The finial of the barrel has O sharpe moulded into it and the finial of the cap is a simple smooth rounded piece of metal. The whole of the cap is made of metal apart from a plastic insert inside. The clip has some nice tension and spring to it. The whole cap is quite simple and reminds me a lot of the Parker 51 cap (though without a jewel finial). This recently released Midori MD Fountain Pen is definitely designed as a pen for people new to fountain pens. It is affordable, designed to be light ‘like a pencil’, has a "happy medium” nib, and nib design that absorbs pressure if you are used to pressing hard (as if they are anticipating those coming from ballpoints). Indeed, Midori’s own literature starts by assuming they are talking to someone new to fountain pens: Made in Japan, this simple notebook was designed to create a writing experience that you will enjoy. The high-quality Midori Diary (MD) paper inside was developed in 1960 and has been continuously improved on ever since. Midori has conducted many tests using a variety of writing instruments to inspect the paper quality, including observing whether the ink feathers or bleeds, how it dries, how well the pen tips glide across the surface, how the paper feels to the touch, and so on. As a result, the paper is bleed-resistant, feather-resistant, and fountain-pen friendly, giving the user a pleasant writing experience. The grid ruling on the paper features open squares, with markings along the top and side margins to help count the squares. The book does a really excellent job of laying flat. When opened near the centre it is dead flat; when opened with a bias to one side it is still very flat. These are some of the best notebooks I’ve used for this. Midori credits the simple bookbinding design. Paper

The blank version which I’ve learned works very well as a sketchbook. MD Paper also makes a sketchbook in this range with a slightly different paper but a blank A5 notebook is an option too. Overall it’s an attractive and well-proportioned design, but it’s worth noting that the MD is a small pen, short, slim and light at 15g all-in.I think it’s really difficult to say which notebook is the best. I love both the MD Paper and the Leuchtturm. But I enjoyed the experience of using the MD Paper notebook more. Which I guess is the whole point because it was designed to be an enjoyable experience. FINALLY Firstly, I prefer the cover of the MD Paper notebook. I know I complained about having to buy a separate cover earlier, it sits somewhere between a hardcover notebook and the softcover. I think I preferred having a notebook which was sturdier than a softcover but still had some give to it. Midori I remember as the original company that brought us Traveler’s Notebooks (I still have a Midori branded Traveler’s Notebook) but in 2015 Midori spun out their Traveler’s Company brand. Indeed, Midori was the original name with the company starting in 1950 as Midori Shokai Co., Ltd. where it made courier, letter and notebook products (so it hasn't strayed too far from its origin). Today the Midori Brand and the Traveler’s Company brand are subsidiaries of the parent company. The parent company went through many name changes before arriving at Designphil Inc. today and the name is portmanteau of “design” and “philharmony”. Designphil’s other brands are Knox, Plotter, Touch and Flow, Custom Made Letter, Innovator, and Watashi Dayori which all come under it’s “Lifestyle Design Business” (they also have a commercial side to the business where the products are created and branded for specific external companies). Nearly all of these subsidiaries deal with paper stationery products or the leather cases that surround them. In general Designphil’s philosophy seems to be around using traditional techniques and modern techniques of manufacture. Have you ever wanted to try writing with a fountain pen but assumed it would be difficult to use? Worry no more! Taking standard international I don’t see why a converter wouldn’t fit. There is certainly space for it however none is provided.

More recently the Paper Cream version was launched and this is the version I bought. I really loved the paper in this notebook. It’s an off white colour and complements the pale blue grid design in the notebook. It’s a lovely surface to write on, working well with coloured pencils and the Muji gel pens. MD PAPER DESIGN The section is quite slim, and the barrel step sharp, but I didn’t find that compromised comfort, thanks to the section’s length and texture. And if you find the MD too short or light, the metal cap posts extremely deeply, making a seamless extension to the barrel. It’s one of the few pens I prefer to write with posted.Fountain pen people can be pretty obsessive over unusual things. Online communities can also drive some slightly-crazy group behavior, which is what I think happened with the Midori MD Cotton notebooks in the A-sizes. Sure, no one likes to pay more than they used to and if you’ve already invested in a notebook cover, you don’t want to buy a new one because your favorite notebooks aren’t made in that size anymore. Still, is the Midori MD Cotton paper worth all of the fuss people made about it? I don’t think so. It is some great paper that is very pleasant to write on. If you get a chance to try it out, take it and decide for yourself. Just don’t overpay for an A5 notebook when the new sizes are widely-available. Lamy Crystal Ink: This ink is high saturation wet ink that presents with a moderate amount of sheen; MD Paper consists of a range of products owned by Midori. Midori is one of Japan’s most well-known stationery design companies and has been operating since the 1950s. You might recognise Midori as the company who created the Traveller’s Journal range. If you’re looking for a new notebook I really would give the MD Paper notebook a try. I loved the minimal design, the simple cover is very aesthetically pleasing. As I mentioned it was designed for writing and I enjoyed the experience of using it.

You can see everything from the converter nipple down to the nib. And I mean everything: the party piece of this pen is the clear feed, so your choice of ink will be very visible (in this case the rather attractive Woolacombe Bay Cult Pens exclusive from Robert Oster). The nib arrived perfect out of the box and needed no flushing or tuning. Its design is very cool: it’s MD branded, has no breather hole, and is on the small size, but it swoops down like a beak, giving a great feeling of precision and control, a little like a Pilot PO nib. Like the PO, it’s a firm writer. Bungubox Omotesando Blue: Is a moderate sheen Sailor ink with little shading that is quite dark and moderately saturated that is very wet and can show dual sheen; I guess I should explain this story a little more. I was browsing a few stationery shops online when I came across the MD Paper notebook. At the time I was looking for a new notebook and thought this could be a contender. The MD Paper range is sold in the London Graphics Center so when I was in the area, I decided to take a trip to have a look at the notebook in person. With the assumption that I would buy one.

I went on to try a number of different calligraphy inks in the MD Paper notebook. It turns out that the Dr PH Martin metallic inks worked particularly well thought they take longer than usual to dry.

I sat down with this notebook and a pen in my hand, expecting to have the same experience as writing in any other Midori MD notebook. Don’t get me wrong… I love the regular notebooks. I use them for my bullet journal and for some of my doodling notebooks. They are fantastic. With that being said, as soon as I started writing on the cotton paper I understood what the big deal is. If you just can’t live without a cover for your notebook there are a range of options to be bought separately. These come at different price points. The cheapest is a simple plastic cover. The clear cover allows you to see the minimal design of the notebook, but the plastic is very flimsy. I broke my plastic cover before I had even put it on my notebook. The notebook has a sturdy thread binding that lies flat when open, making it easy to write. It also comes with a ribbon marker to keep your place. The cover is not a typical notebook cover. To feature the charm of the paper itself, the cloth tape used to bind the spine, usually hidden by a cover, is exposed, giving the notebook a unique look. You can even see where the ribbon marker is glued in place.Montblanc Irish Green: This is a drier ink with low moderate saturation that can show with good shading and generally no sheen (apart from on the swatch);