Refillable notebooks have been around for decades, but reusable notebooks are completely new. Imagine buying one notebook that you can use over and over again. Let me introduce you to the Wipebook. It’s like having a book made of whiteboard pages. A notebook like this obviously isn’t something you would want to use for a journal or a diary, but for temporary note taking, doodling, to-do lists, etc, it’s perfect. Let me show you.
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Specifications
Size: 5.8 x 8.25 inches (A5)
Paper type: Hypergloss film
# of pages: 24 sheets / 48 writeable pages
Page style: Available in ruled, graph, and plain
Binding type: Casebound
The Wipebook comes in several styles including spiral bound notebooks, workbook style notebooks and the hardback journal that was sent to me. The journal has a hard cover that is covered in a material that feels like a woven canvas.
The notebook has the Wipebook logo stamped into the front cover. It isn’t very noticeable, but I’d rather the logo be located on the back cover just because I prefer a plain front.
There’s also a faint logo in the bottom right corner of each page.
This is a large sized notebook which is slightly taller than a large Moleskine notebook and is about an inch wider than a large Moleskine.
The pages in this journal are bright white and very glossy. They are not designed to be used with pencils or regular ink pens. You have to use this notebook with special dry erase markers. Although a pen isn’t included with a purchase of a Wipebook, they do sell Staedtler correctable Lumocolor pens on their site and they included one with my review sample.
The pen looks like a typical fine line marker and writes like one too. The black ink of the Lumocolor pen dries relatively quickly and shows up perfectly on the Wipebook page. I’m a lefty and didn’t have problems with the ink smearing as I wrote across the page. That’s not to say that the ink won’t smear, because it will if you write something and immediately rub your finger through it.
You can easily erase whatever you’ve written or drawn in the Wipebook by using the pen’s built in eraser or a damp cloth. The ink erases with no residue, leaving the page looking blank and brand new. That means that you can use this notebook over and over again. I did notice that some of my writing left faint indentations on the pages that I could only see if I tipped the page at an angle towards the light. People who use less pressure when they write might not have this issue.
I used the Wipebook for several days to see if the ink would chip off the page or look degraded over time and I also rubbed my hand and sleeve over the pages where I had written notes days before to see if that would erase the lines. I’m happy to say that writing on these pages (using the Lumocolor) pen stand up extremely well over time.
Next I tested the notebook with the EXPO dry erase markers. These are the short stubby style dry erase markers that you see being used with whiteboards. I expected them to work as week as the Staedtler Lumocolor marker, but was surprised that the ink smeared and wiped off the page even after allowing it to dry for several minutes – which it never actually dried.
The only other issue I have with the Wipebook is that it doesn’t want to lay flat when opened unless you forcibly bend the covers all the way back. I like a book that you can open and it stays open on the page you’re working on. The Wipebook really doesn’t do that very well.
The notebook is very well made and also looks nice, but I think the price is too high for what it is. The fact that you also have to buy one of special dry erase markers brings the price up to $48.98. That’s almost $50 for one notebook, that while reusable, seems extreme. If the binding style isn’t important, Wipebook’s other notebooks are less expensive. If price isn’t a problem, the Wipebook is a great concept for people who don’t like to waste paper for temporary notes. I like that this notebook is environmentally responsible because it can be “recycled” over and over again.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Wipebook. Please visit their site for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $44.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Wipebook |
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Julie,
What is on the “back” of the book?
Couldn’t you just flip the book over to the back and then rotate it 180•?
That would position the logo on the “back”. It would be upside down, but how important is that?
Sure, you could do that. But I failed to mention that at the bottom right corner of each right hand page there is a very faint wipebook logo. Flipping the book would put an upside down logo in the top left corner of the left hand page which would annoy me more than a logo on the cover 😉
Wow! I don’t mind the logo on the front. But a logo on every page is horrible!!!
I didn’t even realize there was one until I flipped the book around like you suggested. The logo is very light. I’ll take a picture and add it to the review.
I spent about 3/4 of my time trying to make the pen work on the surface. Meetings past me. I had no notes.
Seriously. This doesn’t work
try ultra fine sharpies and using a magic eraser. its not the best in terms of having to erase something during a meeting but definitely makes it more durable in the long run.
You might be interested in this. I haven’t received mine yet but it’s an interesting concept. Rocketbook: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rocketbook-wave-cloud-ready-microwavable-notebook#/
It takes everything a step further. 🙂
Thanks !
~Anne
Microwavable notebooks! Ha!
Because you have to use FriXion pens which I’m sure we all know are heat erasable. I like the concept of FriXion but the ink is too light (I think) to use as an every day pen.
You could microwave any notebook you had to erase the ink if you used FriXion ink.
Very true… unless the notebook is spiral bound with a metal coil 😉
I had the wire-bound Wipebook from the Kickstarter project and used it for a good 6+ months. I eventually abandoned its use since I found that after a while, the pages would not wipe as cleanly and there would be marks/gouges left on the page. I also found it onerous to go through the process of taking pictures of the pages I wanted to keep, upload and tag in Evernote, etc. It’s a good idea, but not for me.
I wouldn’t use one either. I prefer to keep my notebooks so I can refer back to them if I need to. But as I mentioned at the start of the review, these notebooks aren’t suited for someone who wants to archive their notes unless like you mentioned, by digitizing them. I think the Wipebooks are best for everyday lists and tasks.
I had the same problem with my Wipebook; after a couple of erasures, the ink no longer came off clean. Even the use of isopropyl alcohol did not solve the problem. Overall, the idea, while sounding great, is not delivered in the product. I would not buy a Wipebook.
I just heard of these “whiteboard” notebooks and decided to buy one just the other day! Hopefully it won’t have a logo like this brand! That would bug the heck outta me 🙂
Which one did you get?
try using the ultra fine sharpie markers and a magic eraser (just needs a little water, be sure to wipe it dry with a napkin or cloth if there’s excess water on the pae). I found this works best for this type of book making it last longer in terms of wear and tear.