Sometimes simple things are the best, don’t you think? It almost seems superfluous to review a notebook like this basic Rhodia pad, which the lovely people at Exaclair included when they sent me a Webnotebook to review. But I will do my best to subject it to my usual scrutiny!

This pad is a “Bloc Rhodia No. 16,” their 5.8 x 8.3″ format. Here’s the front cover, with the traditional Rhodia logo. You can see the staples that hold the cover on, and the scored lines that allow the cover to fold over easily:

Here’s the back cover, listing the various formats of Rhodia pads. The typography has a lovely old-fashioned look to it.

Here’s the side view:

The pages are perforated for easy tear-out, and the back has a stiff piece of cardboard under the orange cover so it stays rigid when you’re writing.

And here’s that lovely 80 gsm Rhodia paper in action. I had to write in it with an orange Uniball Signo RT first, to celebrate Rhodia’s signature color! The paper, of course, performed quite well with my usual rollerball pens but my Super Sharpie bled through a lot. I’ve yet to find a notebook that can stand up to that thing!

So, bottom line, what’s not to like? It’s a nice basic pad and it’s Rhodia, so it looks cool. Works for me!

You can buy the various sizes of Rhodia pads for around 30% off the list price at Blick Art Materials.