If you’re an old soul who prefers pen and paper notes (they’re just more personal, you know?), or you just get how obnoxious it is to be the only person clack-clack-clacking away at your laptop in a big meeting, you’ll probably be interested in this $30 Kickstarter-funded smart notebook.
Once rejected on Shark Tank, the notebook is made by Rocketbook (the same company that brought you such worldly gifts as microwavable notebooks), and it connects to an app on your phone so you can save your notes easily.
How it works
You can write in the Everlast notebook with the included FriXion pen, take a picture to scan the notes, and seamlessly send either a PDF or JPEG of your writing to a host of destinations (your email, messages, iCloud, Google Docs, Dropbox, and more). Then, once you’re done and want a fresh page, you take a wet cloth and wipe it down. Your notes come off, and you can start the process again. There are 36 pages, but some users may find they only regularly touch one to five of them.
Why it’s a good value
It’s a pretty great use of $30. You get access to your notes online without additional typing, get to use something lighter and easier than your laptop to jot things down, and you only need to buy one notebook for $30 to end all future notebook purchases. You don’t need to re-up on your Everlast (theoretically), and you’ll have digital copies of your notes so you won’t find yourself digging through a stack of legal pads in the attic at any point.
How it is in real life
When I heard about the idea of a notebook that lets users wipe down the pages to reuse them, I thought back to high school lab assignments. It seemed like a fun, cool experiment for that would last a couple of days, but not a feature I would bother to use very often. I’m pretty minimal when it comes to day-to-day life, and few gadgets punch through to the everyday.
I was surprised by how much I have used the Everlast, and by how much I really, genuinely like it. I personally prefer the ease and immediacy of handwritten notes, and the post-it notes strewn across my desk can attest to that fact. Since Rocketbook sent the Everlast to our office, I’ve used it nearly every day, almost like a whiteboard. I write down a to-do list for the day with the day’s date at the top, and I cross tasks off as I get to them throughout the day. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll scan the remaining tasks into an email to do later that night if I leave the notebook at the office. The next day, I wipe the page down and start again. It’s taken some of the pressure off of note-taking, and I love that it has become a habit. Writing things down helps me organize my thoughts, and crossing them out incentivizes me in a ‘simple joy’ kind of way. It’s also a much less wasteful way to prefer paper in the 21st century.
How it compares to competitors
I’ve used more expensive options that digitize notes, and each has their merits (like Moleskine’s $200 Smart Writing Set, which actually turns your handwritten notes into text you can copy and paste into documents — a huge help during college lectures that didn’t allow laptops), but Rocketbook’s $30 Everlast is hard to beat in terms of usability and dependability for cost. Plus, you can reuse it. It’s a sustainable purchase that won’t require you to shell out $30 more in the future when you run out of pages and have to replace your investment. And for a minimalist like me, I appreciated its simplicity.
It’s also easier than expected to use the Everlast’s scanning system (just take a picture in the app) and you get to assign each of the seven icons at the bottom of the page to a specific destination (the diamond can be emails, the apple can be iCloud, and so on). When you want to email your notes rather than send them to iCloud, just outline the assigned email icon with pen. When you scan, the app will understand the command. If you outline more than one, the Everlast app will send it to both destinations.
Cons to the Everlast smart notebook
Having said all that, it’s worth noting that you’re only supposed to use specific pens in the notebook, which is always an added inconvenience. I haven’t lost the FriXion pen that comes with the Everlast purchase yet, so this hasn’t impacted me, but it is something to consider. Replacement pens are about 7 for $11 on Amazon. Just to be sure, I did a test with a Bic pen, and you really are better off using the recommended styles that wipe away; any other pen is there to stay.
However, the pens do work particularly well — the paper is smoother than average, and even though they sort of “glide” across it, I never noticed any smudging when my hand rested against past notes. After the designated 15 seconds, the ink dries and stays put until wiped away with a damp cloth.
Final thoughts
All in all, the Everlast is a really useful tool if spending $30 for a reusable smart notebook makes sense to you. It saves you money on future notebooks, sends scans of your notes to your devices, and wipes down for easy and immediate reuse. I already prefer handwritten notes, but I’m surprised by how easy and helpful using this notebook has been. If you’re looking for a new office or school tool, the Everlast is a really solid option.
Dizzy - February 22, 2019 @ 15:54
Writing in the notebook is great and it’s fun to erase.
App could use a bit of work… but it definitely gets the job done.
Skier - March 3, 2019 @ 11:31
Cool and reduces the number of books written with my notes. Also alliws indexing of material without having to scsm page after page
Mathew - April 21, 2019 @ 21:01
If you are a recycler this is the perfect product for you! The paper is sturdy and it actually deletes when you put it in the microwave!
Melisa - May 18, 2019 @ 22:11
This is a great item that works exactly as described. Only wish is that it had one drive support but all the rest of the most used save spots are there.
Matt - November 1, 2019 @ 23:09
I visit clients nearly every day and often that means notes need to be taken. I use to use my cell phone but find that typing on there becomes difficult at times and I’m usually out of battery before lunch in doing so. I like to utilize tech as often as possible so I avoid pen and paper at all costs, however, it often is the best bet, unfortunately.
I got this from the treasure truck one day and haven’t put it down since. At first, the guys made fun of me for having pretty pens with all sorts of colors but then quickly saw that the tech aspect of it truly shines as I’m able to upload all my notes quickly and easily to our cloud storage and I don’t have to have it typed up or scanned like the past.
I love it and will be getting the full-size model very very soon!
I visit clients nearly every day and often that means notes need to be taken. I use to use my cell phone but find that typing on there becomes difficult at times and I’m usually out of battery before lunch in doing so. I like to utilize tech as
John - November 3, 2019 @ 09:57
I bought this to replace my daily notebooks for work and my daily personal planner. Seem to work great. Love the size and the compact of not carrying around tons of paper. The first week I was looking for a better pen from Pilot. I did an amazon search and I must have purchased a pen that was a ‘sponsored’ listing by amazon. The pen was a gel pen but I didn’t realize it wasn’t erasable and that it wasn’t a Pilot it was a Pentel. Needless to say I have been using it in my notebook for 3 days until I realized it wouldn’t wash off. Pretty much my notebook is no longer useful the way I wanted to use it with the weekly calendar and almost 1/2 of my lined pages. Seems like a great idea, but I am not going to fork out the money again just to buy another one. Oh well. BE AWARE of what pen you use because once you use the wrong one. You’re done.
I bought this to replace my daily notebooks for work and my daily personal planner. Seem to work great. Love the size and the compact of not carrying around tons of paper. The first week I was looking for a better pen from Pilot. I did an amazon sear
Henry - November 3, 2019 @ 10:10
I have been very impressed with the ability of the app associated with this product being able to recognize my handwriting and convert it to text. A goal of mine for 2019 is to use less paper in my personal life and at work, so this notebook has been a game changer. No more having to scan notes after a meeting and save them to my Google Drive.
I have enjoyed it so much that I purchased a Rocketbook mini notebook for my nephew, who has recently found interest in drawing flipbooks, and a Rocketbook Color for my niece to be able to easily save copies of her artwork and sketches.
I have been very impressed with the ability of the app associated with this product being able to recognize my handwriting and convert it to text. A goal of mine for 2019 is to use less paper in my personal life and at work, so this notebook has been
Dilan - November 11, 2019 @ 06:44
I was very excited to get this notebook, and I used it a lot to write in for my business to take notes, knowing I wouldn’t really need to keep the information. I also purchased an extra set of pens. I filled the notebook before going to use the microwave to erase it. The instructions are on the website provided on the inside of the notebook. While the notebook is handy and a good size and the concept is great, I was very disappointed when I went to erase it and, even after following the directions exactly, you can still see the shadows of previous writing. So, if I want to draw a new picture or upload something important, I’m afraid now that the residue writing will somehow seep through as well. The pens and notebook are not what I would call cheap.
I was very excited to get this notebook, and I used it a lot to write in for my business to take notes, knowing I wouldn’t really need to keep the information. I also purchased an extra set of pens. I filled the notebook before going to use the
Davis - November 12, 2019 @ 07:51
I love that I have a fresh notebook every day. I use it for work notes, to-do list, journaling, and diagrams. I find it very professional. I only wish there were tabs at the start of each section so I could jump to dots or lines directly. This does not lessen the usefulness.
I love that I have a fresh notebook every day. I use it for work notes, to-do list, journaling, and diagrams. I find it very professional. I only wish there were tabs at the start of each section so I could jump to dots or lines directly. This does n
Alan - November 12, 2019 @ 22:40
This is my third erasable notebook, I had the Everlast but that did not have anywhere near the features of a Rocketbook so I quickly upgraded to their lined notebook. When the fusion came out on Prime Day I jumped to buy it and love all the templates. I did unbind and reorder the pages since I really don’t use the grid dots much I brought the lined pages in front of the dotted ones. My only complaint is that they don’t see individual template pages. I’d be ecstatic to buy some more Calendar and To Do list pages. If only. I do love this notebook and it is so valuable in organization for my work.
This is my third erasable notebook, I had the Everlast but that did not have anywhere near the features of a Rocketbook so I quickly upgraded to their lined notebook. When the fusion came out on Prime Day I jumped to buy it and love all the templates
Tommy - November 13, 2019 @ 19:00
What an amazing notebook. I tell everyone who will listen about my “magic” notebook. When I show them all the notebook does, they are usually in awe and wanting to know where they can buy their own (I need the creators to give me a commission).
To be able to take notes with my writing and then to snap a picture with the Rocketbook app knowing it will automatically send it to the location I have set inside the notebook is wonderful.
My favorite feature is that I can use the Rocketbook app and snap a picture of the page and have access to it digitally anytime and anywhere. I cannot tell you how many times I have been able to access notes from years ago in the app and have had people say they needed to get them one as soon as possible!
You’ve got to get you one of these notebooks!
What an amazing notebook. I tell everyone who will listen about my “magic” notebook. When I show them all the notebook does, they are usually in awe and wanting to know where they can buy their own (I need the creators to give me a commission).
T
Jeffrey - November 13, 2019 @ 19:15
I had high hopes for this product. It lives up to some of them. In my field I take a lot of notes and found that I could quickly write without the distraction that technology sometimes causes while being a little more environmentally responsible. However, I recently traveled with my notebook on hand. The temperature on some days was in the low teens. I opened the book to make some notes to find that all of the historical writing had returned. Just saying. Be careful!
I had high hopes for this product. It lives up to some of them. In my field I take a lot of notes and found that I could quickly write without the distraction that technology sometimes causes while being a little more environmentally responsible. How
Brett - November 14, 2019 @ 21:48
I expected more formatted planner pages for the price. 4 weekly planner pages. There are No daily planner pages. a sad omission. Only one month planner pages. I’d expect the month planner spread over 2 pages. and three 1 month pages. I dont need all the blank pages in this notebook. I was buying it so I dont need to make my own planner templates. The quality is good. I dont see the uneven cut pages described in other reviews. I think Rocketbook should look at the Parkoo Smart Planner for ideas. Maybe fusion of the two would be spot on.
I expected more formatted planner pages for the price. 4 weekly planner pages. There are No daily planner pages. a sad omission. Only one month planner pages. I’d expect the month planner spread over 2 pages. and three 1 month pages. I dont nee
Berty - November 16, 2019 @ 08:32
So I want to love these notebooks. I was so excited about the ability to upload to the cloud and erase the book. My plan was to buy three books and use them up to five times each for the remainder of my college classes and for the $30 a piece it would save me money.
It was a genius plan, and uploading to the cloud would mean I could access my notes from anywhere even without my notebooks physically with me!
The problem.. if you live in states that have weather that gets really cold. The ink comes back at cold temps, so when you are getting ready for that OChem final and accidentally leave your notebook in the car overnight, suddenly your OChem notes now are a jumbled mess of OChem, the statistics class you took the semester before, and the psychology class you took the semester before that. So your screwed, especially if you don’t upload to the cloud immediately.
So ultimately these are great, but the whole appeal of erasing is not awesome if you live in cold climates, and for me $27 is way too much for a one time use notebook even if it does upload to the cloud.
So I want to love these notebooks. I was so excited about the ability to upload to the cloud and erase the book. My plan was to buy three books and use them up to five times each for the remainder of my college classes and for the $30 a piece it woul
Janny - November 16, 2019 @ 18:05
I’ve been been using my Rocketbook Wave daily at work for keeping track of client contact information and times for over 2 years now, during which time I have microwaved and reused it 4 times, and it’s still going strong. I find the app extremely easy to use, and love that I can scan to pdf for storing the data and not have to worry about storing the notebook itself, especially as I therefore have the old notebooks with me electronically for reference all the time. I did take one point off the score because I wish there was an upgraded version with a nicer cover and loose leaf pages so I could keep the last few days of notes for quicker reference than a pdf file, and because one of the plastic rings is a little out of alignment but I would still recommend this for anyone, but especially over even the Everlast for anyone who wants to be able to quickly and easily erase the entire notebook once its filled.
I’ve been been using my Rocketbook Wave daily at work for keeping track of client contact information and times for over 2 years now, during which time I have microwaved and reused it 4 times, and it’s still going strong. I find the app e
Ronda - November 17, 2019 @ 22:17
Love this book! I read the reviews and many complaints were over the ink smearing. LET IT DRY for a few minutes. It is easy to get used to and makes paper clutter from all my lists and notes a thing of the past! The pens in the package are a bigger tip than the fine tip that comes with the books and they write much better.
Love this book! I read the reviews and many complaints were over the ink smearing. LET IT DRY for a few minutes. It is easy to get used to and makes paper clutter from all my lists and notes a thing of the past! The pens in the package are a bigger t
Obie - November 23, 2019 @ 12:09
I ordered these for two family members, both are having issues with the pen not showing up dark enough or not writting dark enough and then the camera doesn’t catch it so I’m very disappointed …in not sure it it’s the paper issue or just the pen but either way It’s really upsetting.
I ordered these for two family members, both are having issues with the pen not showing up dark enough or not writting dark enough and then the camera doesn’t catch it so I’m very disappointed …in not sure it it’s the paper is
Melanie - November 25, 2019 @ 23:11
Bought this for me and my spouse. We love them, they feel just like paper (they don’t quite write like paper though). The only gripe I have with it is that in the Texas heat it kind of melts the writing and then it makes bleed onto other pages.
Bought this for me and my spouse. We love them, they feel just like paper (they don’t quite write like paper though). The only gripe I have with it is that in the Texas heat it kind of melts the writing and then it makes bleed onto other pages.
Jane - November 26, 2019 @ 07:55
LOVE these notebooks. I am so glad I took the risk a purchased them. I’ve used the same page countless times and it still looks new. I do have one recommendation though, when you write, try not to press down too hard and create an indentation which may look like your writing remains, though it is not. Otherwise, it works precisely as stated, and is worth every penny. Also, I’ve had no problems with the cover like others have stated. Both of mine still look like new and I’ll always throwing them in my bag and handling a bit roughly.
LOVE these notebooks. I am so glad I took the risk a purchased them. I’ve used the same page countless times and it still looks new. I do have one recommendation though, when you write, try not to press down too hard and create an indentation w
Joy - November 27, 2019 @ 22:34
I always waste a lot of paper because I write while I think, but almost never need the notes later. With this I erase what I don’t need, then use the app for what I do need to keep. I recommend doing as they say and keep the pages blank as soon as you can. The longer you leave it on the harder to erase, but not impossible.
I always waste a lot of paper because I write while I think, but almost never need the notes later. With this I erase what I don’t need, then use the app for what I do need to keep. I recommend doing as they say and keep the pages blank as soon
Emma - November 28, 2019 @ 13:00
This is my everyday notebook. I leave one at home and have one at work. I would recommend just sticking to black and red ink. The blue, at least with my phone and the way the app compresses the scans, is nearly impossible to distinguish from black.
This is more for people to know: watch out which method you use to send notes. If your notes must remain confidential, you cannot email them, as email is unencrypted.
My only complaint: not pulling the trigger when they were on Kickstarter!
This is my everyday notebook. I leave one at home and have one at work. I would recommend just sticking to black and red ink. The blue, at least with my phone and the way the app compresses the scans, is nearly impossible to distinguish from black.
T
Zack - November 28, 2019 @ 20:08
I actually gave this away to one of my colleges because the pen writes so poorly I just couldn’t stand it. The black ink really looks more dark grey and it’s difficult to read. The notebook erases easily and seems to work great. If you push too hard with the pens you can dent that pages and apparently over time can ruin the paper.
I actually gave this away to one of my colleges because the pen writes so poorly I just couldn’t stand it. The black ink really looks more dark grey and it’s difficult to read. The notebook erases easily and seems to work great. If you pu
Miranda - November 29, 2019 @ 15:11
These are the only notebooks I use now! I even ditched my planner and use the smaller one to keep track of those things. Loved it so much i bought one for a friend as well. These are great fro people who have to manage a variety of events, people, and projects. I think they would be exceptional for someone taking classes as well because all your notes could be stored digitally and you can have access to share or to revisit the material.
These are the only notebooks I use now! I even ditched my planner and use the smaller one to keep track of those things. Loved it so much i bought one for a friend as well. These are great fro people who have to manage a variety of events, people, an
Reck - November 30, 2019 @ 16:52
Pens don’t work as well on this special paper as they do on the Rocket book you have to microware. Ink smudges. Husband and son use the original Rocketbook to do sketches. Since the ink smudges and pens don’t write as well on this ‘paper’, it was a total miss for them. We had to return them. We will be buying more of the original Rocketbooks.
Pens don’t work as well on this special paper as they do on the Rocket book you have to microware. Ink smudges. Husband and son use the original Rocketbook to do sketches. Since the ink smudges and pens don’t write as well on this ‘
John - December 14, 2019 @ 15:25
This is a great product. I bought for my grandson so i could save his artwork to pdf files for safe keeping. He likes having a dedicated book with his markers.
Brett - December 18, 2019 @ 00:24
My daughter received a Rocketbook Color for her birthday and it is now my go-to gift for any kid’s birthday. Little kids, big kids, and kids at heart will love it. It travels really well (great activity for an airplane trip!) and saves a ton of paper. My daughter loves asking me to send her creations to her email account. Eventually I’ll take her scans and create a Shutterfly book of her art. The only issue is that we have multiple Rocketbook users in our home and the kids use the same app as the adults. This means that 2 of the symbols for destinations have to be dedicated to the child users, which reduces the adult users destination options. It would be nice if you could have multiple users within the scan app. The Crayola Dry Erase markers work fantastically with the book, but any dry erase marker would work fine.
My daughter received a Rocketbook Color for her birthday and it is now my go-to gift for any kid’s birthday. Little kids, big kids, and kids at heart will love it. It travels really well (great activity for an airplane trip!) and saves a ton of
Karol - December 20, 2019 @ 06:12
This notebook is great! I wish I got myself more so I can have one at work and one for my personal life. It makes it really easy to keep and organize meeting notes and I don’t feel bad about wasting paper when I take notes because it is erasable and reusable.
This notebook is great! I wish I got myself more so I can have one at work and one for my personal life. It makes it really easy to keep and organize meeting notes and I don’t feel bad about wasting paper when I take notes because it is erasabl
Martin - December 23, 2019 @ 13:05
Love this. It’s so much easier to manage my notes. I used to have stacks of notebooks and a manual system for finding the note I was looking for. Now, I just scan my notes, automatically email them to myself and file them into the appropriate client’s Outlook folder for easy bote management.
Love this. It’s so much easier to manage my notes. I used to have stacks of notebooks and a manual system for finding the note I was looking for. Now, I just scan my notes, automatically email them to myself and file them into the appropriate c
Samuel - December 26, 2019 @ 16:21
My husband gifted me this book and i love it. It is easy to use. It came with one pen but i bought more pilot frixion pens from target in different colors. The app is easy to use also.