Panobook Review
Studio Neat's Panobook launch came and went in 2017. Like many pieces of gear, I wanted one; I resisted ordering via their Kickstarter, though, thinking that a $20 notebook would just be a waste of money. Then I saw their Totebook, and still managed to avoid ordering.
The need for a notebook of some kind arose again when I planned to take a home study habit more seriously. My iPad and my computer hindered my studying. It was time to buy a paper notebook again. I didn't know what format would be better for my needs, so I went ahead and bought both a Panobook and a set of Totebooks.
My study process so far involved a novel sized printed book and my iPad acting as both my medium for notes and a device to look up information. To this, the Panobook is a perfect addition. The landscape format meant I could arrange the notebook in front of me, the printed book floating on top of the notebook as necessary, and my iPad near my centerline, past the notebook but still within easy reach. Folding the Panobook over completely is another critical part of my setup. All of this fits in roughly the same footprint as my 15" MacBook Pro would.
Panobook's materials feel as good as I had hoped for the price. The soft cover material somehow seems wrong when I consider what it reminds me of, but only until I open it up. The paper feels durable. At no point did I worry about tearing or damaging it in regular use. Turning pages does not inspire a worry of tearing paper from its binding.
Using the notebook turned up some quirks. The notebook laying flat, and I mean totally flat, works great for my use case. The wire binding makes that possible even when folding pages all the way around to the back. The wire's small size means it is only a small nuisance when writing close to it. But that binding lets the pages settle in whatever alignment I put them in. I write all the way at the edges of many pages. I have written right past the paper underneath my current page, like walking when I don't know I'm about to step off the sidewalk. I make a point of straightening out the notebook after each page turn now.
Mark One
Being a gadget lover and following Studio Neat since the original Glif, I haven't resisted all of their product launches. I bought a Mark One via the Kickstarter, and of course I have to use it with my Panobook.
I like the size. I started off hating it, thinking it too large and the metal body too hard to be comfortable. More use has shown me that I just wasn't used to holding a pen any more. The large barrel might even make it more comfortable to hold with a loose grip, compared to narrower pens.
The concept of a ballpoint pen, though, is still something I'm getting used to again. Unlike a touchscreen, the orientation of the pen relative to the paper matters. How hard I press also matters. Making consistent marks on the page is... more difficult than I remember.