Utility Board by Baronfig - Review

Baronfig has recently released its own version of the cocoon Grid-it style of tech gear organizer.  They have taken a good idea and made it in their own style, but I think they still have some refinements that I hope to address so they can make version 2.0 better!

The case starts off with a really good build quality and design elements like the wide elastic bands with the rubber grips added.  This allows for large items like an Apple Magic Mouse to be added.  Everything is held very securely and I tried lots of variations of putting things into it. 

If you are like me and need to keep all your tablet accessories together, this case holds everything nicely. 

The Details:

• 8.75” x 11.75”

• 12oz

• $29.00

• Heavy-duty elastic straps

• Rubberized grips for secure placement

• Padded microfiber tablet sleeve

• 20+ versatile layouts

However,

The iPad and the fold-over magnetic case don’t fit inside!  I keep my cover on my iPad constantly due to the fold-over stand and this Utility Board is so tight holding the iPad that there isn’t a millimeter of room to accommodate the extra width. This is also the case if you have a keyboard case!

The tablet pocket doesn’t have a closure mechanism so it uses the tight space to hold the iPad securely.  Now, this is okay if you don’t have the extra case cover, but there is also an issue of padding.  The interior of the pocket is padded to protect the screen but the back is left unpadded and can be an issue when dropped.

I generally don’t pick on Baronfig’s line-up of great products, but the use cases of this Utility Board is so small that I find it impractical for my iPad.  I believe it does a great job with the organizer so I hope that they will design this a little better going forward.

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I also wouldn’t be so hard on it, but I found a similar case by Cocoon called the 11” Accessory Organizer with Tablet Pocket.  This has a padded back pocket with a Velcro fold over closure with a 0.5in wide pocket and goes for $32.99.

Cocoon Case

11’ Tablet Case and Organizer

Shown here is the Grey Medium sized Grid-it board compared to the Black Baronfig Utility Board. They are similar in size and the pattern of the grid is very comparable.

So, the Baronfig Utility Board is very handy, however, it isn’t perfect and I hold Baronfig to a very high standard. I may be acting unfairly, but, I don’t think I am wrong in asking them to fix this. Let me know if you agree or believe I am wrong!

Thanks for visiting!

Mike

As always, I purchased this case and did not receive anything in return for this review. My thoughts are my own.

An Honest and Unpaid Remarkable 2 Tablet Review

We have all seen the Remarkable tablet ads and the reviews about how well they work, right? After seeing all of this, I want to write a clear and honest review of this $300 tablet that is not tied to referral codes or ads.

In short, this tablet is like a bridge between analog and digital tools. It isn’t the same as paper, and it isn’t nearly as useful as a regular tablet.

It sits right between the two options and is not as good as either one. For its cost, I have to say, this is not worth the money.

That’s the main idea I wanted to share after working with this tablet for 4 weeks.

I admit that I was very skeptical going into this review but was surprised by several things once I got used to what it had to offer. The templates, and quiet analog feeling of the tablet offers can be useful for some.

With that, here are the details and some of the positive features this tablet offers.

Remarkable 2 Details

• 0.19in (4.7mm) - This is roughly the same width as a pad of paper.

• 7 3/8in x 9 5/8in x 3/16in (188mm x 246mm x 4.7 mm)

• 0.89 lb (403.5 g)

• Wi-Fi connected

• 8 GB internal storage

• Up to two weeks of battery

• Automatically synced to your phone and computer with the reMarkable cloud service
  (Read only access to files that are synced)

  • Connected service is $2.99

• Cost: $299 new, $79 marker, or $129 for marker plus which comes with an eraser

• The tablet comes with 47 built-in page layouts.

The Templates

Sunlight

The e-ink tablets have always done well in direct sunlight for reading and writing, and this one also is pretty good, and was the only way to brighten the screen when I was using it.

Lag Time

There is a slight lag with the pen and I took some slow motion video to try and capture this, but the lag doesn’t bother me as much as when I first started. 

The Cost

The real issue with this tablet is the cost. It is exactly the same as a 9th gen Apple iPad and pencil.

If you build out the Remarkable 2 which is $299 new and include the marker with an eraser of $129 it totals $428…

Apple iPad, 64GB, Wifi, and Apple Pencil as of Nov 2022

E-Books

While the tablet does offer the ability to read EPUB books like those from Project Gutenburg, it does not allow for Kindle books which are protected with the DRM designation. I really wish they had access to the Kindle books as these are the only ones I typically use.

Handwriting to text

The handwriting-to-text feature is decent but still does not pick up all my writing perfectly. With the use of speech-to-text being so good, it’s hard to see why anyone would need to use handwriting to text.

Connect Service

The Remarkable Tablet comes with an online service called Connect. This is a cloud-based service that allows for backups and also to access files on multiple devices. This is all read-only however and I wanted to edit the files while I was out.

The service is free for a year and then $2.99 each month after that.

Here is an exported page from the tablet:

One very positive thing I will say about this tablet is the return process.  They offer 100 days to check it out and the return process is easy and clear on their website.  I have already returned my tablet and appreciate the ability to do it online without having to jump through hoops.

For those that do use the Remarkable 2 tablet and really do enjoy it, I would love to hear from you about how well you like it!

The Start-Up Journal by Tim Jaudszims - Full Review

If you have ever had an idea for a new product or company but didn’t know where to start, this is the notebook to help make it happen.

“Together with Tim Jaudszims, author and business angel, LEUCHTTURM1917 developed an analogue journal for business entrepreneurs, which helps to successfully overcome the hurdles involved with setting up a business, keeping an overview in focus. The new Start-up Journal is a personal workbook and notebook combined that is clearly structured according to topics, featuring useful suggestions, practical templates and helpful techniques”

— Leuchtturm.com

This is not a notebook filled with over-used quotes and lots of blank pages. This is a mini-MBA walk-through system-driven notebook laid out in a step-by-step style to help guide you along the way.

This notebook is dense! It is the thickest Leuchtturm notebook I have ever seen and it is honestly the best start-up book I have ever seen and I have read or listened to!

One of my favorite parts of the book is presented right away which is the simple question of “What does success look like to you?” But this notebook is the first one that helps quantify what this actually looks like. The way the author, Tim Jaudszims, simplifies broad reaching and in most cases, complex ideas, is highly engaging and a lot of fun to work through.

The notebook starts by asking about five ideas that you have and walks you through a self-evaluation of the ideas. While it may look like a simple questionnaire, there is one question that is huge when it comes to evaluating an idea, “Did you pitch your idea to at least five other people? Did they like it?”

In almost every entrepreneur book, the number one thing they mention is to not keep your idea a secret. I was just listening to a book, “Will it Fly, How to test your next business idea so you don’t waste your time and money” by Pat Flynn and he literally just recommended an idea on this same concept. He used to buy the person’s cup of coffee behind him and while they waited for their coffee, he would ask them about his latest idea and listen to every bit of feedback on the idea.

Will it Fly Audible Book

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The Notebook

• 295 numbered pages filled with advice start-to-finish startup guide

• Hardcover in two colors, orange and blue

• Medium A5 size 8.25in x 5.75in

• Cost $39.95

• Weight is 1.25 lbs

• High Quality 100 g/m² paper

• Back pocket

• 2 bookmarks

• Set of sticky labels

• 15 chapters:

  • Idea

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Types of start-ups

  • Leadership

  • Storytelling

  • Branding

  • MVP, MLP, MSP, and PMF

  • Research

  • Pitch Deck with 12 sub -chapters

  • Marketing = Sales

  • Growth Hacking

  • Pivot

  • Valuation

  • Fundraising

  • Reasons for failure

While I work on building my new company OCBags, I will be using this notebook as a roadmap to help develop my packs, and grow my company! I really like this notebook and highly recommend it!

Please let me know if you have any questions about this and I will add updates along the way about my new company with this notebook.

Mike

As always, I purchased this notebook and did not receive anything for it. My thoughts are my own.

The Orange Notebook from Don't Look Up

The first time I saw this movie, the red notebook that Leonardo DiCaprio is holding in his meeting with the president caught my eye.

It’s a red hardcover notebook with a really interesting grid line pattern layout.

At first I thought it was a simple moleskin with meeting note layouts bit it didn’t look exactly right. Further, on the back of it were five distinct lines from the brand logo.

 Next, I thought it was a Leuchtturm with custom grid lines that the movie prop team had drawn on the paper.

I put it up on the notebook subreddit asking for help and after two months user iainr3 came to the rescue!

I quickly found the notebook on Amazon for $12.95.

The Notebook

The notebook is really interesting but it is a very niche-use-case notebook.  The gridlines are dark and force the user to only really use this for things like taking down data points in the field.

I get that this is the reason it was most likely made, but I was hoping I could work it into other uses like keeping it in my gym bag to track my lifting numbers. 

The Details

• 160 pages

• 4 5/8 wide  by 7 ¼ tall

• Left Side 6 Vertical Columns

• Right Side 8x4 to the inch

• Waterproof cover

• Archival paper quality

• 8 ounces

There is a 15-page reference guide in the back that includes commonly used Trigonometry tables and relations.  This is primarly used in surveying land and also includes a measurement I haven’t heard of called links.  Links were invented in England for surveying land and are equivalent to 66ft for 100 links.

ELAN has a variety of notebooks and the one that stood out to me is the Weatherproof Spiral Notebook. This is also on Amazon and is $14.85.

If you like movies check out my review of the Netflix x Baron Fig notebook:

Please let me know if there are any other notebooks, pens, or cases in movies that I should look into!

Cheers,

Mike :)

As always, I was not paid for this review and my thoughts are my own.

Netflix x Baronfig Notebook and Pen Review

For as long as I can remember my brother, Andy, and I have loved quizzing each other on movie quotes. See if you know any of these from the 80’s:

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do.”

“Dead or alive, you're coming with me.”

“You keep using that word, I do not think you know what it means.”

(Answers are at the bottom)

Andy and I liked the same movies growing up so this always helps when trying to figure out the movie. Back then it would have been nice to write down some things about each movie as we watched them so when I saw that one of my favorite notebook companies came out with a Netflix notebook, it was an instant buy for me!

Baronfig teamed up with Netflix to make a notebook and pen combo that surpirsed me for how much I liked it. The act of filling out the premade page layouts was helpful to think more about the movies I know and love.

The pages include the following:

• Title:

• Year:

• Director

• Actors/People

• Synopsis

• Acting

• Dialogue

• Editing

• Originality

• Plot

• Theme

• Cinematography

• Directing

• Effects

• Pacing

• Soundtrack

• Entertainment

• Rating

• Overall

I was never in a film study course, but this feels like being back in school and learning about the movies in a deeper level.

I added the pen loop and always add them to notebooks. I get mine from Amazon

The Notebook

The notebook is the same design and quality as all the confidant styles and has 192 pages with the bookmark and elastic closure. Aside from the first guide page explaining the genre icons and the last few pages that are for ‘Top 10’ lists, the notebook is filled with the Stream Log pages that you can see in the image above.

While I do like these single-page layouts, there is a lot missing from them. Most notable is the theme of the movie. This is a huge omission in the notes section and while you can fill it in next to the smiley/sad face rating, I do think they should have areas to write in your own ideas. Other items I think they missed are; favorite part, favorite actor/actress, and songs or music.

I can’t figure out why they didn’t do a two-page spread to help fill in everything and give more room for notes and especially a Quotes page to help remember the good ones!

One other thing that caught my attention that I didn’t see before with Baronfig and their own pens, is the ghosting, or pen show-through, on the backs of the pages. The ink that Baronfig uses is a heavy line of gel ink from the Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 refills and while it is a smooth, and highly popular gel-ink, it is a very dark line on the back of the page.

Okay one more thing, why not send a red ink refill with the pen?!

The Pen

Like all Baron Fig Squires, this one does not disappoint. The bright ‘Netflix’ Red color is a nice addition to my collection and I like the playbar design they came up with along the side.

In the past Baronfig has had some trouble making the twist mechanism to extend the pen point perfectly line up with the body. On this pen there is barely a gap between the two parts and they have done an amazing job correcting this.

My only gripe with the pen is that it doesn’t quite match the darker red notebook and suspect this is just from the difference of materials. Not a big deal but one that I noticed.

In Summary

Overall I am happy with the notebook and I have enjoyed using this notebook to keep track of the movies I am watching, but I just think they made some compromises with this notebook and pen combo. Perhaps I am just being grumpy but I feel like there are a lot of things they could have done better with this collaboration.

If you are still interested in checking them out, they are still for sale on Baronfig’s site for:

Play Stream Journal $26

Play Stream Squire $65

I would not order these from Netflix as my order took months for them to do….nothing. They ignored my order and so I finally canceled it and went right to Baronfig.com

While I was writing this article I found this movie about how Netflix came to be called Netflix vs The World. It’s available on….Amazon?

Thanks for checking out my review and please let me know if I missed anything!

Mike :)

Quote Answers:

“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do.” Answer - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 1986

“Dead or alive, you're coming with me.” Answer - Robocop 1987

“You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Answer - The Princess Bride 1987

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey - Notebook Review

Life advice from a movie star? More like a memoir.

Greenlights is all about life, and Mr. McConaughey’s love of it. His novel is a great breath of fresh air to hear about some great life stories he has and also a few lessons on how to look at things in your own life. Before you buy the book, Greenlights, I recommend (and your friends probably already have too) getting the audio version as you will miss the inflection points if you just read it yourself.

Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often."

To hear an introduction to the book in his own words, here is a good book review from BookTube:

Following up on the novel, Matthew designed and released a notebook which is a semi-guided journal to keep track of your own Red, Yellow, and Green lights.

The notebook is a 65-page collection of simple writing prompts to help start your own journal and help you find some depth in your own life. It is very free-flowing and not organized or structured at all. There aren’t even lines on the pages!

Some of the writing prompts if you can call them that are:

• What is some outlaw logic that you were raised on?

• Are you good at what you love?

• In this noisy world, we have to work hard to hear ourselves. How will you do the work?

Personally, I am going to use this notebook as a collection point for good life quotes, advice, and things I don’t want to forget that I see or hear. As it isn’t structured, I won’t use this as anything more than just a life selection of personal experiences.

The ability to use the notebook however you like allows for anything to go in and it is a nice break from my other regimented notebooks that require dates, times, page numbers etc.

I started with where I am right now and it was a nice chance to take inventory of all the great things I have going for me right now and it set me in a positive mood for the rest of the day!

The paper in the notebook is smooth and Gel inks, pencils, ballpoints, and felt tip pens write very nicely in the notebook. I would not suggest using a fountain pen as it bleeds very easily. The paper is similar to a 20# printer paper weight so there is a little bit of ghosting through the paper with the felt-tip pens.

Notebook details:

• Dimensions 8 3/4in x 6 1/8in x 1/2 in

• Price: $12.86

• Light Cream Paper

• Not Fountain Pen Friendly

• Back Pocket

• Elastic Strap

• Website

Thanks for reading and please let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers,

Mike :)

Topo Folio II Kickstarter Launch!

After two years of work, I am happy to say that the Topo Folio is live on Kickstarter!

Back it on Kickstarter!

As we use our tablets more every day, and we need more accessories to carry with them, I designed a hybrid tablet folio/sleeve to help do this in the most eco-friendly way possible. I want to have my tablet with me all the time, but I also need a charger, pencil, stand, and keyboard handy as well. This case carries it all and more.

Each TopoFolio case comes with a magnetic spine that attaches to four different custom-made inserts. The magnet also works with almost any spiral notebook.

The choice of custom made organizers are:

1. Large Zippered Pouch for extra organization

2. 30 Pencil/Pen Loop Organizer with eraser and sharpener loops

3. 2 Pocket Insert - (Keyboards, cords, usb cards, drawing supplies)

4.  Multi-Pocket (Fountain pen slots, zippered pocket, small notebooks, paperwork)

DIMENSIONS

• 12in wide by 10in tall - Perfectly fits inside backpacks

WHAT FITS INSIDE:

• Any Tablets up to 12in by 10in (Apple iPads, iPad Pros, Microsoft Surface, Amazon Fire, Etc.)

• Fidlock Waterproof Sleeve holds tablets up to 8in x 10in

• Small Laptops up to 12.5 x 10in (13in size laptops)

• Chargers

• Stylus Pens (Apple Pencil, Surface Pen, Etc.)

• Keyboard covers and Bluetooth keyboards

• Masks

• Notebooks

• Pens and Pencils

• USB Cards

• Cell Phones

• Field Notes Notebooks

• Airpods & Earbuds

• Apple AirTags and Tile Trackers

• Magnetic tablet covers

• Keys

• Powerpack

• Pocket Knives

• Flashlights

• Keys

• Wireless Mouse

• Lighter

• Reusable Silverware

PRACTICAL USES:

• Bullet Journal Supplies - Bring your notebook and supplies anywhere

• Realtors - Carry your house docs, and charge your phone/tablet while you walk

• Coffee Shop - Perfect size for smaller tables

• Airplane Travel - Case opens flat quickly for x-ray machine

• Backpack Carry - Slide into a bag to keep all your tablet supplies packed neatly

Multi-Pocket

2 Pocket Insert

30 Pencil/Pen Loop Organizer 

Large Zippered Pouch

If you like this blog and want to support me, please consider backing my new project! I don’t run ads, pop-ups, or affiliate links and want to continue working on making this a great place to find interesting and new stationery.

Thanks!

Mike :)

Hoverpens 1, 2, and Coming Soon, 3!

With the news that Hoverpen 3 is coming to Kickstarter on Feb 8, I wanted to review the first two models to show how great these pens are.

HoverPen 1.0

Image is property of Novium with permission to use.

I did a full review of the Hoverpen 1 back in 2019 when it first came to Kickstarter and was impressed with the design, construction, and delivery of this first project from Shanpo (now named Novium.) They did an amazing job perfectly balancing the pen vertically and it was a very unique desk addition.

If you would like to read my first review it is Here.

In essence, here are my feelings on this first one:

“Using magnets, the pen stand holds the Hoverpen perfectly vertical. The stand and pen are not as heavy as I expected them to be and the more I look at them, the more it feels like a trick. I feel like the pen should tip over at any minute. My kids still think it is magic, and even though I have experience working with neodymium and ceramic magnets, I kind of feel like that too!”

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The designers spent time on the packaging and shows their commitment to producing some quality products.

Hoverpen 1.0

Hoverpen 2.0 - Interstellar Edition

After raising $122,316 on Kickstarter for the first version, the guys at Novium went all-in on version 2! They quickly met their funding goal and started including a wide range of color, materials, and new accessories for the second edition. The project page is full of choices and instead of making just a pen, they offered a lead holder too, which is what I opted for $70.

The pencil is a nice addition to the line up and the spiral grip adds a nice feel. I especially like the way the pencil spins in the magnetic stand.

I lost track of all the add ons during the campaign and only opted for the black color option. I highly recommend taking some time and scrolling through the Kickstarter project page to see just how many things they offered for this pen!

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Hoverpen 3.0 - Future Edition

The third edition comes out Feb 8, 2022 and they are including a fountain pen this time along with several other improvements on the design:

• The tip of the Hoverpen is lifted off the base, creating a magical illusion - where the Hoverpen looks like it’s almost floating.

• Increased the weight for a better hand feel.

• Opened up the “ring” to let the Hoverpen be grabbed more easily.

They are offering early bird sales so I would sign up for their newsletter to take advantage of the lower price. I can’t wait to see what all they are going to share this time around!

Novium Website Kickstarter Page

UPDATE: The Kickstarter launch has funded and already raised $65,000!

Let me know if you have any questions about these pens and if you plan on backing this new project!

Mike :)

I didn’t receive anything for this review and my thoughts are my own.

Let's talk about Onion Skin notebooks

While this thin style of paper isn’t new, it is relatively new in blank notebooks. I have been seeing some great notebook IG accounts showing up and they are very impressive!

Check out layora88 on IG!

The Onion Skin Journal on Instagram

Follow redsr1 on Instagram

After doing my research into these journals, one style kept showing up as a good option, The Onion Skin Journal from Remy Road. They have a lot of good choices for style, but they all include this amazing lightweight, high-density paper quality. After playing with this notebook, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to join this new journaling style.

Is that a greedy python I see?

I purchased the hardcover classic style notebook for $46. This version includes the following, from their website description:

• Reversible line and dot grid insert to guide your pen

• 320 pages of blank onion skin paper (160 sheets)

• Linen cover

• Smyth-Sewn

• Matching ribbon

• Made in America

• Fabricated by a 3rd generation bookmaker

• Fountain Pen Friendly!

Woodcase pencils work perfectly on this style of paper.

As expected, the sharpie bleed through.

General Pen Test. I didn’t do a full test because this paper isn’t intended for everything.

I don’t want to be critical of a paper like this as it isn’t intended to be suited for everyday purposes. This style of paper is made for creativity and exploration. This may come across as romantic, but this style of notebook is made for those of us that want to reach further into our creative depth to bring out something new.

I liked the pencil on this paper the most, but that is only my opinion. For fountain pens, this paper can absorb, bleed, feather, shade, and sheen. It can be frustrating if used as a regular paper, but it is a great paper to use when looking for something new and inventive.

The notebook is only 5/8in think and very light at 11oz. Hard to believe with 320 pages!

Page layout guide sheets. The other side is lined at 1/4in.

Overall I am impressed with this notebook, and look forward to using it more!

Mike

As with all my reviews, I did not receive anything for free.

Karst Stone Paper Review

In theory, these notebooks should be awesome, on paper, they are far from it.

Karst Sketchpad $30.

Karst Softcover Notebook A5 $25.

Karst Notepad $25.

With the Karst Stone Paper notebooks, I was intrigued by the design process of using stone to make paper. The process is very interesting and to help the planet move away from cutting down trees is a great idea…but after testing these out, I feel they are still missing something.

While the paper may work for commercial printers, to use this as a notebook is actually a pretty terrible idea. I hate to say this, but with the high cost associated with these notebooks, I don’t want anyone else to make the same mistake that I did!

The Notebooks

The first issue is using a pencil on this paper. Even one with as soft graphite as the Blackwing pencil, the tip kept catching on the soft paper. While the paper is tear-resistant, it does not do well with a sharp pencil point, and forget about using a mechanical pencil on these notebooks!

Moving on to pens, the only option to avoid problems, is a gel ink rollerball pen. Fountain pens, ballpoint, and needle point pens all fair poorly for various reasons due to the construction and coating that is put on the pages. The fountain pens skip and take forever to dry. Ballpoint pens push too hard on the soft paper, and needle point pens like the Hi Tec C catch on the paper and even created a hole!

Pens pushing through the paper to the back.

The three notebooks I purchased were much heavier than I originally thought. Even with the stone, I was surprised at just how heavy they are and all ended up being about twice the weight of a standard notebook the same size and page number.

Notepad A4 size - 1lb 5.6oz

Sketchpad - 1lb 4.4oz

A5 Softcover Notebook - 14oz

The Pencils

The unique pencils were also intriguing due to their all-graphite design. I had to wait a long time for these to be restocked so I was fairly disappointed when they did arrive. While they work okay on standard paper, they are unusable on the notebooks and even the sketch pad.

They did fair better on regular paper but they are quite soft and I would recommend them to an artist rather than a writer.

You only get 5 pencils for $22!

In Summary

I honestly don’t like writing negative reviews and I wish these notebooks and pencils could find a good use case, but I don’t see one. Even if the notebooks worked better, there is nothing special about the layouts. It is lined, dot grid or square. Nothing new in the design or use case.

If anyone disagrees with me and enjoys them, please do let me know!

As always, I purchased these items (really wish I hadn’t) and did not receive anything for free. My thoughts are my own.

Cheers,

Mike