» Rhodia at Pencil Things
I first discovered this wonderful little orange notebook back in 2003 when I was watching one of my favorite shows, Good Eats. The host, Alton Brown, was writing a grocery list on a Rhodia notepad. It didn’t process with me, until a year later when I attended college at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. There is a WONDERFUL store there called T.I.S. that sells textbooks, college apparel, and office supplies. Yes, a plethora of pens, pencils, and paper.One shelf had a shoddy little orange display. Though it was in disrepair, the orange-ness and the stylized European look lended itself to hipness and — what immediately attracts me to almost any consumer product — a cult following. That episode of Good Eats sprung into my mind, and I realized: if my hero Alton Brown has one, by gum — I need one too.
Andy Welfle writes a review at Pencil Things
See also his review of the Rhodia signature pencil here
A full catalogue of their Rhodia products is here.
Comments
Hi Norman,
I want to order a larger amount of Rhodia No 18 from an online shop here in Germany and have no opportunity to test the paper quality in advance.
Can you tell me how the Rhodia paper compares to the Clairefontaine paper (90 g/m²) in terms of bleed-proofness and smoothness? The Clairefontaine paper is the best I ever wrote on.
Thanks!
Steffen
Steffen,
Rhodia notepads are manufactured by Clairefontaine’s mills, and feature the same acid-free, pH neutral, chlorine-free, archival quality paper.
I personally used both Clairefontaine and Rhodia blocs, the former for journaling and art, and the latter as my daily workhorse.
The famous brushed vellum paper is highly resistant and opaque, which prevents the ink from bleeding even as it is absorbed by the paper, and comes in a crisp whiteness that’s easy on the eyes. (I read somewhere that they have an anti-glare component added.) The lines, printed in pale violet, are unobtrusive. And just like Clairefontaine notebooks, they come microperforated for easy tearing out of the pages.
The only difference is the weight; Clairefontaine notepads come in 90 gsm, while Rhodia blocs come in 80 gsm.
I hope that helped somehow, thanks for dropping by!
Norman,
Thanks for the linkback!
I’ve tried Clairefontaine notebooks, and while I am completely in love with their paperstock, it is too expensive for my taste. The only place I’ve seen them for sale in Indiana is at that same store in Bloomington, and they’re something like $13 for a 30 page notebook. I also can’t figure out why I can’t get them with a page count higher than 50.
I consider the Rhodia blocs to be a good compromise, somewhere between a Clairfontaine and a Mead four-star notebook (okay, several calibers beyond a Mead…). Plus, I’d be afraid to take my Clairfontaine on the road with me, lest it bend or tear.
I love your blog!
-Andy
Andy, you’re welcome, and thanks. I’m a relatively new fan of writing accessories, and your blog is one of those which helped me discover what I’ve been missing.
More power to analog!
Leave a Comment