RendR sketchbooks: magical, or just expensive?

If you're an artist on the internet, you've probably heard of "RendR" (okay that's the last time I capitalise it like that) sketchbooks. If you haven't the concept is simple: NOTHING CAN BLEED THROUGH THEM.

Also they are just seriously, very expensive.

Let's jump right in!

The Price

As a rule, I'm willing to spring for good art supplies. You get what you pay for.

That said, when I started looking into buying a Rendr sketchbook locally, the only place that carried them was Michael's craft store- for around $40 a piece.

That is ridiculous.

I ended up buying two of them through Blick. With the cost of shipping I probably didn't save much, but it sure felt better.

Physical Characteristics

I have the 81/2 by 11 hardbound sketchbooks. The covering is black and slightly shiny. It's nice and sturdy. The material isn't my favourite because it shows smudges and fingermarks pretty badly, but it's not a big deal.

The pages are bright white, and if you hold them up to the light you can see a fibrous, crosscrossing type pattern. The surface itself is extremely smooth.

Now, probably the weirdest thing to come up in discussions of the Rendr is the smell. I was a little wary when I heard about it because, well, why would it smell like anything? Some people swear it's just warehouse or packaging smell, or a fluke of the individual order, but I think I can confirm it:

The Rendr sketchbook stinks.

At least for the first while.

The books come shrinkwrapped, and upon opening said packaging there is a definite, strong chemical-type smell. It was pretty unpleasant, and I found myself washing my hands after every time I handled the book, just in case.

I'm pleased to say that the scent dissipated within a month or so and is now barely noticeable. I took the second book out of the packaging right after I encountered the problem, so it's had plenty of time on my bookshelf to mellow out.

The drawing surface

Like I said, the pages are VERY smooth. No tooth to speak of. They are also not absorbent in the slightest.
Quick look at different materials:

Pencil: Not bad. I don't recommend it for blended, pencil-heavy pieces, but it's great for sketching. Erases like a champ.

Pen/fineliner: Great. Gentle on the pen tip and excellent for fine details. Allow for extra dry time if you're colouring over it.

Marker: Great. The non-thirsty paper means less wasted ink, and the smooth surface is perfect for blending. Marker stays wet longer.

Liquid ink/Brush pens: Decent. Some inks show up light and, again, everything takes longer to dry, but you can slosh on layers without worrying about overworking the paper.

Acrylic/Paint pens: Not bad. If you're doing small areas and highlights it's excellent. If you're doing full layers of colour I found that things like liquid acrylic markers tend to get smeary with nothing to grab onto.

 Watercolour: Not bad. Goes on light, extra dry time etc. You won't get the same wet-on-dry effects as you would on watercolour paper. Same goes for water-soluble pencils.

Wet media problem

As you can see, the Rendr paper buckles something fierce. I'm attributing this to liquid inks and such, but honestly I've had it curl up just from the sweat of my hand or moisture in the air. It's not a stiff paper, so I haven't had any problems while I'm working and holding the pages down, it's when the book is sitting open that it becomes inconvenient and likes to flop around.

"No Show Thru Through"?

And finally, the selling point: Does It Show Through?

Nope.

I only bled through a page ONCE, and I think I'd like a medal. On one side was a violently overworked swathe of marker blended  with about a quarter cup of rubbing alcohol, and on the other side I wound up with a smattering of tiny green spots. Other than that I've been successfully drawing on both sides of the pages since September 2013.

The bled-through page.

The Rundown.

Price: Could be prohibitive.

Truth in advertising: Yup.

People sensitive to smells: Seek elsewhere.

Dry media aficionados: Not for thee.

Watercolourists and inkers: It's a toss up.

Loads of super tiny notes to jam in with your worldbuilding sketches: Go for it.

Markers: HAVE I GOT  PRODUCT FOR YOU. Seriously, the Rendr was made for markers.

Would I recommend it?

If you can get one, try it out. Especially if you're a Copic person.

Concept artists and fashion-design people strike me as the ones to get the most bang for their buck.

Personally? I'll work through my second one and then probably switch to a regular mixed-media sketchbook. The unique properties of the Rendr just aren't beneficial enough to me and my materials to warrant the hassle.

Let me know your thoughts!

One question remains: are these pages woven with pure unicorn hair?