MIKOL Marble Notebook review

If you enjoy keeping a diary, bullet journal, travel journal, sketch book, etc., you know that in addition to choosing the right pen for the task, that you also put a lot of thought into choosing the right notebook. When it comes to notebooks, they come in a variety of page types, colors and sizes. But have you ever seen a notebook with marble covers? No? Well today is the day I introduce you to the MIKOL Marble Notebook. Keep reading to learn more.

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Specifications

Size: 5″ x 8″
Paper type: 80 GSM acid free paper
# of pages: 180 blank pages
Page style: Lined, squared, blank paper all in one
Binding type: lay flat sewn binding

MIKOL notebooks come in two styles. There’s the Carrara white and the Nero Marquina. As you can see from the images above, I was sent the Nero Marquita which has a smooth black marble cover with white and brown veins running through it. Yes, it is real 100% natural stone. This marble originates from Basque country in the north of Spain. The actual book covers aren’t really made entirely of marble though. The front and back covers have a thin 0.8mm thick slice of marble glued to what feels like a cheap vinyl material.

You’ll also notice that the MIKOL brand name is prominently engraved in gold on the front of the notebook. I think the brand should be on the back, not the front. For an additional $25, you can have your name or initials engraved below the brand name. I’m not a fan of the large brand name. I think most people would mistake MIKOL as the owners name.

The marble has been reinforced to prevent cracking. The look is definitely unique. The marble does add weight to the book. Each one weighs .81 lbs.

The MIKOL notebook also has a black ribbon bookmark and a black elastic band to hold the cover closed.

Each notebook has 180 pages of cream colored paper that is separated into 6 individually sewn signatures. The method used to bind the book allows it to lay flat when open.

An interesting thing about the MIKOL is that each notebook contains three styles of paper. The first third (60 pages) of the notebook has black or very dark grey lined pages.

The next third of the pages have a grid.

And the last section of the book has blank pages. Note that there isn’t a pocket attached to the back cover.

To test how well the paper reacted with different types of ink, I did a few basic writing tests with a Kaweco AL Sport with a Pilot G2 refill, Bic bight liner pink highlighter, Sharpie ultra fine point permanent marker and Uniball Jetstream pen.

I didn’t notice any issues writing on the paper and couldn’t see any ink feathering.

Flipping the page over revealed some bleed through of the Sharpie ultra fine point permanent marker which even transferred onto the next page. Click the image above to see what I mean. The Kaweco AL Sport with a Pilot G2 refill, pink highlighter and the Uniball pens had no issues with bleed through.

The MIKOL seems to be constructed well and doesn’t have any defects that I can see. But when it comes down to it, the only thing that the MIKOL Marble Notebook offers over a Moleskine or similar notebook is the three page types and the addition of marble as a style enhancer. If the MIKOL was only $10 more expensive than a Moleskine, I can see how people might consider buying one just to have something that is different. But the MIKOL costs $85 for one 180 page notebook! So unless you’re Oprah or have a marble fetish, I can’t really see the reason to spend that much for the notebook. Sorry MIKOL, I’m sticking with Moleskine or Leuchturm notebooks.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by MIKOL. Please visit their site for more info.