How to find cheap notebooks for fountain pens - Examining paper from four different countries

Video Description

After my last video, in which I compared my Tomoe River notebook from Lochby to a $1 Pen+Gear notebook from Walmart, there's more I need to say, because while my Pen+Gear notebook is amazing, a lot of your comments made me realize that it's harder than I thought to find cheap fountain pen friendly paper. Today, I'm delving into cheap notebooks from Walmart from four different countries: China, India, Vietnam, and the USA. But there's a lot more to consider when looking for an affordable fountain pen notebook. For more of that, see my notes below. PERSONAL LINKS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downthebreatherhole/ Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/downthebreatherhole/ Email: downthebreatherhole at gmail dot com My website: https://www.brianwallacebaker.com/ MY FAVORTIVE STATIONERY (paid affiliate links*) Favorite journal: Lochby Field Journal - https://www.lochby.com/o1pqwu Favorite pocket notebook: Lockby Pocket Journal - https://www.lochby.com/4x619o Favorite fountain pen ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-ro - https://amzn.to/42sjjaG Favorite pen case: Kaco 20-pen case - https://amzn.to/3Ef4Gz9 Favorite paper: Rhodia ivory 90GSM paper - https://amzn.to/3GxTm1V Favorite fountain pen: Lamy Safari -https://amzn.to/42jMlc6 Favorite ballpoint: Andhand Method - https://www.andhand.co.uk/products/method-pen-black?ref=downthebreatherhole (use discount code "downthebreatherhole") Favorite EDC Bag: Lochby Venture Pouch - https://www.lochby.com/yhrfy5 *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also have affiliate accounts with Andhand and Lochby. Using my affiliate links doesn't cost you any extra, but it means I get a small commission if you make a purchase using these links. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT CHEAP NOTEBOOKS Why is Pen+Gear so cheap compared to a lot of the big-name brands? Some commenters claimed that paper marketed as “fountain pen friendly” is marked up because it’s being pitched to a narrow niche in the market. And people getting into fountain pens might just assume that they need to get something within that niche, and this allows companies to mark up their stuff unfairly. There’s also some prestige that comes with some of these brand names, and people may be willing to pay up for a name brand. I can’t really verify these claims, but they are interesting. What do you think? Next, some people raised concerns about ethics and labor practices. This is something I care very deeply about, so I’m glad this was brought up. I decided recently to only collaborate with brands that strive to be sustainable for the environment and to avoid child labor. But because I wasn’t collaborating with Walmart when I made my last video, I didn’t do my due diligence and research their labor practices before filming. So I looked into this issue the best I could after the fact. I found that Walmart corporate actually has an in-depth webpage that outlines what they do ensure ethical standards are met. And it sounds like they are doing good stuff to avoid unethical labor. It’s not perfect, but I respect what they are doing, and I also respect their transparency. There’s a chart on the webpage that shows different types of allegations they received in 2024 regarding their supply chain’s labor practices, including 170 allegations of Involuntary or Underage Labor. So that’s not great, but the fact that they have systems in place to deal with problems like this is cool. Here’s the link if you want to take a look for yourself: https://corporate.walmart.com/purpose/esgreport/social/people-in-supply-chains#:~:text=Walmart's%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20applies,obligates%20associates%20to%20comply%20with Related to this, the sad reality is that you can’t determine how ethical a product is by its price. Big brands can be just as guilty of unethical behavior as generic ones. Though when I see shockingly cheap prices, it does make me want to ask more questions, and it’s always a good idea to be careful and do your research. A couple more points on pricing: exchange rates make a big difference. That can make something cheap in one country that wouldn’t necessarily be cheap in another. Related to that, location makes a big difference. I’ve heard that if you buy more premium papers in their native countries, such as France or Japan, they might actually be a lot cheaper there than they are in the United States, for example. Lastly, one person piped up in the comments and said that they would gladly pay more to support a small business like Lochby. And that’s valid. Lochby is a pretty cool company that makes really cool stuff. I’ve enjoyed collaborating with them over the past year. If you want to check out their waxed canvas journals that I’ve been enjoying, check out my affiliate links above. Lochby products sell out fast, so if they are out of stock, you can pre-order or check back later. And look around their website too because they’ve been coming out with a lot of new products that look awesome!