Moleskine notebooks

[thunderball]

Hey gents, I have been wanting to get a quality journal/notebook for some time now and have been reading bits and pieces about the Moleskine stuff. Many positive reviews, but the few negative ones I've read all seem to have the same complaint - the quality of the actual paper. Those of you that use Moleskine, do you find the paper quality to be subpar? I would be writing with a Lamy fountain pen if that helps, and would be buying online so I can't really 'try before I buy'.

Any comments on the Moleskine books would be much appreciated!


EDIT: I will be using it to write an ongoing journal for my daughter so I want something that will stand the test of time.

 

[Noebie]

carry one with me at all times

i'm usually writing with a waterman phileas or a hero 329

smooth, takes the ink well...

i can't imagine what more anyone could want, honestly

 

[castlecraver]

IMO, it's better than standard notebooks, but nothing incredibly special. If you're used to lower-end notebooks and generic journals, you'll probably like it a lot. You might want to look elsewhere for something more high-end, but it's very well-suited for everyday notetaking if that's what you're after.

 

[Groundhog]

I use this Moleskine planner. I think the paper is excellent quality, but I admit I don't use a fountain pen. I do use the new Sharpie pens with it and get no bleed whatsoever.

 

[dsipari]

Works great with my Pelikan! I'm a big fan of Moleskine!!

 

[thunderball]

Wow, 10 minutes and already four helpful replies. That's why we love this place!

I'm only now getting into 'higher end' writing equipment so I'm definitely not used to anything nice yet...do most of my writing on my laptop or cheap school notebooks at the moment. Sounds like Moleskine is worth a try.

 

[Alaskan Eagle]

Hey gents, I have been wanting to get a quality journal/notebook for some time now and have been reading bits and pieces about the Moleskine stuff. Many positive reviews, but the few negative ones I've read all seem to have the same complaint - the quality of the actual paper. Those of you that use Moleskine, do you find the paper quality to be subpar? I would be writing with a Lamy fountain pen if that helps, and would be buying online so I can't really 'try before I buy'.

Any comments on the Moleskine books would be much appreciated!


EDIT: I will be using it to write an ongoing journal for my daughter so I want something that will stand the test of time.

My wife and I each have one and we love em. However, I have only recently gotten into fountain pens so I can't comment on the different inks and how they respond to the paper. My wife got hers first about 2 years ago and it looks like it should last quite a while longer. Hopefully that helps.

 

[cnconner]

I use them a lot for work and write with ball point and gel pens. They hold up well to these, but I think a fountain pen may show through on the other side depending on how much ink you lay down. I don't think you'll get any bleed through though. I use Pilot G-2 .07mm pens and they put out a bold line but it looks good on the paper. Parker gel is way too much, so it depends on your ink too.

I've used all of their size and I like them all. I would say to stay away from the soft covers. They just don't hold up.

Check out blackcover.net and www.molskinerie.com for reviews and info on these types of notebooks. I think you should give it a shot. They're good notebooks.

 

[sol92258]

I got some of these to try, after reading such rave opinions of them, and have been very happy. I keep one with me all the time, pretty rugged for what they are.

 

[sklegg]

I use them for my travel journals but I've found that I can't write on both sides of the pages because of the bleed through issue. I don't press hard when I write and I use regular fine point pens. I still like 'em, though. They look cool and always hold up even after being lugged around in a backpack for weeks at a time.

 

[dpm802]

I carry one of these at all times ... it fits nicely in my left-front pants pocket, and it is light-weight and small enough that it doesn't bog me down as I go about my day.

I write in it with a Fisher Space Pen Bullet, and it does just fine. The paper may be slightly coarse for use with a fountain pen, but if you are just scribbling shopping-lists and phone-numbers and URLs for your own reference, it should do just fine.

The pocket-fold in the rear cover is the perfect place to collect the day's receipts, business cards and other small miscellaneous papers.

The version I carry has 64 pages. It lasts me about 6 months before I have to break in a new one.

I also just bought a 2010 dated Moleskine journal ... not sure how much use it will get in the coming year, but I'll put it to the task. Its too heavy to carry in my pocket, but it will be a lot smaller and lighter than my current Classic-sized Franklin Covey journal.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Dave, I'm a big fan of moleskine's but for something as important as what you are doing, I would buy a custom leather journal.

 

[sol92258]

I carry one of these at all times ....

sweet, those are the same as the ones I referenced, but now I want some red ones!

 

[Jethro1984]

I have both a Moleskine Monthly Planner and a Medium Journal. Both Softcover. I love them although I typically use gel ink with them and have noticed that the ink does not soak in immediately because the paper seems somewhat shiny and coated. It will smear if not left to dry for a few mintues before touching or closing.

 

[dpm802]

sweet, those are the same as the ones I referenced, but now I want some red ones!

The one that I carry has the plain-brown-paper cover, but you can get them in all colors.

 

[texbilly]

Have used them for years but primarily with a felt tip pen or ball point, sometimes with fountain pens. I actually recall my felt tips bleeding through more than any other, but please defer to the other gents who use FPs more often.

Also, I have found the paper on Piccadilly journals to be quite similar to Moleskine and quite a bit cheaper. Borders carries these and I stocked up a few months ago on several as they also mark them down, unlike Moleskine which seems to never go on sale.

Good luck!

EDIT: The Piccadilly line shadows the Moleskine line in terms of size and appearance to the point most people wouldn't know the difference.

 

[dpm802]

and would be buying online so I can't really 'try before I buy'.

You can check out Moleskine notebooks at most large bookstores, like a Barnes&Noble or Borders. Also, a place that sells fountain pens and other writing instruments is likely to have Moleskine as well ... they may not carry each and every size and color, but at least you can check out the paper quality.

EDIT: I will be using it to write an ongoing journal for my daughter so I want something that will stand the test of time.

For a long-term project like that, you do want something more robust than a scribble-pad ... perhaps even something in a loose-leaf format that you can generate a volume for each year, and only need to carry a few months worth of pages at any one time. Besides Moleskine, look at what a place like www.levengers.com or www.franklincovey.com has to offer.

 

[thunderball]

Thanks to all of you guys for your replies!

 

[Slade xTekno]

http://blackcover.net/
"This blog is dedicated to the search for the perfect little black notebook." I spent quite a bit of time on this site before I decided on thinner, usually stapled pocket notebooks. If you like those too, try Doane Paper utility notebooks and Field Notes. Those are the two I use most.

EDIT: Argh! I wrote my post before I realized you weren't looking for a pocket notebook. I'll leave it up anyway, because this information might be useful to others.

For a more solid bigger notebook, I would look at Gallery Leather journals, which feature leather covers, heavy archival-quality paper, and are made (or at least assembled) in the US. They can be found at Borders and Barnes & Noble, but for a much better selection, try to find a local Paperchase stationary store.

 

[Bertilak]

I use this Day-Timer planner. Fits in shirt pocket: http://www.daytimer.com/content/sho...ode=&line=&cid=10&Origin=&solution_nmbr=16130. Remember that product number. They make it nearly impossible to find just the little booklet ($9.99). They prefer to sell you a whole "kit" with lots of extraneous stuff for $21.99.

I also like their notebooks: http://www.daytimer.com/content/sho...19C1145A29CA4FCFC15157A9F&solution_nmbr=96180

They use a reasonably high-quality paper. I like the 2 pages per week format of the planner and I like the notebook's numbered pages, index at front, and narrow rules.