Clairefontaine or Habana Notebook for FP user?

[tegjithe]

I'm looking for a special gift for a man who is into fountain pens and quality paper. I've looked into both Clairefontaine and Habana, but am not sure which to purchase. Any thoughts?

[jackieblue]

I'm looking for a special gift for a man who is into fountain pens and quality paper. I've looked into both Clairefontaine and Habana, but am not sure which to purchase. Any thoughts?

 

 

If he likes the moleskine, you might want to wait for the new Web Notebook by Rhodia. It has kind of a rubbery cover, and looks more "manly" to me. Also, any of the Rhodia notepads would be a good choice for a guy. Although, if you think he will like the leather bound with gilded pages, look for the Clairfontaine Basic Sketch Book, you can buy a leather cover for it. Here are two different sizes/colors. This cover would be used again with a refill.

 

http://www.thedailyplanner.com/germain-lea...ack-p-4494.html

http://www.thedailyplanner.com/sketch-book...ral-p-6938.html

 

Here is the image of that refill:

 

http://exaclairretailers.com/fpngallery/album...992_0.sized.jpg

 

The paper has a laid finish, which some people (myself included) really like.

 

Hope this helps!

 

jackieblue

 

 

[Ghost Plane]

The only one to avoid is the Forum which has 60g paper and will bleed through and misbehave with most inks and nib sizes.

 

The large Habana is a little bigger in overall size than the Webnotebook's 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" but has 90 pages to 96 in the Web. The Web has a ribbon page marker and ivory pages as opposed to bright white. I haven't really gotten into it as I won't have time for a review until mid July.

 

There are new colors coming in the Habanas, so have a look around. It's hard to go wrong with either product.

 

Edit - That's 96 sheets, 192 PAGES on the Webnotebook now that I actually have one in my clutches.

Edited June 18, 2009 by Ghost Plane

[inkypete]

I'm a devout Habana fan but keep in mind that both have the same paper - Clairefontaine. If the size and look of the Habana notebook is what you are looking for then go for it. Quality stuff!

[RayMan]

I've never used Habana, so I can't comment on it. I have used Clairefontaine Triomphe and Pupitre tablets. Both are excellent, but Triomphe is exceptionally smooth and brings out the best in my FPs. Hard to imagine paper getting any better than Clairefontaine Triomphe.

[kookychick]

The only one to avoid is the Forum which has 60g paper and will bleed through and misbehave with most inks and nib sizes.

 

Hee! Vive la différence! I actually use the Forum refills for memory books (the undated lined version). But I use XXXF nibs and only use one side of the page (I paste pictures, clippings, and other random things on the other side).

 

I agree--you can't go wrong with either Clairefontaine or Habana, since they both have Clairefontaine paper!

 

The small US Habana has 64g paper, though, so it's rather thin (though I love them & use them for my private journals). The large US Habana has 90g paper. The small Habana has very narrow ruling, and the large Habana has something like 8mm ruling, IIRC. I believe most Clairefontaine ruling is 7-8mm. The Habana has gray lines for the ruling, while most Clairefontaine paper has violet lines.

 

The new US Rhodia Webnotebook coming out soon has ivory paper, which is 90g. It's great stuff, too!