Review: Carswell Triform Private Security Evidence Notebook

Notebook rear

Well, I have to say that the Canadians were pretty quick in sending me my order - it arrived in a matter of days. No doubt helped by the rather steep shipping costs.

Oh well.

Anyway, now that I've had a chance to put one to the use, what are my thoughts?

The Quest for the Perfect Evidentiary Notebook

Well, I may have finally found what had been previously eluding me: the perfect (or at least near enough) evidentiary notebook for investigatory purposes.

Really, it doesn't take much to fit the bill, yet it is still difficult enough to find a brand of notebook that has all of the required features:

1. Individually-numbered pages
2. Pages sewn into binding
3. Printed date/time/keyword column

And, naturally, I have a preference for the reporter-style layout. Well, I may be able to cease my search as I have recently found the Triform Private Security Evidence Notebook from Canadian publisher, Carswell. 

The notebooks have a cardboard cover but you can purchase more robust outer cases in leather, vinyl or cordura.

Check out the Triform page with the various notebooks and accessories. And, yes, they do ship internationally (just don't use their online ordering though as the signup expects you to be in a Canadian state).

I've placed an order and will post a review as soon as I am in receipt.   

Review: Monsieur Notebook

Hooray for free stuff, Dear Reader! Today I received my eagerly anticipated Monsieur Notebook for review.

It is the A6 (11 x 14.5cm) plain notebook in black. 192 pages.

In one word: fairlyfuckingawesome!

However, let's take a closer look inside...

Shameless Product Placement: Monsieur Notebooks

As you should know by now, Dear Reader, I have a thing for notebooks. A compulsion that drives me - an urge that cannot be satiated.

Must. Have. More. Notebooks.

Moleskine, Leuchtturm, or some unnamed knock-off - I've gone through them all. And none of them have quite filled all my, quite specific, notebookery needs.

Well, enter a new contender.

I received an email this morning from Tom (probably his real name) informing me of the upcoming launch of Monsieur Notebooks.

They've even offered me a sample for review. That's a first!

Anyway, judging from the content of their website, I'm already excited by the prospect given that notebooks can be customised from a range of options or even created from scratch with their bespoke service.

Naturally, I've replied to Tom kindly accepting his offer and will gladly post a thorough review once I get my hot and sweaty hands on said product.

Lastly, here is a video on their coming launch.

A work in (actual) progress

A couple of months ago, in response to my being slightly underwhelmed by the Leuchtturm 1917, Anonymous (aka Chuck) provided a link to a blog post where he showcased his own custom-made 'perfect notebook'.

That link is here.

Since then, I have actually gone out and started the ball rolling on my own design with a prototype insert that should almost be done (I was told it was going to be ready today but never made it in to the printer's to check). Hopefully it won't need too much tweaking!

Next, I need to find a leatherworker and get a design for the cover.

I'll keep you updated as to how this project develops.

Happiness is possibly overrated

I'm sure you could imagine my excitement when I received a small package in the morning's post containing the Leuchtturm 1917 Reported Notepad I had recently ordered.

Well, even though I've not yet had a chance to put it to the test, here are my preliminary thoughts.

Happiness is... a good notebook

I have to admit that I'm quite excited. I've found a local (well, at least in the same country) stockist for the Leuchtturm 1917 range of notebooks.

And that makes me happy!

Better yet, the range includes a Reporter Notepad - which I have just ordered. A kind of a 'Welcome to 2012' gift to myself.

Product review: Livescribe Echo 4GB Smartpen

As promised in my earlier post, I've put the Livescrive Echo Smartpen to the test and sadly have found it not quite all I had hoped.

Well, not so much the pen which does the job as stated, and that's pretty cool. However, coolness alone is just not enough, I wanted to see if it could be applied to investigative tasks such as when taking witness statements and the like.

How did it fare?

All the better to fight crime: must-have gadgetry

Now anyone who knows me will tell you that I like to spend money on non-essential items. They will insist upon referring to these items as toys when the correct nomenclature is tools.

This alone demonstrates their shallow depth of understanding my trade.

Anyway, recently I have discovered this product. A smartpen that electronically stores not only everything written but also records what was said at that time (and links the written text with the recorded voice). It also has a range of other features but those the the main ones.

Things I love... Part 1: Notebooks

Yes, it's true, I have a thing for stationery and, specifically, notebooks. When I say 'thing' I don't mean I like the way the paper feels as I rub the pages over my naked body. No, I mean I just like writing and probably like most of my kind, I'm particularly enamoured of the Moleskine range. Probably because I'm a twat.

The reporter-style ruled notebook is a personal favourite as it can easily slip into a pocket yet has 192 pages - plenty for notes and observations - and this is what I use for my day-to-day work. My current one is a bit battered and held together with cloth tape and I can't wait to finish with it so I can start on a new one.

Sad, isn't it?