Al-Star Lamy wannabe

Lamy Al-Star wannabe

The great thing about living in China is all the easy "hacks" I can do with very inexpensive notebooks and pens. Although this post is not exactly a hack, still it's something good to know if you are building your pen stash.
For example, I picked up a wannabee Lamy Al-Star fountain pen because I couldn't resist the color! Here's the description on jetpens.com:

This limited-edition Al-Star fountain pen features a vivid turquoise finish.

Perfect. So purrdy. It writes well and costs just 18¥, including 6 cartridges and a cartridge converter. That's just two dollars and 85 cents! The store also has gold, silver, gun-metal grey, green-blue, etc. Makes one want to collect the whole set. Cartridges are larger than the international standard ones. Not sure if the Lamy's will fit or not.

(You can order these Aluminum Metal Body Fine Nib Fountain Pens (AKA: Lamy Al-Star wannabe) on Amazon here: 6pcs Aluminium Metal Body Fine Nib Fountain Pens Ink Pen Set Of 6)

Pros:

• Set of 6 for just 15 bucks
• Great colors

Cons:

• Doesn't have "Lamy" stamped on it's barrel

Happy hacking,

…dave

Disclosure: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Which means you pay no more for the products than otherwise but Amazon credits me with a very small percentage of the sale. (Then I can buy and review more products for NotebookHacks!)

Lanbitou Pens

TWSBI ECO wannabe

Lanbitou Fountain Pens

The Lanbitou Pens are great substitute for the TWSBI ECO pens for collectors on a budget. They hold as much ink as the ECO, come in 4 colors, red topped triangle insignia, and write smooth. The only disadvantage of these pens over the ECO is that you can't take them apart. But for about 15 bucks on Amazon you can afford to buy another set!

These TWSB ECO wannabe can be found on Amazon here: 4pcs LANBITOU 3059 Fine Nib Piston Fill Fountain Pens Transparent Pen Set Of 4

Pros:

• A set of 4 for about 12 bucks
• Four different colors for your colored inks
• "F" fine is between 0.5 and 0.38
• Interchangeable with the Lamy z50 nib

Cons:

• Can't disassemble them for optimum cleaning
• Can dry out even when capped if you don't seal the cap (see article)

You may have to do a few hacks on these before you use them, although I haven't had to. For example, one user reported that even when capped they can dry out quickly. I've never had that problem since I use them daily. His suggestion is to put a dab of silicone in the cap covering the screw where air can leak in. Some have also reported variations in lines the the "F" size nib. I've never noticed any of these issues. I own two and bought 25 of them for friends as gifts. All are working just fine.

For the price, you can't loose buying a set even if for only comparison purposes.

Happy hacking,

…dave

Disclosure: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Which means you pay no more for the products than otherwise but Amazon credits me with a very small percentage of the sale. (Then I can buy and review more products for NotebookHacks!)

What's a notebook hack anyway?

Huh? A notebook hack? What's that?

Notebook "hacking" is changing your notebook from its original form to something better. It could be a small change like adding sticky notes in the back so that you have quick access to scratch paper when you need it. Or it could be something far more advanced like painting the cover.

The point is my notebooks are never perfect just off the shelf. They need a few changes, some preliminary changes, even some ever-so-slight adjustments.

How I got started

I started this site because I love to hack my notebook. I'm always looking for ways to improve it, change it, adjust it, and make it more productive.

So this site was stared to help others do the same.

I started "hacking" my notebook when I bought my second Moleskine. I wanted a way to quickly access different parts of my notebook. I thought about gluing tabs but then they'd stick out and catch on my shirt as I slid the notebook into my pocket. Then it hit me. Why not cut tabs into the edge of my notebook. That was my first hack.

Keep in mind, this site is not just for the Moles (Moleskines) but many of the suggestions you'll find here can be applied to any notebook. Here's just a few types we'll cover:

• Moleskine notebooks
• Traveler's Notebooks
• General diary and journal notebooks
• sketchbooks
• pocket "jotbooks"

Other hacks

Some of the hacks I've done to my notebooks include:

• adding leather covers
• adding pen holders or loops
• adding stretchy closures and snaps
• rounding notebook corners
• adding business card holders
• making my own receipt holders
• creating indexes
• adding auto-numbering to the pages
• and more . . .

We'll explore these hacks and more right here. Hope you'll find some of these suggestions helpful for your own notebooks.

...dave