Review: Medium Ruled Piccadilly Notebook - Mole Clone?

[biffybeans]

Click here for full review with Pictures

 

An array of Piccadilly products. Wire-O, The System, Notebook, and Leather Look.

 

While it certainly looks like a Moleskine, is the Piccadilly Notebook a suitable replacement for the well known and significantly higher priced Moleskine?

 

Piccadilly Small: 3.5" x 5.5" $5.21 - Moleskine same size, $10.00

Piccadilly Medium: 5" x 8.25" $7.46 - Moleskine 5.25" x 8.25" $$15.00

Piccadilly Large: 7.5" x 9.75" $9.71 - Moleskine - not available

 

Piccadilly Pages: Small 192 Medium and Large 240 - Moleskine same.

Piccadilly Line Spacing in Medium: 6mm - Moleskine same.

Piccadilly Hard cover, off white paper - Moleskine same.

Piccadilly Paper: 80gm Acid-Free - Moleskine weight unknown, Acid-Free

 

Piccadilly plain and graph versions are available, as is a soft cover version. (Same with Moleskine - though additional versions of the Moleskine are available as well.)

 

The Piccadilly isn't as wide as the Moleskine, and as I've been recently using journals that are wider than Mole, I feel that the Piccadilly is a little too narrow for my tastes.

 

Same number of pages - but it would appear that the Piccadilly is using a heavier weight paper. Both books have a ribbon bookmark and use an elastic closure - but the one on the Piccadilly is extremely loose. I used to have problems with the elastic on the Mole coming off in my purse and I really prefer a tighter closure. Spine is rounded on the Moles, and flatter on the Piccadilly - and to me, it actually feels too tight on the Piccadilly. Cover material on the Piccadilly looks similar to the Moleskine, but it's not textured like the Mole. Mole seems to do a better job at hiding fingerprints. Each books chooses to place their logos on the lower rear of their cover, making both of these journals very non-descript for those who love the "Plain Black Journal."

 

The Piccadilly, like the Moleskine, both opens flat and lies flat - but the sections do feel a little tight on the Piccadilly.

 

Large back pocket, but it is not reinforced with a heavier paper on the sides as is the Moleskine.

 

A word on the Piccadilly spine... remember how I said that it felt tight? The back cover isn't lining up properly.

 

you can also see the mis-alignment on the inside of the back cover.

 

Ruling is the same (6mm) in both books, but the ruling is much darker in the Piccadilly. Despite this poor quality image, the paper colors are similar, with the Piccadilly being ever so slightly more yellow than the Mole.

 

If you are not a fountain pen user, you can stop reading here. You will probably find that the inexpensive Piccadilly Notebook to be a good substitute for the Moleskine.

 

Fountain pen inks are water based, and are sometimes problematic on certain papers. Most fountain pen users find that very few inks will consistently write with no feathering, spreading or bleed-through in a Moleskine.

 

For the Fountain pen users, Piccadilly Paper is about the same slightly scratchy as you get in a Mole. Feathering, spreading & bleed-through is maybe a little better to about the same as a typical Moleskine.

 

An example of Herbin's Rose Cyclamen spreading in the Piccadilly.

 

In conclusion - if you don't mind a slightly narrower journal, and one that may have a little QC issues with the cover, than by all means - save your self a few bucks with a Piccadilly Notebook.

 

If you are a fountain pen user and are using a Moleskine, you may see a slight improvement in paper quality... or not, depending on the ink and nib width you are using.

 

Buy direct from Piccadilly. Also can be found at Borders bookstores.

 

Listed prices on Moleskine are from Moleskines.com

[bardharlock]

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

[biffybeans]

One thing to keep in mind is when you have something that isn't a "premium" product, there is a chance that they might not consistently use the same paper for their products. So... you have good one day, not so good the next. The graph paper may be from a completely different supplier. I tried 4 of Pic's products and each one had very different paper. (color, weight, etc.)

 

 

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

 

[bardharlock]

One thing to keep in mind is when you have something that isn't a "premium" product, there is a chance that they might not consistently use the same paper for their products. So... you have good one day, not so good the next. The graph paper may be from a completely different supplier. I tried 4 of Pic's products and each one had very different paper. (color, weight, etc.)

 

 

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

 

 

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. As far as I know, Piccadilly may be very choosy about their paper. I've never called or emailed to ask them, actually. Until then, I'm happy with what I have from them in the highest degree.

[inkypete]

One thing to keep in mind is when you have something that isn't a "premium" product, there is a chance that they might not consistently use the same paper for their products. So... you have good one day, not so good the next. The graph paper may be from a completely different supplier. I tried 4 of Pic's products and each one had very different paper. (color, weight, etc.)

 

 

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

 

 

Buying a "premium" product gives you no guarantees either. Moleskin notebooks are the most variable paper quality I have ever used - most times the paper is rubbish (for fountain pen) so price doesn't guarantee paper quality or consistency.

[JHeels]

I think that Piccadilly notebooks are a fabulous deal. Often times Borders will sell them at $3.99, $4.99, and $5.99 for S, M and L notebooks, respectively. Plus, you can sometimes get them on 3 for 2 sale at Borders. ...these little suckers are really the only reason that I go in a Borders anymore.

 

James

 

Note: This is my 100th post, yay!!

[pen2paper]

I think that Piccadilly notebooks are a fabulous deal. Often times Borders will sell them at $3.99, $4.99, and $5.99 for S, M and L notebooks, respectively. Plus, you can sometimes get them on 3 for 2 sale at Borders. ...these little suckers are really the only reason that I go in a Borders anymore.

 

James

 

Note: This is my 100th post, yay!!

congrats on the 100th:)

I missed the last sale..was ill, came in next day:(

When Anyone notices Picadilly's on sale again, please post the dates on FPN:)

[biffybeans]

I don't consider Moleskine to be a Premium product, just an overpriced one. When I think premium, I think Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Smythson etc.

 

One thing to keep in mind is when you have something that isn't a "premium" product, there is a chance that they might not consistently use the same paper for their products. So... you have good one day, not so good the next. The graph paper may be from a completely different supplier. I tried 4 of Pic's products and each one had very different paper. (color, weight, etc.)

 

 

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

 

 

Buying a "premium" product gives you no guarantees either. Moleskin notebooks are the most variable paper quality I have ever used - most times the paper is rubbish (for fountain pen) so price doesn't guarantee paper quality or consistency.

 

[biffybeans]

I appreciate your comment, but to me, an inexpensive priced product does not always equal a great deal. In fact, I usually find it to be the direct opposite- things falling apart faster, or wearing out quicker - you can spend more in the long run by replacing an inexpensive product over and over than if you had bought the better product to begin with.

 

I used to make jewelry, and when I started out, it was suggested that I buy the $7 jeweler's pliers. They lasted about a month. Then I bought a $10 pair, then a $15 pair and so on, till I finally broke down and bought the $35 pair that I should have started with.

 

I've too much invested in pens & ink & paper - and I don't just mean monetarily. I mean actual time used journaling with these products, and also in testing them. Once I had the opportunity to test and use high quality papers, there's just no going back.

 

If a person is truly happy with the quality/functionality of any product, cheap or expensive, then by all means - buy it.

 

 

I think that Piccadilly notebooks are a fabulous deal. Often times Borders will sell them at $3.99, $4.99, and $5.99 for S, M and L notebooks, respectively. Plus, you can sometimes get them on 3 for 2 sale at Borders. ...these little suckers are really the only reason that I go in a Borders anymore.

 

James

 

Note: This is my 100th post, yay!!

 

[dayonfire]

 

Hey, just had to comment on your signature quotation. One of my all time faves from movieland. Elwood P. Dowd rocks.

 

 

I commented on your blog, but I will do so here as well. When Piccadilly finally released the graph versions of their notebooks I ordered five of them from their website as I have no Borders locally. In my testing, all done with Japanese (Sailor) Extra Fine nibs, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Bulletproof Black, Zhivago, and three homebrew blue-blacks containing Violet Vote, Luxury Blue, Old Manhattan Blackest Black and Bulletproof Black; everything dries quickly, nothing feathered and there was little showthrough, and obviously no bleedthrough.

 

The loose elastic is solved quite easily by simply placing a few index cards in the back pocket. This is a habit for me anyway, as I always need extra paper to write addresses, phone numbers, recipes, directions or whatever to give to folks and I don't like tearing paper out of my notebooks. For me so far, Piccadilly's quality far exceeds that of Moleskine and at half to one-third the price, it is a no brainer - I am sticking with Piccadilly.

 

[PJohnP]

I appreciate your comment, but to me, an inexpensive priced product does not always equal a great deal. In fact, I usually find it to be the direct opposite- things falling apart faster, or wearing out quicker - you can spend more in the long run by replacing an inexpensive product over and over than if you had bought the better product to begin with.

 

I used to make jewelry, and when I started out, it was suggested that I buy the $7 jeweler's pliers. They lasted about a month. Then I bought a $10 pair, then a $15 pair and so on, till I finally broke down and bought the $35 pair that I should have started with.

 

I've too much invested in pens & ink & paper - and I don't just mean monetarily. I mean actual time used journaling with these products, and also in testing them. Once I had the opportunity to test and use high quality papers, there's just no going back.

 

If a person is truly happy with the quality/functionality of any product, cheap or expensive, then by all means - buy it.

 

Biff :

 

 

Well said.

 

I would make the comment that a lot depends on the context of how a person is using an item and how often. As a photographer, I'm often asked about lenses or other items like tripods where people don't want to purchase the higher end items. Tripods are something a photographer may use constantly or seldom, depending on their art. Those of us who use them all of the time quickly see the progression from buying the inexpensive to the moderate to the workhorse to the light carbon fibre high capacity tripod occur with new photographers. OTOH, the person who likes to take snapshots in fast moving nightclubs may not want or need that capacity at the much greater cost. Context.

 

The other piece to this is the last incremental edge of quality and how important that is for a given person. I often explain this as the difference between "Yes, this is a really good lens" and "Wow, this lens is incredible !" On something like the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and the 85mm f/1.4, the difference is not immense, sometimes rather subtle, but still quite definite. I've never regretted having "good glass" for my photography around the world, and I've never had a second's reconsideration of enjoying a nice pen inking good paper.

 

With the combinations of pens, nibs, inks, and paper, it's much more than a subtle matter to discern where the differences fall, how important those differences are to the writer/artist, and more to the point, just how remarkable a given difference may be in the context of the various combinations. To be able to make those determinations requires working with a substantial number of pens, nibs, papers, and inks, and then being able to both objectively and subjectively assess the differences.

 

That's difficult.

 

One of the reasons that I read your reviews, Biff, aside from the great humour and sometimes quirky comments, is that you're placing a lot of the comments in the context of the larger set of items you've reviewed. That makes the assessments more cogent to me, and while I'll obviously not agree with everything you propose as good or bad, it gives me a different benchmark than my own. What was that line in Tanita Tikaram's song Twist in My Sobriety ? Oh yes, "I don't care about their different thoughts. Different thoughts are good for me".

 

 

 

John P.

 

[biffybeans]

Thank you John.

 

And while I can't expect to address everyone's personal needs - I do try to see things from perspectives other than my own. Having the opportunity to test product from a wide range of price points is certainly helpful to see the bigger picture.

 

Here's one of my best examples for myself. I have used a few journals both cheap and expensive that had paper that didn't work for me one way or another. I typically hate ending a journal before it's finished, but I've found when I hate the paper I'm writing on.... I don't write as much. And what's the point of having a journal that you aren't using? When I have the right ink/pen/paper combination, I'm unstoppable. If my pen gets scratchy or the paper is wrong, it's frustrating. Because the door to my thoughts essentially relies on the tools I'm using to express it.

 

Sometimes I think about that in a different light. All of the things we bought or obtained with the idea of them being practical, but don't get used. I'm not speaking about frivolous items - but functional items that become dead weight because in the end, they aren't as comfortable to use, or they didn't perform as expected.

 

 

Biff :

 

 

Well said.

 

I would make the comment that a lot depends on the context of how a person is using an item and how often. As a photographer, I'm often asked about lenses or other items like tripods where people don't want to purchase the higher end items. Tripods are something a photographer may use constantly or seldom, depending on their art. Those of us who use them all of the time quickly see the progression from buying the inexpensive to the moderate to the workhorse to the light carbon fibre high capacity tripod occur with new photographers. OTOH, the person who likes to take snapshots in fast moving nightclubs may not want or need that capacity at the much greater cost. Context.

 

The other piece to this is the last incremental edge of quality and how important that is for a given person. I often explain this as the difference between "Yes, this is a really good lens" and "Wow, this lens is incredible !" On something like the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and the 85mm f/1.4, the difference is not immense, sometimes rather subtle, but still quite definite. I've never regretted having "good glass" for my photography around the world, and I've never had a second's reconsideration of enjoying a nice pen inking good paper.

 

With the combinations of pens, nibs, inks, and paper, it's much more than a subtle matter to discern where the differences fall, how important those differences are to the writer/artist, and more to the point, just how remarkable a given difference may be in the context of the various combinations. To be able to make those determinations requires working with a substantial number of pens, nibs, papers, and inks, and then being able to both objectively and subjectively assess the differences.

 

That's difficult.

 

One of the reasons that I read your reviews, Biff, aside from the great humour and sometimes quirky comments, is that you're placing a lot of the comments in the context of the larger set of items you've reviewed. That makes the assessments more cogent to me, and while I'll obviously not agree with everything you propose as good or bad, it gives me a different benchmark than my own. What was that line in Tanita Tikaram's song Twist in My Sobriety ? Oh yes, "I don't care about their different thoughts. Different thoughts are good for me".

 

 

 

John P.

 

[wednesday_mac]

I just bought the large Picadilly journal from Borders this past weekend for $5.99 (on sale).

 

I am using Lie de The Herbin in my FP Lamy. To solve the slight feathering problem, I added 1cc of Higgins Eternal black ink (blasphemy and pollution to some, I know) to the Herbin.

 

The Herbin is medium to light brown. It is now only slightly darker and the feathering problem is gone. I've used the same solution on Moleskine paper where the ink seemed to "float." Herbin ink, in my experience, is iffy if you're using cheap paper. All you can do is experiment to see what other brands will do.

 

I will stay with the larger notebooks by Picadilly - this is my second one in a year. I can't see any difference in the paper in that time. But of course ymmv.

Edited June 15, 2009 by wednesday_mac