What Is The Fascination With Moleskine?

[max dog]

I have been using Moleskines since about 15 years ago or so.

 

I must confess that the marketing hype was decisive when I bought the first one. However, I think that if you set aside the unreliability when writing with fountain pens, they are a great product. In fact, I have tried alternatives but no one fit my needs as well, so I always go back to Moleskines.

 

In particular, I like the following features (which other users have already mentioned):

 

- The 9x14 pocket size is ideal for me. It fits coat pockets and even jean pockets if needed. Other sizes, like A5 or A6, aren't so convenient.

- The paper is very thin so you get a good number of pages without the notebook being too thick. Some alternatives with better paper are too thick and bulky to carry in a pocket.

- It's very light as well.

- The built-in bookmark, elastic band and inner pocket are very convenient, I routinely use them (many other notebooks now have these features as well though).

- I always use the same kind (classic plain pocket notebook, in hardcover) and their endurance is really good. You can throw them around without having to worry about them, you can take them hiking, to the beach, etc., and they will still be in excellent condition.

- The hardcover notebooks also can stand vertically, once I finish them I place them on a shelf where they are all sorted vertically.

 

I have tried other alternatives but none was so convenient in all these aspects. Most I have tried were either too bulky, too small, or too fragile. I have now ordered a Rhodia, due to the good reviews it gets here, but I suspect I may find it too bulky. But let's see.

 

By the way, although I'm aware of the bleeding problems with Moleskines and fountain pens, my Platinum Century #3776 with M nib and Platinum Blue-Black ink doesn't bleed at all in my current Moleskine. If instead I use Waterman Serenity Blue, there is only a little bleeding. I might have been lucky with the paper in this one, though. I have had significant feathering and bleeding with other fountain pens and Moleskines in the past.

I agree with everything you said about Moleskine. I find the little pocket in the back is great to carry around my business cards.

 

I tried to give Rhodia or Clairefontaine journals a try, but even the ruling is so wide, It's hardly practical for detailed note work. I think their pages are more geared to people using very broad italic or stub nibs that require large letter hand writing. The available "fountain pen friendly" journals are just not practical for my work use, so it is always Moleskine for me.

Edited December 16, 2017 by max dog

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I agree with everything you said about Moleskine. I find the little pocket in the back is great to carry around my business cards.

 

I tried to give Rhodia or Clairefontaine journals a try, but even the ruling is so wide, It's hardly practical for detailed note work. I think their pages are more geared to people using very broad italic or stub nibs that require large letter hand writing. The available "fountain pen friendly" journals are just not practical for my work use, so it is always Moleskine for me.

 

Have you tried blank paper? Seriously, write at any size you like. Someday I'll start a thread about why people think they need lined paper, and whether they really do. Although I expect there have already been threads on that.

 

I tried Moleskine for a single daily journal several years ago, and never had the extreme problems with the paper that other people mention. And I do like the overall design. But I had the opposite reaction to the lines, much too narrow. I have a stack of unused journals and notebooks to use up before I buy any more, some lined, some unlined. And that includes one Moleskine with unlined pages. When I get to it I'll have to see how it works with medium nibs. I used mostly fine nibs with the other one because of the narrowness of the ruling.

[bogiesan]

I don't get it.

Moleskine is just a brand and they make a type of notebook. You either like their products or you don’t. It’s your fascination with the fascination that needs explaining.

[Kalikrates]

In my quest for finding an alternative to Moleskine, I have ordered a Rhodia and a Leuchtturm 1917.

 

The Rhodia has great paper, but it is just too thick. About twice as thick about a pocket Moleskine, which makes it not pocket-friendly. And it has the same number of pages (I would have preferred if it had fewer and were narrower, though... I use Moleskines as workhorse notebooks that get carried in pockets all the time).

 

The Leuchtturm 1917 comes closer. Again, very nice paper. And apart from that, it has some details that I have always missed in my Moleskines, namely the index, and the page numbers (which I end up adding by hand). The notebook's construction also feels great. The only problem is that it is 1 cm taller than a pocket Moleskine. OK, this isn't such a big deal, it's only 1 cm (although it's noticeable and reduces pocket-friendliness). I will probably give it some use, taking into account the other advantages (paper quality, page numbering, etc.). But I still find the size of the Moleskines optimal so I think they will still be my primary notebooks for now, even if I use some Leuchtturms from time to time...

 

Stil looking for a brand that will give me a Moleskine-sized notebook, with the same features and endurance, and good paper. As the Leuchtturm would be if they had a model cut 1 cm in height.

 

 

I have been using Moleskines since about 15 years ago or so.

 

I must confess that the marketing hype was decisive when I bought the first one. However, I think that if you set aside the unreliability when writing with fountain pens, they are a great product. In fact, I have tried alternatives but no one fit my needs as well, so I always go back to Moleskines.

 

In particular, I like the following features (which other users have already mentioned):

 

- The 9x14 pocket size is ideal for me. It fits coat pockets and even jean pockets if needed. Other sizes, like A5 or A6, aren't so convenient.

- The paper is very thin so you get a good number of pages without the notebook being too thick. Some alternatives with better paper are too thick and bulky to carry in a pocket.

- It's very light as well.

- The built-in bookmark, elastic band and inner pocket are very convenient, I routinely use them (many other notebooks now have these features as well though).

- I always use the same kind (classic plain pocket notebook, in hardcover) and their endurance is really good. You can throw them around without having to worry about them, you can take them hiking, to the beach, etc., and they will still be in excellent condition.

- The hardcover notebooks also can stand vertically, once I finish them I place them on a shelf where they are all sorted vertically.

 

I have tried other alternatives but none was so convenient in all these aspects. Most I have tried were either too bulky, too small, or too fragile. I have now ordered a Rhodia, due to the good reviews it gets here, but I suspect I may find it too bulky. But let's see.

 

By the way, although I'm aware of the bleeding problems with Moleskines and fountain pens, my Platinum Century #3776 with M nib and Platinum Blue-Black ink doesn't bleed at all in my current Moleskine. If instead I use Waterman Serenity Blue, there is only a little bleeding. I might have been lucky with the paper in this one, though. I have had significant feathering and bleeding with other fountain pens and Moleskines in the past.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Kalikrates