Bullet journaling. Does it mean anything to you? The organisation tool has become something of an internet craze over the last few years, but if you haven't heard of it yet, don't worry! We've gathered everything you need to know, AND reviewed some of the best bullet journals on the market in 2024.
I've kept a bullet journal for almost half a decade, and tried all sorts of journals, pens, and other mediums over the years. I'm bringing together all of my knowledge and experience to find the best bullet journal on the market, testing various brands with numerous mediums so you don't have to.
I've hand-picked 5 journals, and tested them with a huge range of writing and art tools, as well as considering on factors like construction, features, value for money. Today, we're focussing on the Yop & Tom A5 Dotted Notebook Vegan Leather Hardback, so keep reading to find out if its a top contender for the best bullet journals!
Jump straight to:
- Summary
- How we tested
- Yop & Tom A5 Dotted Notebook Vegan Leather Hardback review
- Where to buy Yop & Tom bullet journal
- Our verdict: should you buy Yop & Tom bullet journal
- Looking for more bullet journals?
Summary
Customisable colours and gold foiled motifs jazz up this vegan leather-feel journal, though the finish might fade a bit over time. With 160gsm paper that's compatible with all your artistic tools, it's priced at the mid-range of our bullet journals on test.
- Buy now from Amazon (£19.99 | £27.99), Walmart ($24.99)
How we tested
There was 5 points up for grabs in 5 key categories: construction, writing tools, art tools, features, and value for money.
I tested each bullet journal with a variety of writing tools, including fine liners, gel pens, rollerball pens, fountain pen, water-based brush pen, felt tip, sharpie, and Promarkers.
I also tested a selection of art mediums, including watercolour, gouache, acrylic, and paint pens.
When looking at the construction of the journals, I considered the binding style, available sizes, cover material and finish, number of pages and paper gsm, and features such as ribbon page markers, pockets, and elastic closures.
In each journal, I looked for a 'belongs to' page, a key, index, and pen test page, page numbers, and any additional features.
I finally considered the price and overall value for money of each journal to evaluate my final score.
Yop & Tom A5 Dotted Notebook Vegan Leather Hardback review
Key features
- Paper gsm: 160
- Number of pages: 160
- Size: A5
- RRP: £19.99
Construction - 4/5
The vegan leather cover of the Yop & Tom journal has a pleasant, buttery feel to it, which I found very satisfying. I went for the moon and stars emblem journal, which is available in Sage green, Forest Green, Midnight Blue, Blush Pink, or Charcoal.
However, there's plenty of different gold embossed motifs on offer, which all come in different colours, such as Burnt Orange, Deep Ocean, Sunshine Yellow, Pastel Peach, and Eggshell Blue.
Yop & Tom kindly also sent me the bee emblem journal in Charcoal, as well as the A5 Dotted Notebook Paper Hardback, which you can read my review of.
This journal is made up of 160 sides of high quality 160gsm paper, which held up well with almost all of the pens and art mediums I tested it with. Like all the journals on test, its constructed with sewn binding, and lays almost flat when opened at any page.
It features an elastic closure, two coloured satin ribbon page markers, and a reinforced pocket for storing paper and stickers, which I found really handy.
Writing tools - 5/5
I tested a variety of pens, looking for any signs of feathering, ghosting or bleeding. If you're not familiar with these terms, take a look at our buyers' guide.
Most of the pens held up well, with the only issues arising from the alcohol-based markers and some of the brush pens.
The Sharpie and Promarkers bled through to the other side of the paper, which was to be expected as I mainly included alcohol-based pens as a point of comparison.
The Pentel water-based brush pens caused just a little bit of ghosting on to the other side, but compared to the alcohol-based pens, its barely noticeable.
Art tools - 5/5
All the art mediums I tested in this journal passed with flying colours. None of the mediums bled or ghosted, and there was just the slightest amount of paper degradation when diluting the paints heavily with water.
Features - 5/5
The Yop & Tom Vegan Leather bullet journal provided all the features I was looking for. It had a 'belongs to' page, where I could list my details, a key, index, and pen test page, and page numbers.
Yop & Tom are also the only brand on test that included centre markers on each page, to easily locate the middle of pages.
I also really appreciated their handy Grid Guide, which includes a variety of different page layouts and grid sizes for creating your own pages. This was a winner for me, and I used it across all the journals I tested.
Value for money - 4/5
I rated the overall value for money a 4 out of 5 because it's slap-bang in the middle of the bullet journals on test. There's a few that are cheaper, and a few that are more expensive, but overall I think it's well worth it for the money.
Where to buy Yop & Tom bullet journal
- Buy now from Amazon (£19.99 | £27.99), Walmart ($24.99)
Our verdict: should you buy Yop & Tom bullet journal
The Yop & Tom bullet journal is packed full of features, offering plenty of high quality pages and a range of colours and designs, all at a fairly decent price.
It's a great choice for any level bullet-journaler and I would 100% recommend it!
Looking for more bullet journals?
If you're still browsing for bullet journals, check out our comprehensive guide to the best bullet journals for a full list of the journals on test.
