
None of the dots are printed close to the edges of the page making it much easier to rule up spreads without worrying about the ruler slipping. After flicking through the notebook I cannot find any instances where the dots are cut off at the edge of the page, however there are some inconsistencies in the distance between the dots and the edge of the page (6mm – 8mm) which I suspect is due to the binding.
Each page is numbered and the page numbers sit below the dot grid.
The dots are a medium grey and each dot is not to big but not too small either (i.e. just the right size).
At the back of the notebook is 1 pocket folder.
Pen Testing
The ESC Goods website shows a pen test with no ghosting or bleed through so I wasn’t expecting any. However there was a little bit of show through for MAMBI stamps and the Uni Pi’s marker pen.
Pros of the Notebook
- Portable size
- Elastic pen holder
- Lay flat pages
- Thick paper
- Bright white paper
- Numbered pages
- 5mm dot grid
- Pre-printed index pages
Cons of the Notebook
- Little bit of show through for stamps and marker pens
- Only 1 cover color available
Would I use this notebook?
Yes. I don’t like dot grid notebooks with thin paper that shows through everything on the other side, so any notebook with 160 GSM thick paper is a yes from me, especially if the paper is bright white.
More dot grid notebook reviews:
Planning Tips:
- 15 Productive Things You Can Do In 15 Minutes or Less
- 10 Bullet Journal Daily Scheduling Layout Ideas
- The 3 things I plan digitally instead of using pen and paper
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