🖊️ Write it, erase it, own it!
The HOMESTEC Reusable Smart Notebook is an innovative A4-sized notepad designed for adults and students alike. Featuring 24 rewritable pages in various styles, this notebook allows for over 500 erases, making it an eco-friendly and cost-effective choice. With the ability to digitalize notes via a free app, it enhances productivity and creativity, making it ideal for meetings and brainstorming sessions.
Manufacturer | HOMESTEC |
Brand | HOMESTEC |
Model Number | E-BNA401-1E-1101 |
Package Dimensions | 29.9 x 22.9 x 1.8 cm; 310 g |
Colour | Black-A4 |
Cover Material | Vinyl |
Number of Items | 1 |
Ruling | College |
Sheet Size | A4 |
Manufacturer Part Number | E-BNA401-1E-1101 |
Item Weight | 310 g |
M**N
Don't press too hard
First off, I love this. I love the idea and concept behind it. And so, when it cropped up on a flash deal, I was so in. I ordered one of each - the most I could order on the flash deal. I knew I wanted an A5 and A4 for work, I knew my husband would appreciate an A5 for his work, and I figured it was such good value, i'm sure I could find someone else who would love an A5 for their work too. And I did. In fact, what do you get the person who has everything? - One of these! I actually got praise this year, quote "It's a pretty damn good present! you surpassed yourself on that one!" that is high praise believe me. My husband loves his as well, he was seriously impressed too. And I use mine every single day. Sure the app is ad-heavy, but actually I'm just trialling it to see if I use it enough, and if I do, then I may pay, or find a different app.Don't press too hard as other comments though, literally stroke the paper with the pen and no more. You will probably still have a very faint mark even then, but it's not enough to deter or show through once you re-use it. I haven't used heat on it (the office hand drier wouldn't muster) but the wet tissue works well, and so does the eraser on the end of the supplied pen. incidentally, sometimes these things can snag you when you need to replace, say, a pen, but I looked and they are circa $7 USD per pen, which is perfectly do-able. I think any dry wipe pen would work, though I have yet to test that theory.The pen lets it down a little, they break a bit easily and unscrew a bit easily. Now one of mine has got a crack in it where it screws up, and so every time I pull the lid of, the body of the pen comes off and the lid stays on. It's annoying. It's not the end of the world.Several people in meetings and at work have been amazed and asked for the link; which I have shared happily. The padded A5 ones are the best A5 in my opinion (my friend got bog standard - which could do with the elastic the pen sits in being moved from the bottom of the book to on the front like with the padded cased ones - however, the elastic is only glued on, it could be peeled off and re-positioned with some extra superglue, on the front, easily enough). I love the magnetic clasp, making it easy to open and close. The ringbinder is good quality, the "leather" case is good quality. The pocket on the front is useful, and inside there is room for business cards etc, also useful. It is my favourite. The A4 has no where to store the pen, which is a pain if you are carrying them around. Again though, a little bit of elastic on the front would be fine to slot it in.overall, whilst I am not convinced that these, or any other pages will last 5,000 times each, they will still be used more than a single use pad, and I will still save overall on stationery and help to reduce my 'carbon footprint' - cue bonus green points there.I would say - try it, for the price, it's worth it. It was quick to arrive and well packaged with simple instructions. Try it and see if it works. And if you have an awkward friend to buy for, buy them one too. If nothing else it's like a magic trick when you erase the pen before their very eyes.I've put it forward as a suggestion for our company to invest in these. That's how much I like them.
C**L
Such a great investment
The media could not be loaded. I ordered this product after seeing it advertised on BuzzFeed (sad, I know) I looked at the reviews and some online videos and I can only sing it's praises.The pen is relatively fast drying (and if you run out you can replace it with a pilot flexicon pen) I am right handed though, so I'm not sure how it would fair for lett handed people.The paper doesn't feel like normal paper it's made of a stone and plastic composite and has the texture of a magazine cover, each page is very sturdy and writes well. The PU cover is exceptionally well made and comes with buttons to open the cover to add or remove pages/ documents etc.I work in a research lab and this is great for to do lists or quick notes that are needed temporarily. Additionally, the scanning feature is great (I recommend Microsoft Office Lens instead of the one they recommend). The ability to take a quick capture of a doodle or diagram and send it to students is exceptional and very useful.The wipe clean feature is exceptional and works very well even with a small amount of water. The eraser on the pen also works well, although it is a bit smudgy. I briefly tested the heat erase and it didn't work (although I have absolutely no idea why you would use this method anyway) the water removal is fine and dries quickly (within seconds)It also came with a cleaning cloth and post it note book markers which weren't advertised.This is an exceptional product and for the price I am so impressed. I've already recommended it to several of my friends.
J**B
Good looking product, great concept, disappointing app.
I was looking for a whiteboard to use during my trainings at work, as I draw figured etc.By searching I stumbled upon the Smart notepads, and decided I liked the idea, since I also take a lot of notes in the course of my work.I first looks at Rocketbook, which seems to be the reference in the field, but I preferred the professional looking PU Leather from Newyes. It was also cheaper, so I decided to go for this one.The product in itself is very good, looks very pro (apart from the pen, but it doesn't really matter to me).The paper is a type of plastic, but is very thin, and it feels fairly natural when writing on it. I was expecting it to be more slippery etc, but it feels natural enough to me.The product is provided with 2 cloths (micro fiber type), but I think I will not use these, as they would get dirty very quick, and will take a while every time to dry. Plus you will want to keep it with your pad, so you might end up with wet cloth in there, which could warp the sheets over time.I will therefore use either toilet paper or kitchen roll to erase the pad. That's my personal choice.Using the pad, it does what it says on the tin, it erases with water or the "rubber" of the pen. The only comment I will make is that the central metal spirals get in the way a bit when writing on the left page. But I can leave with it.I like the fact that there is a pen holder, however putting it on the front of the pad was not the smartest move, when it could have been tucked inside the covers. Again, small detail.One thing I do not like about this is the recommended App, CamScanner. It does the job, but you do get advertising, and the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is not a free feature. You get to try it twice, and then you need to upgrade to the pro app, which unlocks it, and probably rid the app of the ads. $4.99 a month or $49 a year.Not that expensive, but I am tight-fisted, and I like the idea of OCR. I looked around for other free scanner apps, there are a few, but all the OCR tested were crap. And my handwriting is not even that bad (see picture).But I have found a sneaky way to get this notepad to work with the FREE Rocketbook app, which is great. And the (free) OCR feature (which is still in beta testing) works great.So I am happy with the product, I give it 3.5 stars really, and it would go up to 5 if Newyes put some effort in rleasing an app. But I do not think it will ever happen, I think they focus more on selling the product, I do not really believe they developed that technology. But who knows, maybe in a few months I'll come back to edit my review.
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