Quo Vadis Compact Habana Review

by Tony Thomas

I recently received a Quo Vadis Compact Habana notebook from Exaclair and decided to a quick review.  

First of all, it brings back memories of the Moleskine notebooks that I have used in the past but the paper quality is much, much better.  It uses 85 gram Clairefontaine paper which is the paper of choice for many fountain pen users.  I found the ivory paper color to be very pleasing and it looks good with most inks.  

The notebook has a faux leather cover, a bookmark ribbon, an elastic cover closure and a rear pocket. The Quo Vadis logo is embossed on the front cover, and on the back, the Quo Vadis name and logo appear at the bottom.  It is made in the USA with Clairefontaine paper from France.  The binding quality is excellent and the notebook has a very impressive fit and feel.  

As expected, there was no feathering or bleed thru when using the notebook with fountain pens, and it provided a smooth and enjoyable writing experience.   The line width is a bit narrow for my taste and the lined version of this notebook may not work that well for you if you have large handwriting and like to use really fat nibs (it is also available with blank pages).  Personally, I would like to see this notebook offered in narrow and wider-ruled pages as well as in dot grid and graph.  I would also like to have more pages available (perhaps 100).

All in all, this is a great notebook and a joy to use!

Specs:

Leather-like cover
16 x 24 cm (6.25" x 9.25")
85 gram ivory Clairefontaine paper
Acid and chlorine free paper
80 double-sided lined sheets
Round Corners
5.56mm (.219") ruled
Sewn binding
Elastic Closure
Rear Pocket
PEFC Certified

Made in the USA

http://quovadisplanners.com/notebooks/habana

Full Disclosure: In compliance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255, I hereby disclose that the manufacturer or retailer mentioned in this article provided the product for review purposes with the knowledge that I would provide a full, unbiased and impartial review.