Why We Love It: *Reusable * Less Waste * Less Expensive * Less Clutter * Easily Find Notes * Lower Carbon Footprint
Coupon Codes: None at the moment
Rocketbook is a reusable smart notebook that you could use to take and organize your notes for school, or work, or really anything. The best part is it’s also better for the environment and will save you money compared to paper notebooks. I’m going to review Rocketbook after using it for nearly a year and give you my sustainability expert opinion on Rocketbook. If at any point you’d like to purchase Rocketbook, use this link. Also, check above for any coupon codes.
What is Rocketbook and how does it work? Rocketbook makes a bunch of different types of smart notebooks. The one that I use is called Everlast, but has been renamed to core. The notebook is made up of 36 total pages that come with different backgrounds. I use the background with these dots and find that it works well for taking notes, writing equations, drawing plans, and really whatever I need it for. The version that I have is only about six inches by nine inches, but there’s one that comes in eight and a half by eleven if you’re looking for something a little bit bigger. The pages are smooth, so they are nice to write on with the friction pen that comes with the notebook. You do have to use the friction pen though because a regular pen will stain the pages. When you use the pen, you’ll have to wait about 5 to 25 seconds for the ink to dry depending on how hard you write. If you write a little bit lighter the ink dries quicker, but if you write a little bit harder it takes longer to dry. You can buy these friction pens in a bunch of different colors which I have found really helpful in keeping organized.
Here’s the really cool part that’ll take your ability to stay organized to the next level. With the Rocketbook app, you can take a picture of your notes and the app will optimize the image of your notes so it comes out nicely, which doesn’t really happen if you just take a picture with your phone. You can then choose where you want to save that image by assigning the symbols at the bottom to a different location, for example at email. You could also just snap the picture and pick where you want it to be saved after. Not only is that file now saved in the location you sent it and within the Rocketbook app, but it’s also searchable. This means you can use the Rocketbook app to search for words within the note or within the title itself to make finding notes super easy. If you use paper notebooks instead you know how hard it could be to find something in your notes that you’re looking for, so it helps you to save a bunch of time and stay organized.
With all of your notes saved you can simply wet the microfiber towel that comes with Rocketbook and wipe the pages clean to be used again and again. If you want you could also draw on the pages with temporary or permanent ink to create certain templates. One of the newer notebooks, the fusion, uses the same exact pages and upload technology, but already has the templates on them so you don’t need to draw on it yourself. For example, calendars, line paper, planners, and to-do lists. Rocketbook really is the perfect thing for someone who wants to still be able to write things but doesn’t want the clutter and difficulty of staying organized with paper notebooks.
Here’s a couple of tips. Keep part of the towel dry so that when you wipe it clean with water you have something to dry the page after with. If you’re gonna be out taking your notes somewhere like in a classroom I recommend that you bring something like a reusable water bottle with you so that you have water to clean the pages. If you’re at an office or you’re at home it’s a little bit easier because you have better access to water but you could just keep something at your desk. Also, I wouldn’t use the eraser on the pen because it really doesn’t do a good job at erasing.
Since you don’t need to buy paper notebooks ever again you can reduce your impact on the environment. Rocketbook is made up of a few different kinds of plastic and I normally wouldn’t recommend products that have plastic in them, but in this case the more sustainable option is a reusable notebook compared to many different single-use paper notebooks. In fact, every time you reuse a page within the Rocketbook notebook instead of using a page from a paper notebook, you save about two to three gallons of water reduce your carbon emissions and eliminate waste.
As far as cost, each Rocketbook notebook costs a little bit different but they come in at about 32 to 35 dollars before discounts and about 27 to 28 dollars after discounts, so it might not save you money right away but it could save you money in the long run if you’re someone who buys a lot of notebooks or buys expensive notebooks. Plus it’ll save you time because you won’t have to search through a bunch of paper notebooks to find what you’re looking for.
Rocketbook really is a great product. Yes, it does use a few different types of plastic but in the long run it is the more sustainable option compared to single-use paper notebooks, especially if you reuse it a bunch of times and can recycle it when you’re done with it. It’s easy to use and a great tool to help you keep organized which is something that I really need help with. Having my notes digitized and searchable keeps my desk clean and makes it really easy to find whatever it is that i’m looking for. There are often projects that I start with work that can last many years. Over those couple of years there are a lot of different notes that come in for the project and managing that through paper notebooks can get difficult. Being able to search what i’m looking for saves me a lot of time and that is pretty valuable to me. Since it’s infinitely reusable it is the more sustainable option compared to single-use paper notebooks and so as a sustainability professional I’m happy to recommend Rocketbook.