A quick pictorial comparison of the awesome Allan's oxford paper (onion skin) journal and the ubiquitous Moleskine pocket and large notebooks. PelikanM805 for reference.


In-depth comments about paper and performance in the latter part of this thread:

Cover shots: (battered) Moleskine pocket/Allan's journal/Moleskine large











Allan's has a VERY narrow rule: Allan's journal (4mm) /Moleskine large (6mm) /Clairfontaine clothbound A5 (8mm)




Allan's/Clairefontaine


Allan's/Moleskine


Allan's is a great little notebook!

Ryan.

How stiff is the cover? Does it offer decent support when writing away from a surface, or is it more like the Ciak or Miquelrius?

Don't have a Ciak or a small Miquelrius notebook to compare with. The leather is thicker than the faux leather Miquelrius A5 200pg notebook I have, but it is still very flexible. You can easily roll the Allan's journal into a C shape in your hand. Away from a writing surface might be a bit problematic - it's just wide enough that with one hand it's tough to keep open AND have enough of your palm under the side to be written on to be solid. Works great across your knee though!

Ryan.

Does anyone know of a supplier in the U.S.?

No need for that, although there might be one, the price on the allan's website includes shipping world wide!
So just get out your CC and order right away!

What is the website? I couldn't find this item through Google. Thanks.

http://www.bibles-direct.com/category.phtml?Category=64

Thanks to the review I've ordered one and looking forward to comparing it to my Habana journal.

Ronin

I haven't ordered one! Seems too expensive to me.

You can buy large lined moleskine reporters notebooks on Amazon UK from a US marketplace seller for under a fiver delivered.

Is the paper FP friendly? Perhaps a writing sample?

Thanks for the pictures!

Link to the post with writing samples

It stands up reasonably well, my visconty wall street LE isn't the pen to use for daily writing, but my Sailor Naginata Togi does reasonably well, and an older model Vanishing Point does work really good. But I like to use a pencil from Faber-Castell. They have a perfect pencil for every budget, from 8,99 plastic 29,99 in aluminium even up to 350 for a sterling silver one. You'll have an eraser, sharpener and pencil at the same time in a convenient packaging.
But back to the ink; I have some Smythsons as well and the Allan's Journal does hold up about the same.
IMHO a fiver for a Moleskine isn't bad indeed, but I think if you can spare the £15 you should really try one.
They are just so good for daily notetaking and using on the road that I bought some extra. (You asked for ten???? Yes, that is 10 (ten) new Allan's Journals if you have them, please?!?)
Sometimes I just wonder if this is too good to be true and to last for long!

One other thing I wonder about: I see people spend fortunes on fountain pens that they know even don't write that well or they even won't write at all with them.
I can understand that.
But I also see people complain about buying paper/notebooks for 20 or 15 or even 10 bucks as too expensive...?
I can perfectly understand that a notebook from Smythsons at £150 is a bit too expensive (on the other hand, when buying a FP of well over £500???)
but just a good bit of paper in a good way bound and with a good cover for 10 or 15 bucks?
If you look back at your notes and they are made on toilet-paper-like-paper, bound with glue (so after half way using, it starts to fall apart) and in a
plastic discolored cover, isn't that a bit of a shame for your all your efforts of note taking/sketching?
And the Moleskine's have some horrible paper. My regular pencil/office supply store (now 100-and-1 years in business) has them as well, but the paper is rough, thick but not heavy, yellowish-unhealthy and when using the sample with my Visconty it bleeded right through and feathered so much I wasn't even tempted the least bit of buying one.
Even though I journal with a pencil, it just didn't make me feel good!
But if it would be just a case of not having the funds, than a Castell 9000 pencil for 1,40 a eraser from Steadler for 0,80 and a aluminium sharpener for 1,35
will get your thoughts on paper and you'll have a very good smooth pencil for that money, and most likely some to spare for a decent bit of paper.
But I often see the same people buying/wanting Sterling YoL's, Mont Blanc's, Sailors or Conway's and that aren't the cheapest pens either. So do buy
a good piece of paper with such works of art / pens and postpone your newest FP for a week orso.

It is very well possible that this is my oddity as I can often wonder at good looks and feels of paper that comes out of a printer, a nice not-glossy good quality heavy paper with a nice color print is attractive to me, but also the best of the best writing paper like Crane's Bond's or double glued and satin finished paper.
I bought some hand-made French paper when I was in Paris in february last year. Really nice paper even though it is irregular shaped and surfaced.
Perhaps I should start a paper-junky-forum

Agreed! I always buy nice paper/notebooks even for scratch work, because it adds to the enjoyment of my work. The price difference
between good and great notebooks is never that much. BAsically, I am willing to go without a new ink... ;-) I still go back to my notes
from undergrad and it is wonderful to see that they have stood the test of time. (Although my handwriting was HORRIBLE back then).

I'm looking forward to your comparison (please let me know if I missed it)! I love the Habana, but they're switching to ivory paper this fall. I prefer white paper to show off my colorful inks! So, I'm on the lookout for a replacement (or, I'll wind up stockpiling Habanas, or going back to Exacompta Journey notebooks, which appear to have the same paper).