Product Review: GemRed Plastic Multi-Function Angle Finder

 

This is marketed as usable for physical therapy to figure out range of motion. What I used it for, and what I personally think is the best use for it is for math and/or engineering students who want to use it to draw accurate angles in their notes or on homework. If you are in geometry, trigonometry, or engineering classes like statics or dynamics or any similar classes in which you are going to be working with angles a lot, it is very helpful to keep the lines and angles in your work looking nice. I would not describe it as something that is absolutely necessary for a student but definitely can come in handy.

Product Review: Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook - Dot-Grid Eco-Friendly Notebook with 1 Pilot Frixion Pen & 1 Microfiber Cloth Included

 

This is a reusable, paperless notebook. The idea behind it is good, but I do think that with the advent of E-Ink tablets, in a few years, this will end up going the way of the mini-disc which gave the best of cassette tapes and CDs, but was ultimately rendered irrelevant when electronic recorders, mp3 players, and ultimately smartphones were invented. The idea behind Rocketbook is to provide a notebook that can be written on with special pens or markers (basically the Pilot Frixion line of pens and markers, or things similar to those) that can be washed off the pages. At the bottom of each page is an icon that corresponds to a delivery method so you take your notes, and then put an x over the icon that corresponds to how you want the notes to be delivered. The options are to save them to the Rocketbook app, send them to Dropbox, send them via email, etc. When you take a picture of the pages in the Rocketbook App, the notes are sent as a PDF file to whatever delivery method you choose. Then you can take a damp cloth and wipe the pages clean.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the pages are made from a specially coated material, and while it is similar to the feel of writing on paper, it is not exactly the same. Second, you can only write on the pages with erasable ink pens/markers, which run out of ink very quickly. If you accidentally write on it with a regular pen, then the ink will not come off and the page (or the part you write on) is essentially ruined. And because the pens run out of ink much faster than regular pens, if you are using this for something like taking school notes, then you are going to be spending a lot of money on refills for the pens. Finally, even when you do use the correct pens, the coating on the pages does degrade over time, so the ink does not erase as well after you have used it. Also, the pages have grid dots as opposed to lines, so it is kind of hard to write in a straight line like most people try to when taking notes.

This is the first generation of the notebook so some of those issues may have been resolved in subsequent upgrades, but if you get this one, keep that in mind. Ultimately, I would look into getting a digital E-ink writer that has templates and allows you to do everything this can do, plus a lot more. But, if you are looking for a less expensive way to go paperless, at least for the short term, this does work. 

Product Review: PILOT FriXion Clicker Erasable, Refillable & Retractable Gel Ink Pens

 

These are good, with one big caveat. Yes, they work and the ink is erasable. But, they run out of ink much faster than regular ballpoint or gel pens. That may not be a big issue if you are using them just to jot down something on a sticky note or something like that. But, if you are using them consistently for something like class notes or you have to take a lot of handwritten notes for work, then it could become an issue. You can buy ink refills, but those run out quickly too. So, depending on how you are looking to use them, they may or may not work for you. 

Product Review: TOPS Engineering Computation Pad, 8-1/2" x 11"

 

It looks like standard engineering paper and does, ultimately, get the job done. But, it is very flimsy, and tears (where you do not want it to) very easily. It is much lighter weight than some other engineering papers out there which can definitely cause issues if you have to erase a lot. So, if you are a student and are required to turn your homework in on engineering paper if you get this I suggest working out the problems on regular paper and then transferring over your final answer to this so you can turn in a clean copy. 

Product Review: Mead Cambridge Notebooks - 5/100 sheet

 

When I was in school I always preferred taking handwritten notes. When I was getting my engineering degree, it was right before the advent of electronic devices (and apps) that allowed you to write like you were using a pen and paper. So, I would use these to make "permanent" versions of my class notes and homework problems to study from. The paper is very high-quality, and not flimsy like the sheets in cheap notebooks. And, it has perforations at the edge so you can get a clean edge without the frilled edges. They are definitely more expensive, and I would not use them to scribble something on or write something you are just going to throw away. But, for things like school notes, letter writing, etc., for those who still do those things, this is a good option.