Hi

Now I know I'm about to get my head ripped off but here goes!!

In my humble and personal opinion Moleskine journals, Notebooks etc are just NOT fountain pen (Ink) friendly!!!

I have 4 Moleskines notebooks and 1 Moleskine Planner, I have tried 14 different inks (9 different brands) in 7 different pens and with the exception of 3 everyone of the inks used feathered from bad to bloody awful!

This has happened in 2 of the Moleskine notebooks and the planner, I am so fed up with them I have just given my 2 notebooks away. I find that the Clairfontaine notebooks are far superior, its sad because I love the look and feel of the Moleskine's.

Rant over.

Kind regards
NIGEL

I totally agree. A few years ago, they were very fountain pen friendly. Then, they seemed to change. Some would be okay and some would not. I think some people are still able to get good ones, which is why they continue to have popularity. I have not found a good one here in the midwest for several years. All the Moleskines I have bought lately feather terribly with any pen and any ink. The letters look like they have little needles coming out of them.

If anyone knows of a good substitute, I would love to hear about it. Nothing is quite the same as a Moleskine, and if I used ballpoints I would use them constantly.

Get a Hero 237-1 FP; it's xxxf line works well in the Moleskine.

No head ripping here.....just a kindly pat on the head and an offer to take some of those nasty awful things off your hands

Did you send feedback to Modo & Modo? For the past year, the notebooks and diaries have all included instructions about reporting quality control problems, including a quality control number that will help them identify which lots and suppliers are the problem. They will send you a new notebook to replace the bad one.

It doesn't do much good to rant here. The way to solve the problem is to let Modo & Modo have the information they need.

I bought a Hero 237-1 specifically for use with a Moleskine, and sadly, I found that there was no difference in the way that the paper handled the ink.

The only pen/ink combination in my stable that will write reasonably well without the aforementioned needles is the Lamy Safari XF with Pelikan Blue or Waterman Florida Blue. Once in a great while, I've gotten Skrip Emerald to come out okay on the page, but it's got to be an exceptionally dry writer to make it happen.

Sad to see it happen this way, because I agree with the posters above; there's nothing quite like the look and feel of the Moleskine.

I'm off to write an email to Modo e Modo. Thanks for the heads up on this one, Bill.

I love Clairefontaine journals! I have picked up a Rhodia meeting book but as of yet haven't tried to put a pen to it. From what all I hear I guess I will stay away from Moleskine!!

The only inks that I have used with any success in my Moleskine's are:

Waterman Blue/Black
Diamine Registrars Ink
Noodler BP Black

I did actually email them a couple of years ago asking why they changed their paper. They were very nice in their reply, but said they hadn't changed anything. They said the paper was chosen because that was the paper used in the "original." At that point, someone on another board mentioned that they had not changed but that the paper was inconsistent.

Sadly, I have about ten of the silly things with a couple of lines written in the back to test the paper. I have been giving them away as gifts to friends who don't mind that they have been tested. I keep thinking I will find one with the good paper in it. I think I have one, and I am saving it

I just haven't bothered with them. I know that my nib & ink combinations will not work in most cases becasue I use free-flowing inks in wet nibs. I don't want to restrict a journal to only being able to use my XXXF Binder nib. I like all the variations of color and line width in my journals. I think it is somewhat indicative of what was going on in my life or in my brain when I wrote in them.

No ripping of heads here. I have my frustrations with Moleskine paper---it is inconsistent and some batches are totally fountain-pen-unfriendly. (If an EF with Noodlers Black will feather on it, anything will). Other batches, not so bad.

The only thing that gets my goat enough to start ripping off heads is when people then take the next step by declaring that "the only reason anyone would like a Moleskine is ..." followed by a description of Moleskine users as being snobs or sheep or slaves to trends, or having delusions that other writers' talents will rub off on them, or that we're imagining the good qualities because we're in denial about having gotten ripped off.

Talking about the facts of your own experience is one thing. Characterizing other people's behavior is uncalled for, and Nigel, your post stuck to your own experience. I don't see how anyone could take offense at that. Anyone that would is just a.... oh, never mind that part.

I wonder if different countries get their Moleskine paper from different sources?

I see many US people complaining about the problems they have.

In Australia I go through 4 - 10 large and/or pocket and diary Moleskines in a year for 4 years now and have never experienced (nor even witnessed) similar bleeding problems with a range of pens and inks. I do get 'show through' with some combos but with such thin paper that's only to be expected (especially with 'wet' writers).

Perhaps it's just that people around me (and me) have been lucky or perhaps we get different batches than the US? (As far as I know it all comes from China now - maybe different factories are involved in making different batches?). I have never tried the 'sketch' version with its thicker paper so maybe that's the difference?

Touching wood now in case I have drawn the little paper god's attention to myself. Would be sad to lose the form of the moleskine because of failures in the function.

Would it be rude to ask that those having trouble be explicit in stating what version they are having trouble with (e.g. 5.5 x 3.5 Japanese fold, Large Lined, Large Sketch (or whatever)) so we can maybe work on narrowing the problem down, if that's possible. If it's always pocket-size or whatever we may be able to help one another's purchasing around the problem cases.

You know, I'm ok with them, even with my larger nibs like the Parker Sonnets and my Lamy Safari M. I use the tan cahiers for my main journal and reporter's notebooks for my running work meeting notes. The only pen that ever really made me cranky was my Lamy 2000, so the fine was sent back to swap for a XF nib last week. There is a bit of feathering and a bit of bleed-through, but I'm ok with the amount.

If Mole used vellum paper like Rhodia etc. and charged about 20% more, I think they'd sell even more of them...

Now if they would just bring back the hardback Volant covers...!

Odd, I have just started using the Moleskines and have no problem with feathering, I am using Parker Penman ink, Sapphire and Emerald to great success, but I do use XF and XXF nibs, but that is what I use all the time anyway. I hope I continue to pick up good ones.

I'm a Medium man myself, the odd thing here is I have used my Lamy with a fine nib and J Herbin, Waterman South Sea Blue Ink and PR Lake Placid Blue and the feathering was terrible.

Kind regards
NIGEL

Nigel - I feel your pain after just discovering that my beautiful new red 2008 Moleskine planner has terrible paper. If you were to read some of my posts from a year or so ago, you would find me singing the praises of Moleskine notebooks and planners. I couldn't understand why some people were unhappy.

BillTheEditor is right. We should report our dissatisfaction to the Moleskine people. I'd love to see them get it right; but with the present inconsistency, buying their products is a real gamble for fountain pen users.

I'm not going to bother trying to get a refund or replacement from Moleskine. It's just not worth the trouble. I know plenty of people who use nothing but ball point pens. I'm going to give my planner to one of them.

I recently purchased a desk punch, disks, etc. from Rollabind to make my own notebooks. I spent most of the day yesterday with WordPerfect, designing my own custom planner pages and printing them on that good HP 32# laser paper. It was time consuming, but I finished last night and I'm pleased with the result. Don't think I'll bother with Moleskine planners anymore.

Judybug

Yep I have gone completely over to Apica journals and would be completely happy if they had hard backs! but they are all soft sided. So I dredged up my memories of wrapping textbooks in paper bags and inserted some mat into it to create hardback journals

If it is the outside of the Moleskine that you love I bet with a little work you could make something similar with clairfontaine on the inside.

T

"moleskine reloaded" in your favorite search engine.


matthew

But if I reload my notebooks/journals I lose the opportunity to store them on my shelf (which is also why spiral bound doesn't work for me) when they are filled.

For all their faults moleskines are the only readily available option that ticks all the boxes I need ticked (even if there a few wants left unsatisfied).

Still the best compromise for me. I miss the Rhodia/Clairefountaine paper quality though.

I agree, Clairefontaine are the best. Rhodia also work well (made by the same folks i believe). I've had some pretty solid luck with Moleskine with both Noodler's black and luxury blue.

Since my original post, a good friend of mine purchased a Moleskine notebook from Waterstones Bookstore yesterday (Sunday, local branch just started stocking Moleskine) and guess what ........... same problem with awful feathering (Waterman South Sea Blue and Pelikan Ink?).

Sorry to say he has opted to use a Ballpen in his Moleskine, as he put it "I can't afford to buy a £11.00 notebook and have everything I write turn to a coloured mess" Just for your information he uses a Parker Sonnet with a F nib and a Parker Duofold with a M nib and he gets same problem with both pens.

As per BilltheEditors comments I have told hin to contact Modo to voice his concerns.

They really do need to take a long hard look at the paper they are using.

Kind regards
NIGEL

I mostly use Montblanc fountain pens in my Moleskines. I don't usually see any feathering, but there is a small degree of strike through which I have simply learned to ignore and dismiss. I would be happier if the paper was just a little thicker. Even though there is that drawback, I still love Moleskines. I have a number of terrific ball points and rollerball pens, and they glide over the paper.

With the one drawback mentioned, I have learned to live with it a little better as I generally buy them when I can find a bargain on Ebay and pay a little less (including shipping) than regular retail. I would be more unhappy at regular retail or if the price goes up much higher than they are now.

I think it'll be a waste of time. I wrote to them last year and they replaced them without question. I don't think they can afford to do that continuously for 1 year. Nowadays, I simply buy papers I like and have them binded moleskine style. Looks like I have to keep doing that until moleskines paper issues are fixed.

I've been searching for a good, affordable journal for work that's compatible with my fountain pens . . . so far with little luck. I was in a Border's Books today and lo, they had a display of Moleskines. Naughty me, I pulled out my pen and wrote a bit on a page of one, and it was fine, i.e., no feathering. I ended up buying a three-pack of XL black cahiers with grid markings on the cream-colored pages for a not-bad price of $15US.

I took them back to work and proceeded to write, and no issues at all using a Lamy 2000 XF with Noodler's Swishmix Eternal Nile Ebony. No feathering at all, even if I intentionally lay down a heavy wet line.

I brought one home for writing, and started out putting my name in it using a Sheaffer F caligraphy pen and Sheaffer skrip purple ink. Again . . . not a bit of feathering. Same behavior with skrip green and a M caligraphy pen, and with skrip black and a B caligraphy pen.

Then I tried my Sheaffer Legacy with a F nib and some Swisher Pens Dark Purple (I believe Swisher Pens ink is basically a relabelled Noodlers). Feathering, to the max! Practically unreadable (well, maybe not . . . but definitely ugly). I was very disappointed since I planned to switch off between pens at work and really wanted to use the Sheaffer/Dark Purple combo.

I have a bottle of Swisher Pens Emerald Green that's just waiting for my Pelikan 600 M to get here, and again I wanted to use this in rotation for notes at work. I'm a bit optimistic on this one . . . I dipped a F caligraphy pen and wrote a bit in the Moleskine, and got just a very small bit of feathering. The lines were very wet because of the dipping, so I think I'll be OK with the actual pen.

So that's five inks OK, and one really bad. I'm really guessing it's the ink and not the pen, as I see no reason the pen should cause this.

Aside from the feathering with Dark Purple, I like the Moleskine. It's sized right (about 7.5" by 9.75"), has grids which I love, and I can justify paying $5 for a nice 120 page notebook. I only wish that they made the hard-covered notebooks with the elastic in the XL size (though then they'd likely be beyond my cost threshold).

I guess now I just need to decide whether to abandon using Purple ink in these journals (ouch! my favorite color!), find a new purple that doesn't feather (actually the skrip purple is nearly the same as the SP Dark Purple, just a bit lighter . . . but I hate to waste a full bottle of the SP), or keep on searching for a new paper alternative . . .

EDIT: Curiosity got the best of me. I filled my Sheaffer with the Emerald Green, and it feathered about like the purple. I also filled my Lamy with the Dark Purple, and it also feathered . . . perhaps worse than the Sheaffer. I guess these two Swisher inks just do not go well with a Moleskine. Refilled the Lamy with Nile Ebony, and it writes beatifully. I may be offering some inks up for sale . . .

Okay. I have a new 18 month Journal, large size (I have given up on all of the rest because of poor paper quality) and the pages are thinner than my other notebooks, but no bleeding or feathering and the paper, both sides, is buttery smooth. Just when I have given up on them, they seem to have gotten it right.

Kath

I guess now I just need to decide whether to abandon using Purple ink in these journals (ouch! my favorite color!), find a new purple that doesn't feather (actually the skrip purple is nearly the same as the SP Dark Purple, just a bit lighter . . . but I hate to waste a full bottle of the SP), or keep on searching for a new paper alternative . . .[/font][/size][/color]

The Waterman Purple Ink does not feather or bleed through my Moleskine pocket notebook. Give it a try if you like to use purple with your Moleskine.

Aldo

Hi Nigel ...
Its a known problem with Moles ...

Try Ciak journals ...

there's just something about these notebooks that are strangely addictive.

Though I do get a lot of feathering on mine.
Not so much with Lamy Blue with my EF safari, but it's a little worse with Pelikan blue-black and a F Accent.

What's worse is I've noticed it skipping a whole lot. The ink just wont want to stick to the pages at some places....sigh...

The older books (bought 2005) that I own don't have a problem. The new ones that I own do - these are bought from end of 2006 onwards. My suspicions are that the manufacturing process has changed so the mix of old and new books out there creates an impression the books have a consistency problem when it is a problem of a changed product.

I have a question. Does the feathering/bleeding problem go away with time? I noticed that after approx 3 months to a year, the paper ages and reduces the problem and I can start to write with a fountain pen again. Is this possible or has my expectations reduced without my noticing?

Hi Guys,

Well I thought I would give Moleskine one last try and bought the 2008 planner in Red and the large lined notebook in Black from a different retailer.

Same problems and worse, (feathering, bleed through) won't be buying ant more Moleskine's they are just not worth the money.

Store assistant said I was the 9th person in 4 days who had mentioned these problems (they had been logging complaints as they had been getting more and more over past 8 months) and once this batch were sold they would no longer be stocking Moleskine products!!

Regards to one and all and have a great Friday.

Nigel

3 different sizes, lined and unlined
many pen and ink combos
they all feather

That is really weird, Nigel. Apart from some show-through and a bit of bleed-through when using very saturated inks, I really haven't had the problems you have. I did have a theory that it must be because European stock was sourced differently from that in the U.S. - ours does not say China anywhere on it, which it would have to if made there. So back to the drawing board....

However, even though we are ripped off at every turn when it comes to pens, in the UK I think we do very well for paper and stationery. Look at the stir Red 'n' Black has made on here, and that's very run of the mill by UK standards. In the high street we've got Rymans, Paperchase, Muji, Stationery Box (now Partners) and good old W.H. Smith, all of whom have a huge range of unique stuff. Then there's Conqueror, which seems to have no equivalent on the other side of the Atlantic. Even Tesco sell great paper! American visitors should forget about pens and just bring an extra suitcase to fill up with stationery, IMO.

Moleskine does have the thin lines and cream paper combo, but [email="http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp"]Muji[/email] cahiers have both, are cheaper and will not feather or suffer from show-through.

John

Hi John

Thanks for the reply.

Yes I agree we do have some excellent paper here in the UK, it was just I liked the look and feel of Moleskine, but having had so many problems with them over the past few months I can no longer justify the expense on what IMHO is an inferior product.

IMO the paper stock being used has changed as our comrades in the USA rarely seem to have this problem and I didn't get this problem with a Moleskine 2 years ago, it just seems to be over the past 6/7 months things have changed.

Kind regards
NIGEL

I didn't see any mention of Montblanc Blue-Black ink, which has given me very good results in my large and small lined Moleskines. Not only does this ink not feather or bleed through on the Moleskine paper, but it's also waterproof (an iron gall ink), a good feature for a traveling journal. I recommend giving this ink a try.

My main working ink is Waterman Florida Blue, and that does tend to bleed through just a bit, but it's tolerable to me. I consider a bit of bleed-through a trade-off for the thinness of the Moleskine paper, which is how they get so many pages in such a small package, a good feature. Moleskine paper is about 10% thinner than typical 20-lb bond paper, and even bond paper can respond poorly to some inks.

I do all of my Moleskine writing with these two inks. I've had trouble with wetter inks like Herbin and Omas, which, though I like the colors, bleed through too much on Moleskine paper.

Thats a good question and I hope someone that really knows chimes in. First I thought maybe it had something to do with the sizing(with the exception of blotting paper, all paper has a waterproof coating). I thought maybe it was still being absorbed by the paper but that would mean it would be harder to write on in the begging. Maybe it is still setting up and some parts of the paper has more and others less?? Not at all sure if that is possible. I guess it all depends on the sizing formula.

My only real complaint abut the moleskine paper is the ink doesn't dry fast enough for me. Large grid of recent vintage with noodlers BP black out of medium nib swisher kaweco ED. I think this may be from the grids actually....ink doesn't stick to them.

Maybe your ink is drying out and flowing less into the paper less?

Wish I could offer something useful

matthew

I thought of some things that should be added: Sizing is probably added to the pulp in commercial papermaking and what we call good writing paper is most likely a combination of sizing type/quantity and paper thickness/fiber.

I haven't found this to be so - I have a few completed moleskines that have a few blank pages left in the end that I've been using as ink/pen test pages; and if an ink feathered several months ago, it still feathers.

One thing I have noticed - the feathering that may occur while writing becomes less noticeable to my eye by the next day.

I know it's a PITA to find the right ink/pen to work in a moleskine. Yet I can still see myself continuing to use them, just because no other notebook I've used has the durability and convenience of the hard cover, elastic, pocket, perfect size for my carry bag, etc. So I have two moleskine dedicated pens with friendly inks, and use other pens in different notebooks.

I got tired of being disappointed... I finally gave up on them. YMMV...

I use a medium point Kaigelu fountain pen with both Herbin and Noodlers ink in a large lined Moleskine. There's no feathering with either ink. There is very slight bleedthrough with Noodlers, but so slight I can live with it.

I've taken to making Moleskine knockoffs (not reloads; instructions here: http://www.tjbookarts.com/documents/hedgehogbook.pdf) because I go through the Moleskines so fast it gets expensive. So if you've a problem with bleedthrough/feathring, you can design your own Hedgehog and use whatever pen/ink on the paper you choose.

I've read that the book blocks are made in China while the books are bound in Italy. So, no surprise the paper is inconsistent. I've used cheap chinese paper-bound books for years as they were readily available in dollar stores, so the paper quality isn't bothering me - I know what to expect. From what I've seen at artists' boards, some are happy with the sketch and watercolor moleskine, others despise the paper. Especially the quality of the watercolor paper.

On the other hand, I find it interesting that a book that costs 5 pounds (~$10) in England costs approximately 8 pounds ($17) at Barnes & Noble in the States. I guess the distance between Italy and the final destination counts. But... it's another reason for me to make my own Moleskines/Hedgehogs.

Thanks for posting that link.

Maybe it is the Coriollis (sp, fer shure) effect in the Southern Hemisphere?????

I have heard so damn much about Moleskine planners and notebooks and how they are the greatest...and resisted the urge... I had never really seen the need and when I saw the price at the NJ/NY show I saw the need even less.

Wandering around Amazon about three weeks ago, I saw the 3 cahiers/plain journals (80 pages/last 16 sheets detachable) for USD10. Bought two sets of three. Figured it was a good test.

I am neither impressed or underwhelmed. I am using everything from a Wing Sung with Noodler/FPN Gallelio Brown to a True Writer with Lev Bahamas Blue to an Estie Dip-less with MB Black (hey, I gotta use it up somehow...) to a Valor with Skrip Black to...you get the idea...I keep a lotta pens on the desk and use them...

So far I have seen no bleed-through, nor do I see any feathering (through a 2x loupe). The paper seems to have a nice tooth, but is not overly aggressive. Gold or steel nib, Oriental XXF to a TW B, all seem to behave nicely.

But I get the same basic behavior from Rolla, Staples 20# All Purpose and a couple of other papers that are one heckuva lot cheaper. True the binding and provence of the Moleskine has a ream of Staples paper beat all to hell and back...but I can get nearly a half-case of the Staples paper (5 reams/2500 sheets) for what I paid for the 480 half-sheets of the Moleskine...

Sooooo....would I buy the Moleskine again? Probably, just out of perverseness. But not out of thinking it is the only paper I ever want to write on...

YMMV...mine sure does...

Bill

Wednesday_mac,

The link does not work, and searching around the site, I found nothing that looked like it might be applicable.

Donnie

I think it's just the way it's typed in, I got to it by deleting the closing bracket after the .pdf. The instructions look great!

Try this:

http://www.tjbookarts.com/guides.htm

Click on the Simple Sewn Book Tutorial

Thanks for the link Izzy, extremely informative post...tempted to make my own 'Hedgehog' in Clairefontaine ;-)

Here is another solution for those having problems with Moleskines paper feathering. Try ironing the paper gently. There is a story to this.

Quoted from some chat messages:

uncoated papers can be sealed easily by gently ironing them
that's how butler's treat newspapers in the morning so that the masters do not carbon coat their fingers while reading

added text: low heat and through cotton btw:

I have no moleskines paper with me so am not able to verify if this works

James

Hi you all!!

I'm actually new here... never wrote anything on this net, but... figure I can share my limited experience with moleskine (limited experience period!!).

My Parker "51" seems to work well with Pelikan blue. Also Swisher Emerald (I believe is made by Noodlers) works great too!!

Peter Paul

Montblanc Mindnotes might do the trick. They retail for slightly more than Moleskine, I think $15.00, don't know how much someone could actually pick them up for. I have seen both harback and softback, as well as lined and blank. The ones I have seen are the same size as the pocket moleskine and I think they come in larger sizes as well.

I have no problems using a Lamy Al-Star with blue Lamy cartridge on a large lined Moleskine journal. In fact, the result is better than that with my Sheaffer rollerball. We'll see what happens with the next ink I use.

Dan

Wow, I must have gotten lucky with my combination, then, as my Namiki VP with a fine nib works wonders in my Moleskine using Noodler's BP Black. I suppose another brand/color of ink may have produced feathered results, but considering I'm pretty stuck in my ways as far as color/brand is concerned, luckily, I don't have much to worry about.

That said, I'm still on my first Moleskine, and by the sound of things, my next one could offer totally different results. Time will tell.

But as far as I'm concerned, the combination of F nib/Noodler's BP black is just dandy for the Moleskine!

I use a PelM800, med nib, with Waterman Blue, and the results are also great, no bleeding, no feathering. I have used Pelikan 4001 blue, blue-black and black, also with excellent results.