Transcript for:
Overview of Rocketbook Everlast Features

  • This is the notebook that I carry with me every single day in my backpack. And in this video, we are going to answer the question, "Is this the best notebook in the world, or is it something that's just kind of, a gimmick?" And I guess to answer that question, we first have to ask and answer a preliminary question, which is, "What exactly is this?" Well, this is called the Rocketbook Everlast, and ever since I kind of previewed it back in my "iPad Pro versus Notebook Paper" video, I've been getting a lot of questions about it. And, as you can see from the many, many scuffs on the cover, I have had this thing for a while and I've been able to put it through its paces. So what I want to do today is go over the features of this notebook, kind of give you the specs, and also tell you why I think it's really cool. And we're gonna end the video with my verdict on whether or not it's something that you should maybe try out in your own workflow. And to start things off, we've gotta talk about what is probably the main feature of this notebook, which is the fact that you can erase it. There are only 32 pages in the notebook, which means it doesn't take up a whole lot of space in your bag, or add a whole lot of weight to it, but you an very easily erase the pages that you write on with pen by using a damp cloth and just wiping it away; it's really, really easy. Now, I do want to note that this is not a feature that is unique to this one notebook, and the way that they achieve it is by requiring you to use a specific type of pen called a Frixion pen, or a "friction" pen, not exactly sure how to pronounce that brand name. But essentially, these are pens that allow you to erase their ink, even on normal paper. I'm gonna talk a little bit more about that later in the video, but first let's talk a little bit about the specs of the Rocketbook, starting with the fact that there are three sizes: there's the executive size, there's the mini size which actually flips upwards, instead of to the side, and then there's the letter size, which is what I have; It's your standard 8x11 notebook. And I think that it's the one that's gonna work best for students, or people that need a lot of writing area when they're taking notes, or drawing out diagrams, or doing whatever you do with a notebook. Now, there is one other Rocketbook that you can get your hands on, which is called The Wave, and it's different from all the other models because instead of wiping away the pages with a damp cloth, you actually put the entire notebook in a microwave, and that erases the entire notebook all at once, but I wasn't super interested in getting that notebook, because you can only do that about five times before it no longer will fully erase the pages, where as the Everlast should, theoretically, last you as long as you want it to last. In any case, one of my favorite features of all the Rocketbook models is the way they've laid out their paper, because it's grid paper. But instead of being a grid of lines, it's a grid of really subtle, faint dots, so they don't really get in your way. And because it's grid paper, it makes it really good for writing, but also for sketching and drawing out things, like UI elements, or website elements. In fact, when I was doing the initial designs for our latest version of College Info Geek, I used that paper to sketch things out, before then diving into Figma and getting into the details. However, the coolest feature of the Rocketbook, and by far the biggest reason that I wanted to get it, far beyond the ability to erase the pages, is the system they've set up for letting you digitize your notes, because they have a system of letting you do it a lot faster than you can with normal notebook paper, and that's what I was really excited about. So, at the bottom of every single page in your Rocketbook, you're gonna see two things, first you're gonna see a QR code, and then you're gonna see a row of seven different icons. And when you download their companion app to your iPhone, your Android, you can actually set up different destinations for each one of those icons, be it box, be it Dropbox, Google drive, Evernote, or tons of different other options. And for each destination serviced, you can also pick where exactly you want it to go within that service. So, for example, with Evernote, you can choose which notebook you want your scans to go to, based on the icon you choose. Now, here is the cool part, after you've finished writing a page of notes, you can mark off one of the icons at the bottom of the page, then, using their app, you can scan that page, and depending on which icon you marked, it will automatically send your scan to the destination that you've set up in advance. And, as you might imagine, this massively cuts down on both the friction, and the time that it takes to digitize your notes. If you're taking your notes on regular paper, and you want to digitize them with an app like Evernote, then you have to open the app, you have to first select the notebook that you want the scan to go into, you have to hit the add button, and then you have to take your scan. But with the Rocketbook system, this entire process is automated. And there are some other cool features, as well. You can choose whether you want to do a PDF or JPEG, and if you have multiple scans, say you're sitting in class and you've taken multiple pages of notes, you can actually bundle all of the scans for each page into a combined PDF. And this can be really useful if you want to make sure all the pages from one note-taking session go into one single document in Evernote or your note-taking system of choice. So, overall, the digitization features this notebook offers, combined with the ability to erase pages may justify the kind of hefty price tag, and let's talk about price now, because, unless you're getting the mini, which is usually around 15 or 16 dollars, the Rocketbook, both the executive and the letter versions, are right around 30 to 34 dollars depending on where you get them, and that's pretty steep for a notebook. It might not be a huge step up if you're used to high-quality notebooks like Moleskin, but if you're like me, and you're coming from like two dollar Walmart notebooks, the sticker shock can be kind of extreme. And especially with a price tag like that, we do have to be pretty discerning when it comes to the writing experience, since writing is where you're gonna be spending most of your time doing with this notebook. So, what's it like? Well, in my experience, to put things in a nutshell, it's pretty good. It's much, much better than writing on the iPad screen with my Apple Pencil, which I'm not a big fan of doing, but it's not quite as good as writing on normal notebook paper. I would say it's about 90% as good. There are three main nitpicks that kinda drag the writing experience down for me. Again, not a ton, just a little bit. It's not quite as good as normal paper. First and foremost, when you're writing with these Frixion pens, or "friction" pens, I don't know how to pronounce it, you don't always get this perfect, black streak of ink that you're gonna get with a normal, high-quality pen, though I did find that after I spent a little time practicing getting used to using it, you kinda realize that there is a specific amount of pressure you have to use, and once you get used to it, that happens far less often. Secondly, there is the texture of the paper, which is a double-edged sword. It's glossy, so it makes it a lot easier to erase with a damp cloth, and this is important because when writing on normal paper with a Frixion pen, you have to use this little eraser nub on the end, and it's kind of a laborious process to erase your paper, and honestly, it isn't worth it, so that glossy paper does have a big benefit, because you can erase paper very, very quickly, but again, it's a double-edged sword, because since it's so glossy, your pen doesn't really have the same amount of grip and it just doesn't feel quite as precise. I find it harder to write really neatly or really legibly than I do with normal paper. Finally, the ink does take about ten seconds to dry, and I think this is again, due to the glossy nature of the pages. And this isn't a huge problem, but if you do write something down, and then you move your hand up quickly to make an annotation or draw an arrow or something, you can smudge your writing, and it won't make it illegible, 'cause there will be kinda like a ghost of it there, but it will make your page look messy, and personally, I don't like that. All that being said, these are still minor nitpicks and they haven't stopped me from using the notebook on a daily basis. I just love that ability to scan things so quickly and so automatically. Now, the only other concern that I have about the Rocketbook, and something that you should probably keep in mind is I'm not sure how long the pens last. Again, you have to use Frixion pens with this book, and through some Googling, I found that they probably won't last as long as a normal pen, but at least in my case, mine has not run out yet, and once it does, a 3-pack of these pens is about 5 or 6 bucks at Target, so it's not too big of a deal, at least for me. So, if you want my verdict on the Rocketbook Everlast, I really like this notebook. It is my daily driver, though I do have to admit that it costs quite a bit more than most other notebooks out there. So it's really up to you whether those digitization features and the erasability of the pages makes up for that big gap in price. Now, regardless of whether or not you choose to go with the Rocketbook Everlast, or even if you decide to hand-write your notes at all, you should make sure that you are using a well-organized, well-thought-out note-taking system as we go into the year. And honestly, I would extend that to your entire productivity system in general. Make sure you are using a good task manager, make sure your file organization system makes sense. And if you are in the mood to scrutinize these things, well you are in luck, because I have just released my very first online course, which is all about how to build a productivity system, and if you want to take it, it is on Skillshare, and it is live today. Over the course of the class' ten different videos, you're gonna learn how to set up your task management system, how to manage your calendar, how to set up and organize your folders and files, how to process your email more effectively, and, in general, create a productivity system that ensures that you're always on top of everything you have to do in your life. And of course, because my course is on Skillshare, the membership that gets you access to it also gets you access to over 25,000 other courses in business and web development, graphic design and video editing, and a ton of different topic areas that can boost your skills and your career prospects, as well. So, if you want to start the year out right, if you want to make sure you're pushing yourself and building new skills every single day, and make sure you're staying organized over the long run, then sign up for Skillshare using the link in the description down below. Their premium membership is really affordable, costing just about as much as a Netflix subscription, and what's best, if you're one of the first 500 people to click that link and sign up below, you're gonna get a two month free trial with unlimited learning on the platform, which means that, yes, you can essentially go and take my course for free, which I highly recommend that you do, so, click that link, sign up, and start learning today. A huge thanks goes out to Skillshare for sponsoring this video and being a big supporter of my channel in general, and as always guys, thank you so much for watching. If you like this video, definitely give it a like to support my channel, and if you want to get notifications of new videos when they come out, get subscribed right there. You can also click right there to get a free copy of my book on how to earn better grades in school, click right over here to watch one more video on this channel, or go and follow me on Instagram, @tomfrankly. 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