Miquelrius Notebooks?

[BradGad]

Does anyone have experience with Miquelrius notebooks? FP friendly?

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Miquelrius-Bound-Journal-Black-SHEETS/dp/B011SC3ATG/ref=s9_simh_gw_g229_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=G1K5TR1JRRFMF76CDKCW&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1cded295-23b4-40b1-8da6-7c1c9eb81d33&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

 

[mwpannell]

Yes, and they are well worth a try. I use a smaller page-count for my daily journal/planner and have used the one you reference for other uses. (Personal preference, I generally don't want one so thick for ease of writing physically.) Obviously, depends on pen and ink as to how it behaves, but I classify it very FP friendly, handling majority of what I use with no to minimal shadow and rare bleedthrogh. I use fine nibs mostly. And I love squared paper so MR is a great choice for me. They hold up well physically, too. It is middle ground as to smoothness, I guess. Not glassy smooth, happily, like some but not overly toothy either. Yes, we'll worth a try, especially at the price. (About price, you might do better on price than Amazon. In store at B&N they are $10 if in stock and cheaper on the Miquelrius site-then there's shipping ...)

I have bought from Barnes and Nobles and mainly from the MQ site in bulk for the smaller page count books.

[Ada]

Yes, I use Miquelrius notebooks. The softbound journals you linked to have worked fine for me with my pens (which are extra fine and fine nibs). The paper in the larger A4 spiral bound notebooks (I use the square/grid ruled ones) is even better than that in the softbound journals; the A4 spiral bounds are my current favorite notebook. Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks will have better paper (I assume -- I haven't tried them), but they also have higher prices per sheet.

[mwpannell]

Ada, do the spiral bound have hard (old fashioned hard) covers?

 

I'll add this, too: having used Rhodia and Clairefontain, Midori and Tomoe River, etc., I wouldn't even say they have better paper--just different, all a matter of use and preference. MR paper in these notebooks is well within the bounds of FP friendly. I've got a half-used Clairefontain notebook I like but haven't gone back to because considering dimensions, smoothness characteristics and price I'm preferring MR for daily, workhorse use. I like Midori but prefer MR over it as MR is a tad less scratchy. I love Tomoe River but again, for day-to-day workhorse use it's not my preference. Hope all this rambling helps. You just need to feel good enough about it to spend the money, then you'll decide for yourself.

Edited February 25, 2017 by mwpannell

[Ada]

Mwpanell, no, the covers on the spiral bounds that I've bought and seen are vinyl which is thick and fairly stiff, but not unbendable. There's a picture showing one in a review I posted in the Paraphernalia Reviews and Articles forum. I'm glad to hear the more expensive notebooks don't have better paper, since I can't bring myself to pay more for notebooks than I have for the Miquelrius ones.

[amberleadavis]

I love my MR notebooks and they are very FP friendly.

[BradGad]

Thanks everyone... I'm happy with my Seven Seas, but this looks worth a try if I decide to stop "omnijournaling" and start a separate notebook for some aspect of my current journal... I tend to use fine nibs.

[inkstainedruth]

I really like the Milquelrius leather-look journals. The paper is pretty FP friendly (although obviously not to the level of Rhodia or Clairefontaine). I have a bunch of the 300 page ones, and the only issue I've had is that sometimes in the last couple the glue holding the signatures in has failed. But for the price, I think they're a good deal (although I wish I could get blank pages instead of ruled).

I also have a bunch of the little flip top notebooks, which they threw in at no extra charge as padding material (I was ordering six of the 300 page journals, the "medium size" ones), and the paper on them is nice as well. Don't know how the paper on the spiral bound notebooks match up, but my husband really likes the 5 subject ones (actually, what he REALLY used to like were the ones that Barnes and Noble used to sell which had different types of pages in them -- some graph paper, some lined, some having large boxes to do diagrams in...) but Miquelrius USA no longer seems to have those on their website.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[rollerboy]

I like their lined 80 page MR-1 notebooks with the 70 g/m2 paper. It's smooth but not too smooth, doesn't spread or feather the line, resists show-through, and I like the subtle grey lines at 7mm pitch. Overall it's my favourite fountain pen friendly paper and that includes comparison to Clairefontaine and Rhodia.

 

That said, I'm not entirely confident in the consistency of their paper quality. I ordered a pad of loose-leaf 70g/m2 paper (their loose-leaf is actually a side-glued pad) and it was abysmal in terms of line spreading. It doesn't appear to be the same paper as found in their MR notebooks. Similarly my first experience with their 90 g/m2 Diplomat notebooks was very good. The paper equalled and exceeded the 70 g/m2 paper in the MR's (as you would expect) the only downside being it was lined in various colours instead of grey. However, with my last purchase the Diplomat paper seemed to go downhill and it spreads the line quite noticeably.

 

AFAIK the 70 g/m2 paper in their notebooks is good stuff, but don't shoot me if it isn't. Until I get a bad batch, the MR-1 is my standard notebook.

Edited February 27, 2017 by rollerboy

[Bookman]

Ada, do the spiral bound have hard (old fashioned hard) covers?

 

I'll add this, too: having used Rhodia and Clairefontain, Midori and Tomoe River, etc., I wouldn't even say they have better paper--just different, all a matter of use and preference. MR paper in these notebooks is well within the bounds of FP friendly. I've got a half-used Clairefontain notebook I like but haven't gone back to because considering dimensions, smoothness characteristics and price I'm preferring MR for daily, workhorse use. I like Midori but prefer MR over it as MR is a tad less scratchy. I love Tomoe River but again, for day-to-day workhorse use it's not my preference. Hope all this rambling helps. You just need to feel good enough about it to spend the money, then you'll decide for yourself.

 

They are available in hardcover wirebound versions.

[mwpannell]

 

They are available in hardcover wirebound versions.

Thanks. Have you tried them? Satisfactory to sit on lap, take notes?

[BradGad]

Thanks for all the input everyone... right now I'm all about the Seven Seas, and don't need another notebook. I was just curious.

 

Wait! What the hell am I saying? I don't *need* all these pens and inks either! But it's my hobby now and I like having them. So that was a stoopid thing to say.

 

I better order one of these. It's good to have options.

 

Plus, clearly I *need* one of these notebooks because I'm going to start doing ink reviews soon, and it's my responsibility to FPN to present the inks on a range of papers.

[Bookman]

Thanks. Have you tried them? Satisfactory to sit on lap, take notes?

 

The short answer is no, I haven't tried this specific product. I have used the Miquelrius notebooks with the flimsy plastic covers, in both the A4 and A5 sizes; they contain the same paper as their hardcover counterparts. (The hardcovers are available in 8½x11/A4.) And I've used the hardcover wirebound Black N' Red notebooks, the covers of which feel the same to me as those on the Miquelrius. The 8½x11/A4 Black N' Red hardcovers have always provided me a with a satisfactory laptop writing surface. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these hardcover Miquelrius notebooks.