Image/Links & full review here

It's certainly starting to look as though I have a problem now, doesn't it? As many of you might know, I've been on a kick to find the perfect journal. Seems simple enough, doesn't it?

Not necessarily - especially if like me, you use a fountain pen as your daily writing implement. And why should that be an issue? Because many, many, types of paper are not tolerant of fountain pen ink. So why am I even using a fountain pen? Read all about that here.

I'll wait.

Okay, so now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's back to the paper. Many low grade papers found in office supply stores are not acceptable for these inks. Neither are many brands that you would find in some of the larger bookstores and stationary shops.

One of the most popular brands of journals in existence, is the Moleskine brand. At one time, (for about 200 years) Moleskine was a brand of journal that was used by some of the worlds greatest names. Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway- you get the idea. Around 1980, they went out of production and in 1998, an Italian company bought the rights to the name and started manufacturing the Moleskine notebooks as we now know them...by machine...in China. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing if they didn't cost $16.99 (large hardback model) and if the quality was consistent. (It isn't)

Now don't get me wrong, many many people, (including myself) use the Moleskine's on a regular basis. Take the Moleskinerie group on Flickr as just one example. Over 9500 people from around the world belong to that group, sharing images of the journals themselves, as well as their contents. So it's a pretty trendy thing, to spot the black book with the elastic band - so why am I so bent on finding a replacement for this book that so many people love so well?

Because of all of the dozens of brands and hundreds of colors of fountain pen inks, only a rare few will behave in a Moleskine. And by behaving, I mean not bleeding or feathering. (pretty much making a mess of your carefully thought out words.)

So if I don't like the paper, what DO I like about the Moleskine? What qualities am I looking for in my "Ultimate" journal? (If one should even exist...)

For one, I like the size of the large Moleskine, with it's rounded corners, (easy to jam in a purse without getting damaged) the elastic closure, (gives a certain sense of security) and the hard back cover. (Great for writing on the go. On your knee while waiting in an airport, doctor's office etc.) The fact that it LIES FLAT is a huge selling point for me. I can't stand writing towards a spiral or a hump. Ugh. {{{shudders}}}

And what's the most important quality that the Moleskine doesn't have? Quality paper. I personally prefer an off white paper with 5-6mm ruling (or unruled is acceptable) not too shiny, and no tooth. No bleeding or feathering with any fountain pen inks. I want to be able to use any size nib, with any brand/color and not have to worry about ditching a bottle of ink because I can't use it.

Check my archives and you will see that I have tested the following: Fabriano Classic Artist's Journals, Quo Vadis US Made large & small journals, Rhodia's ePure, Nomad Adventure Journals, Quo Vadis Memoriae, Apica Notebooks, Derwent Travel Journals and the Stifflexible from Italy.

And what's on the Horizon? What exactly are you seeing in the image above?

How about this: Ciak lined, unlined & colored paper versions. Mood. Cartesio. Field Notes. Kunst & Papier. Perhaps a few Miquelrius, and I should probably back peddle and review the Moleskine regular, sketch book, watercolor book and the Cahier's while I'm at it. And maybe the Rhodia squared too - just for fun. (because I already have one.)

So what am I missing folks? I've tried sheets of Clairfontaine, but I know that they don't have a hardback book that lies flat. I should probably pick up an Examcompta... I think I have a Pen and Ink on the way... Oh no... I'm starting to lose track!

And amongst the piles of notebooks, I promise that I will eventually get around to reviewing my two new fountain pens as well. A (F) Sailor 1911, and a (F) Lamy Studio.

So stay tuned - more reviews are a coming!

You might give the Piccadilly notebooks a try. I like the paper better than the Moleskines, but I'm not too sure about the construction.

Thanks for your teaser review. I like Exacompta journals, but they are not completely FP friendly. Even with an EF nib, there is some ghosting on the other side of the page. I haven't tried a medium or broad nib on an Exacompta, but I wouldn't expect good results.

Sorry to say that I currently only use gel ink pens in my Exacompta journal.

Have always enjoyed your reviews, and even more so, your quest.

I have been using Rhodia (80g/m) and Clairefontaine (90g/m) - Line spacing 8mm for the longest time, and these have become my reference standards for the ultimate journal.
The pages MUST stand up for fountain pen use.
The most important criteria is no feathering, follow by bleed through and then hard cover, thickness.
Ever since I started using stubs and Italics for my entries (at least at home), the no feathering, no bleed through factor became even more important. Fast absorption is also a concern as I really like to see the ink shadings in the line variations, not to mention all the different colours that I have bought, and mixed myself.

The last couple of years I have been using CIAKs, both the white (110g/m) and the colours (100g/m), line spacing 8mm, and neither exhibited any feathering or bleed through, and are very pleasant to write on, even though they're not glassy as the Clairefontaines/Rhodia. My only problem with these are their thickness, which makes writing to the edge and the bottom of the page diffucult because of the overhang. Also writing on the left page at the begining, and the right page towards the end of the journal because of the 'air' underneath the covers, and that the covers are not hard enough to support it. And they don't open flat.
I especially like the coloured pages (7 shades) as I can categorize my entries by colour.
CIAK also makes a "Travel Journal" which has the top page lined and the back blank.

I have also found journals by Peter Pauper Press very good for my above mentioned needs. No feathering, bleeding and the paper thicker than Rhodia, and at least in the 4 books that I bought, quality is consistant. The nice thing about these are their covers - hard and on some of them have magnetic foldovers which are great for protection of the paper. All the journals open flat, and are not thick. Problem - line spacing bit too wide (10mm).
Currently, for travelling, I am using their compact size magnetic cover, (8mm spacing) and using fine points (Japanese), a flex Pilot 742 FA for sketches with line variation and PR inks.

The Quo Vadis US, 90g/m has less pages and opens flat for comfortable writing, smooth paper and no feathering, but the size is too big other than for desk use, and the small one has weird flimsy pages.

I also have Clairefontaine Rainforest journals (2 sizes) that seems to have the best of both worlds, hard, magnetic foldover cover, opens flat, not that thick (112 & 128 sheets) and of course Clairefontaine white 90g/m paper. The only problem ( for me anyway) is the busy cover - leaves, plants and what lot, not quite the subdued look I am after, but closet to the perfect journal to date.

Oh well...the quest continues...but at least the Moleskines are a thing of the past now.

biffybeans, I think you have been taken in a bit with the marketing (i.e. complete lies) of the Modo & Modo company. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine (23 Sep, 08) and many other places.

Moleskine is just a brand name of an Italian company, there is nothing magical about their notebooks, none of the people you mentioned used a Moleskine, they just used a bound notebook. The Moleskines don't have the perfect form, especially if you get the smaller not-quite-pocket-size model.

They do fill a desire for people to have a certain style of journal, though, a desire we both apparently share with blackcover.net :-)

If you don't mind leather, overcome your dislike of big box retailers (as you mentioned elsewhere) and get to Target and get one of the Markings, by C R Gibson. There are 2 sizes, 3.5"x5.5" and 5"x8". Lined and graph. I haven't seen blank. Smooth leather (brown or black) and suede (tan or brown) in the larger sizes. In the smaller sizes the smooth leather and a (IMHO) horrid fake alligator skin pattern (for a dollar less).

I've heard some newer ones have yellower paper and don't like fountain pens. I got one meeting that description from Staples (and the cover isn't as nice, a 2 tone red and tan suede) but haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I'd love to hear your review, I'm still working on my first one, and I don't beat on it very hard.

The 5x8 lined in smooth brown leather has a UPC of 082272600652 and a model number of MJ5-4792. I didn't get the black leather in the larger size, but it exists. I'll try to get to Target (and Staples--my local Wal-Mart doesn't carry them) and get all the model #'s, UPC's, and descriptions. Nashville, where C R Gibson are based, is a bit far away, but next time I head north I might just see if I can stop by and visit them.

I am aware that Moleskine is a brand, much like Xerox is - (but will still tend to call copies "Xerox' - well, maybe not so more, but you get the idea...) but I wasn't specifically caught up in their marketing as much as I was virally. I belonged to a group on FLickr called "What's in your bag?" and it seemed as though almost everyone had a Moleskine, a Lamy Safari and an iPod in their bag. I wasn't yet writing at the time, so I didn't know what the options were. I was at a Blick store one day and I saw an end cap display of Moleskines, and something told me to pick one up and so I did.

Marketing or not, that single first Moleskine journal has *literally* changed my life. Tossed head first into writing on a regular basis, it's opened more doors for me in the last three years than you could believe.

So if it makes a person happy to spend $17 on a Moleskine, it doesn't matter as long as that little black book is encouraging people to WRITE. Cause that's what it's all about.

I really do not care to test/try brands that are manufactured *for* big box chains. It's a matter of ethics. The more stuff that's outsourced, the more the better quality stuff goes by the wayside. Just my 2 cents.

I have been using the large sized, squared and plain Moleskine notebooks since 2004. I do not care about brand names or Moleskine's history and I do find it maddening that a mass-produced, pleather, made-in-China notebook costs $18+. And the paper seems to get worse with the years -- to the point that I have been told by a nibmeister that Moleskines are responsible for my almost ruining one of my favourite pens.

...But I keep buying Moleskines, simply because with my lifestyle I have not been able to find a better system.

I want a notebook that:
. has a black hard cover
. has no words (such as "Journal" or "Hope") embossed on that cover
. is roughly an A5 size
. is bound, as opposed to spiral or hole-punched
. lies flat when open
. has rounded corners
. has a black elastic closure
. has a back pocket
. comes with blank and squared paper choices and not just lined
. has paper that accepts fountain pens without feathering or bleed-through
. has paper that does not ruin delicate nibs with a plywood-like surface

The Moleskines I've owned satisfy all of those requirements except the last point. What I want is a notebook that satisfies all of those requirements and the last point. Most of the Moleskine-alternative recommendations people give, satisfy the last point, but only some, if any of the other requirements.

I've just looked at the Piccadilly link posted by rcannonp (thanks for that) and those look promising, but they seem to be out of stock on the graph paper version. I emailed them and will see what they reply. Has anybody else tried these yet?

Excellent job with these reviews! I'm avidly following them, as I've been on a similar quest for the "perfect" journal. While we have some different requirements (e.g., I like thinner, whiter paper), we also share some similar preferences.

I've tried most of the journals mentioned, including Pen+Ink. Pen+Ink wasn't the answer to my personal perfect journal quest, either--I had trouble with inks feathering and line spreading with their paper. Plus, I found the paper too yellowish for my tastes (but then again, I love the bright white Clairefontaine paper). I also tried hand*book journals, but I found the paper too thick and toothy for my preferences. But there is no bleedthrough or even shadowing on the other side, since the paper is so thick. I can't remember if you've tried one or not?

Maybe Canteo notebooks? I believe the paper is off white, ruled, and the notebook has an elastic band (though it's diagonal across the top right corner) and rounded corners, and the cover is pretty stiff. I recently obtained one, but haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet.

I also picked up a Clairefontaine Rainforest journal, and hope to try that out after exams. The ruling width is a bit wide for my tastes, but the magnetic closure and hard cover is kinda neat. And of course, I love that Clairefontaine paper!

I'm currently using the Quo Vadis Habana, the Exacompta Journey, and the Exacompta Basics (5"x7") refills as my regular journals (yes, I have different journals for different things ). I really love the Quo Vadis small US Habana, but it's not perfect, so I still keep an eye out for a better journal! Hope springs eternal!

I have tried Canteo, and it is very pleasureable. Maybe a little bleedthrough, but only with extremeley wet nibs and ink prone to bleedthrough. No feathering, and the construction is superior. As soon as they come to the US, they will become my everyday paper along with HP 32# (I needed cheap not paper, as I go through up to 10 pages a day) and Black n Red.

Summary: Highly recommend Canteo.

-Nkk

I'm liking the Allan's Journal. Too bad it's $30, including S&H (give or take, depending on how feeble the dollar is the day they charge your Credit Card) and has to be ordered from Scotland. But it's very nice, and the paper is FP-friendly (so far, for me, YMMV, etc.). And it does have "Journal" stamped on the front of it in gold foil. Also, since it's bound in leather, is gilt-edged, and is the size of your typical pocket edition "Psalms and New Testament", it may have people confusing you with a street-corner preacher.

Mostly, though, I'm sticking with the Moleskines. I can live with the imperfections. Life isn't perfect, my writing isn't perfect, what I record is all in the stream of a busy life, why should the journal have to be perfect? I think of it as "character" rather than as "quality issues."

For $9 at Staples, the Markings journal provides all of that, except I haven't seen one with blank or grid pages. But then I don't look for those, so maybe they're out there.

I've been using this brand since the beginning of this year, and it's my favorite notebook.

I would totally buy that if it was at my Staples! But it isn't, and anything I'd save on the notebook would be negated by shipping costs. If it does show up, I'll definitely try it!