I’d like to start one but idk where to buy it. If it isn’t online shopping, that’ll be better.
Thanks!
Hiya 5mart,
Are you asking about the official VEX engineering book that has a couple example pages or just any old notebook?
For a notebook, you can just buy any old empty book you’d like and write your entries / cut and glue photos into it. That’s exactly what I’m doing and what many others do if they don’t want to write the notebook up on the computer.
You don’t need a special notebook to start it, just any notebook will do 
You can use anything, there is no specific format that you have to follow either. In the registration welcome kit you get a notebook from RECF, but I haven’t seen many teams use it. Most teams have a binder, this way you can also divide it into design/build, programming, etc.
That would be this one:
I know it has a few pages with info, but $10 is still ridiculous. You can get something just as good for 25-50 cents at most office stores.
Thanks for your replies! And no, I was wondering if there were any alternatives to that engineering book, as I don’t have it
Using a binder is okay, even if your papers aren’t actually in a notebook? Like, the papers can be hole-punched and placed in the rings?
No alternatives What Kevin_Team472 linked was the only one VEX gives us. If you want something different then you have to choose your own and go from scratch. There are many design notebooks on the forums and around to look at others formats of their notebook if you have a look around.
I bought a binder at walmart for 2 dollars and it still works well!
I personally prefer glossy sheet protector over directly punching holes on pages. It just looks much better.
Yes, it’s fine. In fact, there is no actual rule or guideline on the engineering notebook, you can put whatever you want into it however you want. The idea is that it should be a useful tool to document and present the design process of your robot and other areas.
For that reason I actually prefer the idea of using a binder, because you can make a separate section for just meeting summaries, one for design and build, one for CAD, and so on, so it is very easy to find something both for judges and if you wan’t to look at a previous decision or idea.
If you want a professional looking notebook, Book Factory is a good place to get one. You can get a notebook with graph paper pages and your team name on the front, with a lot of other customizations for a price that’s not too horrible. If you’re only getting one, I would say it’s worth it.
Have you purchased one from that website before?
Again, I appreciate all your replies and responses!
We supply our teams with these. Ruled paper on one side, graph paper on the other. Sorry for the large picture.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71sihUDGHML.SL1500.jpg
When I bought my engineering notebook this year, I found this one on Amazon, it is a split notebook with half graph paper and half college ruled lines. On part of it you can draw your robot, and on the bottom you can describe it. Or do whatever else on the pages.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C83F58Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
While there is no rule and a binder works and a digital file works, a physically bound notebook like the VEX or the other engineering notebooks shows a knowledge of the nature of the legal significance a proper engineering notebook has. The telephone is perhaps one of, if not the most valuable patent ever issued and the final grant of it to Alexander Bell was not without issues for which ultimately Bell’s notebook notes supported his priority over Elisha Gray. Neither a binder that can be opened and closed and pages taken out, reshuffled and put in with the click of a button or digital files that are but a sequential reordering of 1 and 0 have the integrity of an old fashioned bound document with no pages torn out and errors struck through as well as contemporaneous signatures and witnessing of its contents. The prize here does not go to the prettiest but to the most trustworthy. And in that case, since it is created by engineers, the English should be poor, the math perfect and the drawings on the back of napkins or old envelopes.
Actually that’s not necessarily true, I would actually recommend a binder for your engineering notebook. If you can type the information as well as have your informal drawings in the notebook, it displays a sense of professionalism on your team. Using a binder makes it very organized and formal, as well as displaying an effective understanding of your own design, how the vex parts work together in your robot, as well as strategic understanding of the game for that year. If you don’t believe me, check my credentials. I am a member of team 7701, we won the Design Award in the Arts Division at World’s last year. 
Also I would recommend typing it on the computer over writing it in a book/paper because with all of the competition excitement, sometimes notebooks do get lost. In the case of it being saved on a computer, you can just reprint it and be fine.
Binders aren’t very trustworthy if brought to, say, to court to determine who invented something first correct (pages can be added and removed)? Although I do agree that binders make it seem nicer + more professional.
Yes, several teams from our school have bought a notebook from Book Factory. It’s a fairly good quality, able to withstand large amounts of wear and tear. Our team treats it like an ancient artifact (we slip it into one of those clear plastic bags you get at the grocery store for vegetables and fruits) to prevent it from getting wet or dirty, but even when we forget to do so it’s fine. We’ve transported it around a lot in backpacks and accidentally left it out in the open one time, but it seems to hold up to all tests. Our other teams also seem to agree.
Other than the quality, the inside also is great. The paper, in my opinion, isn’t too thick or thin and it’s a great size. The grid squares are also really useful.