I've been on something of a hunt for the moleskine-killer: a notebook that can match the functionality of the moleskine's hard black cover, sewn signatures that lie flat, back pocket and elastic, but with more reliable and consistent paper quality, particularly for use with fountain pens.

Quo Vadis is an Exaclair product and the Habana notebook is reputed to be filled with Clairefontaine paper. I have used the QV planners in the past, and the paper does indeed look, feel, and behave like Clairefontaine - smooth, white, and FP-friendly.

Habana notebooks are not available in my town, but on a recent trip to Calgary I stopped at Reid's Stationers and picked up the 10" x 15" ruled notebook. This is really a larger format than I like to use, but it was the only size available in the store that day.

The Habana resembles the iconic Modo e Modo moleskine, with stiff black leather like covers (though slightly more flexible), rounded page corners, back accordion pocket, elastic, and bookmark - woven instead of satin. No big surprises there. What I really wanted to find out about was the paper quality - and here is where my experience differs from bluestocking, who wrote an excellent review here. The paper in my Habana does not have the silky feel that I expected from a Clairefontaine product. It feels more like the paper in my Mead composition book - which is good paper, for a $3 notebook. But the Habana is not a $3 notebook. It feels nothing like Rhodia, Clairefontaine, or the Quo Vadis planners I've owned in the past. It feels toothy running your hand over it, and this is confirmed by writing - I tested several pens and inks on it, and the worst was my Sailor 1911M medium - my smoothest nib by far. Writing on this paper made my pen feel scratchy - in fact, I had to keep some Rhodia notepaper nearby to write on intermittently to assure myself that the tines didn't suddenly spring out of alignment or catch a fibre. There isn't any doubt that it was the paper causing the scratchy feeling.

I am utterly baffled that as a clear competitor to the Moleskine, the Habana still fails to come out ahead in the paper department. Although there is less feathering and bleedthrough on this paper, the writing experience is made so unpleasant by the toothiness of the paper that one can hardly bring oneself to use it. I'm astonished that the smooth writing one would expect from the same company that produces Rhodia and Clairefontaine is not to be found in this product - and thus the Habana has no advantage over the Moleskine for me.

All that said - I find it interesting that bluestocking's Habana, presumably bought in the UK, does meet the expected standards. Perhaps inferior products were shipped to the colonies?*
If someone tells me "oh no, I bought a Habana in Canada and it was excellent, I would be inclined to drop Quo Vadis a line to ask if there have been paper inconsistencies. But for now, I have not been won over by this particular moleskine alternative.

*ETA: I noticed on bluestocking's thread that someone in Vancouver apparantly bought a good Habana. Hmmmph. Maybe they're shipping inferior products to the prairies.

Thanks for the review. Oddly enough, I saw this RIGHT before I was about to order a Habana notebook from an online store in BC. Sad that the paper is so inconsistent though, I guess it's back to my moleskine, despite the feathering. I don't understand why it's so difficult for these manufacturers to just use decent paper in their moleskine-like notebooks. Oh well, maybe someday.

oh, go ahead and order it! It seems that someone in BC did get a good one. You must write a review when you get it, though

I did take another look at the store and the Habana, but it turns out that they charge $25 for shipping from BC to ON! As much as I want a quality notebook, $20 for the Habana + another $25 for shipping seems rather excessive. In fact, I think ordering directly from the UK might actually be cheaper!

Edit: I did end up ordering one from Quo Vadis in the UK, I'll be sure to add my thoughts on the notebook once I receive it!

Just out of curiosity, where is this online store you're looking at? I'm wondering if they have a physical location I can drop in at...

Why is this so difficult? All we want is a moleskin clone notebook with decent paper - are manufacturers listening? I'll speak more clearly. MAKE A MOLESKIN TYPE NOTEBOOK WITH FP PAPER THAT IS CONSISTENT FROM ONE BATCH OF BOOKS TO THE NEXT. Have a reasonable price and you will sell plenty. Rhodia Webnote reviews are already suggesting great book but Rhodia has compromised on the paper so there's another ray of hope shot down.

Hi goldkiwi,

I found them here: https://store.opusframing.com/sagro/storefr...p;category=2701. I believe they do have B&M stores in BC, and even the shipping is reasonable if you're within the province, but the shipping price is outlandish to anywhere not in Western Canada. $25 to ship a notebook? yeah right.

Oh, excellent! There's an Opus within walking distance from my apartment, I'll have to look for these! Ouch, yeah, the note book is pricey to begin with, but to have to pay more for shipping than for the item itself is one of my greatest peeves!

Hey guys,

I'm the one that found some in Vancouver. I have to admit, I've since stopped using the notebook and switched back to Moleskine for few reasons:

1. The notebook just can't lie flat! At first, I thought since the notebook was relatively new, and that I hadn't written much in it, the inability to lie flat as due to the low number of pages I had used. I endured, and still, nearly half way into the notebook, there is such a pronounced hump in the middle of the notebook that it is extremely difficult to write on the back of the pages! So that was a no no pour moi.

2. The cover. It's a somewhat "hard" cover, but still much softer than the Moleskines. I found that when I was writing, sometimes the front cover would actually bend as I rested my weight on the notebook to write on the backs of the pages. Quite uncomfortable!

3. The paper. My notebook had very waxy and smooth paper, much like the Rhodia pads or other Claire Fontaine products. Yes, it was a bit thin, but that wasn't too much of a problem. Basically, after about a month of usage, I found that the paper was a bit too smooth and waxy, and that drying times took forever! And, it was just a tad too thin when using some inks. There was no bleed through, but one could clearly read what was written on the previous page.

All in all, a decent attempt, but for someone like me who likes to write on the backs of pages, the notebook's inability lie flat and it's softer cover were the deal breaker for me. The paper, while much smoother than my moleskines did not offer a significant performance boost to really way me. Yes, it was smoother, but over all, the feathering and bleeding was pretty much the same as my plain moleskines. Although, I must say Baystate blue had no bleedthrough at all with this paper.

That's my mini-review after the initial excitement wore off. In the end I returned to my Moleskines!

Regards,

Aaron

Even with the Clairefontaine paper, there was still feathering? That's fairly disappointing to say the least.

Sorry, I should have been more detailed. What I was trying to say was that there is little performance gain, because my Moleskines rarely feather or bleed through. Thus, to me, the performance was about the same.

There is no feathering nor bleed through with this paper, unless you use Baystate Blue. Also note, the paper is very thin, so if you write on the back of the page, you WILL see the ink from the other side.

Sorry for the confusion!

Hi,

I don't know about availability in your area, but several of us agree that the Markings by C. R. Gibson (available at Target stores) are excellent. And real leather! Well, for some folks that is bad but I like it.

Start here.

I seem to recall running my hands over the paper of the lined habana in the shop, and noting that it felt toothier than the smooth unlined that I got. I'm thinking it's not a matter of paper manufacturing inconsistency as much as perhaps they just used different paper altogether for the lined versions. Something to investigate further, but I am still quite happy with mine.

Wow, that's interesting that your paper experience is so different from mine! Drying time isn't an issue in mine at all. Actually, to be honest the paper performs very well. It's just not pleasant to write on because of the scritchy feeling. Other than the scratchiness, it certainly outperforms the ruled moleskine I'm using right now, which I hate so much I'm ready to stab it with a basilisk tooth. There are three inks I can use in it without bleeding. On the other hand, my 18 month moleskine planner is perfect. I can use ANY ink and pen on it.

So....it seems that a good Habana is better than a bad moleskine, but a bad Habana has no advantages over a good moleskine.



Now that is interesting. I might stop at Opus and to pick up a blank one when I'm in the Vancouver area this spring. Because I'm a glutton for stationary punishment.

Haha.. yes that sounds about right. Although, I dare say a good habana offers little advantage over a good moleskine!!!

Hi everyone,

I just received my Habana today! I'll write up a detailed review in a few days time, but for now, I have to say that the unlined version I received has met my expectations in every way possible. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a Moleskine replacement that will not feather!

oh, man! I'm glad you got a good one - looking forward to your review. So, the secret is, to buy the unlined one, from somewhere that's not Calgary?

eta: I checked further back in the thread - did you order from the UK, then?

I did order from the UK, straight from Quo Vadis. Interestingly enough, ordering from the UK cost about $25CAD while ordering from BC would've been about $40.

Ok, here's my review of it!

---

In my search for a moleskine-like notebook with good paper, I purchased an unlined Quo Vadis Habana notebook. As some may know, Quo Vadis is a company that primarily manufactures agendas and address books, using the FP-friendly Clairefontaine paper. The cost of the notebook was £12.72, including £5 for shipping from the UK to Canada, for a total of £17.72. Pricier than the moleskine, no doubt, but is it worth it?

-

Let's talk about the size, exterior and whatnot of the notebook.

The Habana that I purchased is the smallest size that Quo Vadis offers, roughly 4 x 6". This falls somewhere in between a small and 'regular' sized Moleskine, which for me is perfect. I never really liked the smallest moleskine, due to its size; and the larger one tended to be a little too big for me to carry around. However, the Habana fits perfectly in my jacket pocket, or the back pocket of my jeans (albeit a bit uncomfortably).

The cover of the Habana is leather, but not nearly as rigid as the Moleskine, it has a bit of flex in it, which can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. It's very soft though, to the point where the elastic that holds the notebook shut actually made an imprint in the cover while it was being shipped over. It's a minor flaw and one that I'm willing to easily overlook. In general, the Habana looks a lot more professional and classy to me than the Moleskine. It wouldn't be out of place shifting some paradigms and revolutionizing out of the box (insert more mindless business jargon here) in some big corporate meeting; whereas the Moleskine seems like more of a casual, rugged notebook. That's just the impression it gives off to me though, they actually don't look that much different than each other.

-

Paper
There isn't that much to say about the paper itself. It's very, very smooth, and it reminds me of my Clairefontaine notebooks. The colour however, is not the clean white that one would expect from a Rhodia or CF notebook, but an ivory. In terms of FP-ink tolerance, I've written with my Pelikan M200 (F nib), Lamy Safari (F nib) and a Pilot Capless Decimo (F nib), with both Diamine Kelly Green and Aurora Black inks, and I've seen zero feathering or any of the nasty issues that plague my moleskines. Drying times are somewhat of an issue since the paper is so glossy feeling, but it's really not all that bad. I just can't write something and quickly shut the book, it needs a couple of seconds (at least) to dry. In addition to this, the paper is rather thin, so there is that distinct echo (not bleedthrough) on the other side of the page. I find that moleskines have the same problem anyhow (including bleedthrough!) and given the thinness required of the paper, it's not really a big deal.

All in all, I'm extremely happy with my Habana. The design is very similar to a moleskine (in my opinion, I'd say better), and the paper works excellently. I highly recommend this notebook to anyone who's tired of moleskines aggravating paper issues. I just hope that more Canadian retailers will start stocking it soon, so I don't have to pay nearly $30 to get it shipped from the UK!

Just to say I have grid and lined small Habanas and a grid A5 (larger) all bought from UK and the paper is identical in all of them - fantastic! I have a cut sheet of blotting paper which I just insert to blot any excess ink. I have had no feathering/ bleedthrough at all with any ink I've used so far - including Diamine Dark Green which bleeds through on many papers which are otherwise OK. There is an echo - but not terrible. I think the soft cover may be more of an issue with the larger notebook if you want to write on your knee, but with the pocket size is not really a problem. I've also found that the cover stands up really well to wear and tear, in my use better than the moleskine. (Oh, and a moleskine cahier fits perfectly inside- the back cover tucks into the Habana pocket and the elastic secures it all neatly.) I have to say I love this notebook and really hope the paper quality doesn't start to vary.

Thanks for the additional reviews!

Well, it seems worth my while to try again. I almost feel like I should order one from the UK for comparison. The paper from mine is so different from what the rest of you are describing - not just the toothiness, but the fast dry time. I have no drying issues in mine at all. I've tried mine again a few times and noticed that the paper in the middle of the book is smoother than the pages at the ends, which is puzzling enough. But even so, those smoother pages are still not Clairefontaine glossy.

Hi all,

Leah Hoffmann from the Quo Vadis blog here. I just wanted to let you all know that there's no difference between the UK and Canadian versions of the Habana, though the paper in the U.S. version has slightly heavier paper (you can read more about it here: http://quovadisblog.com/2008/05/15/moleskine-v-habana/). I'm sorry if you've been experiencing inconsistencies in the quality, however -- will pass that info on to our manufacturing centers.

Thanks,

Leah

Thanks for popping in, Leah! I posted my comment at the QV blog, but I may as well add it here for consistency



I should add - I am extremely impressed at the Leah's response, as a manufacturer representative. That's more reply than people typically get from Modo e Modo, which is one more reason for me to keep trying these notebooks

So there is no difference but the paper is different. OK.

Pete, I think Leah was trying to say that the paper source used for Habana sold in Canada is the same source as that used in the UK.

So, (my rambling thoughts now), differences in manufacturer source should not be the reason that my notebook feels different from the ones bluestocking, aka, and jot have. She doesn't at the moment have an answer for why mine is different. Every once in a while I wonder if it's my imagination! But then I'll write a few lines in my Habana after writing a few in my CF, and I'm pretty sure that's not it

The Habanas about to be released in the US are made in New York, according to her blog post.

I have no idea where the Australian ones, if there are any, will be made!

I have emailed Leah to try and source them closer to Australia as I don't think they are available here as yet. They sound great but so far evey notebook that sounds great seems to have a small negative - just like the Rhodia webnotes that had me all excited. Ordered them from the US and they arrive only to find Rhodia has compromised the quality of their paper.
This really shouldn't be so difficult!

Thanks for the info; I saw some QV last monday and I was tempted to get some, but I got some Rhodia ePures (large size), and some moleskine volants pocket instead.

The QV pocket I saw were the same price than the pocket moleskines, and if they don't offer a better paper or price than the moleskine, I doubt they'll live long.

I recently got some Liderpapel (another Spanish brand) which were 2€ the pocket one and 3€ the large one!! Ok, they're not as nice, but they very well made.

Then I have a pocket paperblank I got from my girlfriend.

Juan

To be perfectly honest, while I am satisfied with my normal UK Habana, the thought of a Habana with the standard white 90gsm CF paper has me weak in the knees as that's what I've been HOPING for all along. Why are the European versions different, and who can I order an American version from online? It's always the way... you think you've found something only to find out someone else has got it even better!

I just received a Habana ordered directly from Quo Vadis in the UK (thanks for the info, jot!) and oh boy! If this had been the first Habana I'd gotten rather than the one I wrote about at the start of this thread, my review would have been completely different.

GREAT paper. Exactly what I was expecting from a Clairefontaine product - smooth, semi-gloss, and incredibly fountain-pen friendly. I've tried a number of pens and inks on it, and they work beautifully without feathering or bleeding, the writing is smooth and effortless with no problematic drying times. The paper is definitely thinner than in a regular Clairefontaine notebook, and also a little thinner than in a Rhodia tablet, but it's still pretty good. It's smoother than moleskine paper, but has that nice buff colour and the sort of "snap" that I like about moleskine.

So, I have had two diametrically opposite experiences with this notebook. Maybe it is a difference between ruled and blank, I don't know. I would say that if you are at all fussy about the feel of your paper, make sure you open up the notebook before buying it to make sure you don't get a toothy version like I did with my first one. In theory, the paper source for the Canadian books should be the same as the UK ones, so there is still no satisfactory explanation for the difference. But different they certainly were.

This second notebook was the smaller 4" x 6" version and also lies flatter than the larger one I got earlier. I have no idea why.

Of course, the true test of a notebook in this size, especially head-to-head with moleskine, is how well it will hold up being carried daily. I'm nearly at the end of the pocket moleskine I'm using now, so I'll use this Habana from then on. The other factor, which might not matter so much to other people, is how it holds up for sketching. Probably 50% of my pocket moleskine is sketches and some watercolor wash, so it will be interesting to try it with the Habana.

I hope the paper inconsistency I experienced is a rare event - if they are usually like the one I received this afternoon, the Habana is a pretty strong sub for a moleskine, and from recent reports, may beat out the new Rhodia webnotebook for FP friendiness.

Thanks for the update, limesally. I'm glad that I wasn't taking crazy pills in thinking that mine had better paper, and also glad your investment in shipping from the UK was worth the hassle!

Yeah, I thought *I* was maybe taking crazy pills for finding my first one so unsatisfactory. But they really are different to me. It's possible that I could hand them both to somebody with a less fetishistic interest in pens and paper, and they would feel no difference whatsover and be convinced I was nuts. I think it's just part of my larger scale sensory issues, like the way I have to cut tags out of my clothing, and can't stand crunchy peanut butter.

Not to hijack your thread or anything, but when you mentioned sensory issues I had to chuckle. My 6 year old son has these bad! His shoes have to be tied 'just-right' so they aren't too tight and aren't too loose. He refuses to wear some of his clothes because they don't feel good. When we're out walking he stops every 30 yards or so to pull his socks up because he can't stand them being a little loose.

Needless to say, this drives me and my wife nuts, but we're trying our best to be very patient and understanding.

One more update about Habana paper and such... as I just explained on our blog:



Cheers!

Leah

I had a childhood friend who had a similar problem. He didn't like shoes at all and would take them off any chance he could get. He refused to wear anything except cotton. We used to call him Gandhi.


But getting back to Quo Vadis Habana, you can't get any of those notebooks shipped to you without paying at least $25 in shipping if you're outside Canada? Yikes. Do they distribute their notebooks anywhere outside the US, or are they strictly a local operation?

This is good news! Thanks for the update!

oh, no, they're everywhere, I'm sure they are an international company - I just live in a dinky town. Shipping costs are always variable - in my case, and jot's, it actually cost less to have one shipped from the UK to Canada than within Canada.

I'm sure the Quo Vadis website will have information on both local and on-line retailers for each country.

I hope they get them out to more retailers soon. I live just outside of Toronto and I still had to order online because I couldn't find one locally.

As an aside, I'm glad to see you got a good one limesally!

Does anyone know if Quo Vadis uses the same paper with their planners? According to the website they use the 90g, acid-free paper on the Principal as well: http://www.quovadisplanners.com/catalog/principal

I will be buying it in the U.S.

Can I expect to use my fountain pen with this planner?

Thanks...

Quite likely. I've used Quo Vadis planners in the past - the Trinote, specifically, and the paper in it is FP friendly - at least with my pen/ink combinations. It is not the same paper as that which is in Habana right now (it's a heavier weight), but as Leah indicated above, that might change soon.

Well, I didn't find one that I liked better, so I ordered it. I'll be sure to post when it arrives.

Thanks!