I Hadn't Noticed This About Moleskines Before...

[Wendell]

Moleskines come with a little brochure in the back pocket that gives some history of the brand. What I had never paid attention to is that the brochure uses the same paper as the notebook. So, if you want to check an ink on the paper, you don't need to spoil a page in your journal.

 

Having a separate sample sheet is a really nice feature and I don't think I've ever seen it in another brand. I wonder whether this use of the brochure was considered by the designers.

 

Of course, this usefulness depends on the paper really being the same, which considering Moleskine's quality control, may not be. I just bought two notebooks, a Reporter and a Mini. The Reporter has paper that is nearly indistinguishable from a Moleskine I bought 15 years ago, and the brochure's paper is the same. The Mini however has paper that is soft, toothy, and bleeds terribly. Its brochure has paper that is also bad but not quite so.

 

With current Moleskines, I wonder what the percentages are with good vs. bad paper? Does it do any good to complain through their quality control page?

 

[Fabienne]

I have been scared off even trying Moleskines, too bad. I should not be such a fraidy cat.

[Peppers]

I have been scared off even trying Moleskines, too bad. I should not be such a fraidy cat.

 

Oh. I tried Moleskines once.

I keep having recurring nightmares ever since.

[Wendell]

The original Moleskine paper worked quite well with FPs so long as you used a smooth nib and ink that was not exceptionally wet.

[Fabienne]

 

Oh. I tried Moleskines once.

I keep having recurring nightmares ever since.

Did you have to go for psychotherapy?

[inkypete]

I did complain to Moleskin a few years ago when I had a shocker of a notebook paper wise. To their credit they responded quickly, explained they do not claim their notebooks are FP friendly, and the paper may vary from batch to batch. they also offered to replace or refund but I figured the postage to Italy wasn't worth it. They wrere very good in their communications. I just don't risk my money on Moleskin, period. I really like what their marketing has done to promote the use of quality notebooks, and if they got their paper right I would definitely be a customer. But right now - no thank you.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Well, Moleskine has come along since then. They won't even respond, now. I just don't buy Moleskine any more

[Invictus Maneo]

My last journal was a Moleskiine. It was totally unpredictable in how it supported various inks. Some were okay, others not so much. It's Rhodia Webnotebooks from here on , me thinks!

[Wendell]

they responded quickly, explained they do not claim their notebooks are FP friendly, and the paper may vary from batch to batch.

The difference between batches is considerable. In the Mini I got, the extra thickness of the soft paper prevents the book from lying flat as a Moleskine usually does. I have seen Minis with better paper.

 

It's hard to see how Moleskine could tolerate such variation from their sources, but apparently they really don't care. I've been seeing complaints about exactly this type of poor paper for about a decade now. I do wish I could get the same mix of design features from some other brand.

 

I'm definitely not going to seek a replacement if I have to post the thing to Italy.

[Mon34480]

With current Moleskines, I wonder what the percentages are with good vs. bad paper? Does it do any good to complain through their quality control page?

 

 

It isnt much about their quality control but rather their source and every batch can be very different. The general public/supporters of moleskine vastly outnumber those who buy it for the use of fountain pens so the company doesnt really care since it is a very niche market.

[senzen]

Moleskine is a good example of savvy branding but it's a no no for fountain pens, at least for me; can't stop grinning with Clairefontaine and Rhodia. Just tried some Fabriano, better than Moleskine but no way on par with C and R.

[sidthecat]

Moleskines are about branding now, not the paper.

Rather like a certain pen named after a mountain, it tells people it's expensive, not necessarily good.

[Wendell]

Getting back to my original point, having a sheet of sample paper included with a journal is really convenient. We ought to encourage other brands to do this. I've had nice journals that I hesitated to start in because I didn't know how they would take my ink of choice and I didn't want to have a scratch page.

[goatgolfer]

Interesting circular logic at work here. Most contributors confirm paper batches on M-skinny are highly variable. Suitability for use is unknown. Assuming that the sample/instructions are from the same lot of paper as the book is folly.

 

If the paper performance is the least bit important to your use, variable product, with premium cost and a measurable amount of prestige by the unacknowledged seems to be false economy and a waste of ink.

 

The best value of FPN for me is the sharing of knowledge and passion. Keep us informed of your journey. The paper search is just as fun as the ink search without the influence of color.

[bogiesan]

Moleskine is a marketing/branding success. Minimum manufacturing cost, superb advertising leading to snob appeal made out of pixie dust, delivered to gullible consumers who wil pay a silly amount of money. They set trends, they invent niches, and they have the resources to detecxt, analyze, and try to dominate new trends created by other notebook makers.

 

But Moleskine has never tried to tell anyone their products are good for fountain pens.

 

Not sure why we keep having this discussion.

 

I have a nice stack of molies, some are 15-20 years old from the Modo-aModo days, and they roll in and out of my hands like any other notebook. I use my fountain pens in the molies knowing exactly what I'm going to get. But I only use the recto side of each leaf.

[torstar]

Moleskin works great when I used FPs and pens that actually work with it.

 

I can't force BBBBB nibs with free-flowing ink pressed down hard on the paper, it didn't work well 5 times and even I learned to stop doing that and adjust to the paper.

 

Just like every other brand of paper on the market.

[Bookman]

Moleskines come with a little brochure in the back pocket that gives some history of the brand. What I had never paid attention to is that the brochure uses the same paper as the notebook. So, if you want to check an ink on the paper, you don't need to spoil a page in your journal.

 

Having a separate sample sheet is a really nice feature and I don't think I've ever seen it in another brand. I wonder whether this use of the brochure was considered by the designers.

 

Of course, this usefulness depends on the paper really being the same, which considering Moleskine's quality control, may not be. I just bought two notebooks, a Reporter and a Mini. The Reporter has paper that is nearly indistinguishable from a Moleskine I bought 15 years ago, and the brochure's paper is the same. The Mini however has paper that is soft, toothy, and bleeds terribly. Its brochure has paper that is also bad but not quite so.

 

With current Moleskines, I wonder what the percentages are with good vs. bad paper? Does it do any good to complain through their quality control page?

 

 

This leather-covered handmade journal from Barnes & Noble comes with at least two sample sheets. In fact, the sample writing shown in the 4th and 5th images was done on a sample sheet. I neglected to mention this in my review. By the way, I found the paper in the Bombay journal to be very FP-friendly and 100% consistent from sheet to sheet.

[writewright]

I just finisted up a pocket-size Moleskine notebook that worked well with my fountain pens. When I opened the new replacement notebook I purchased, I found that all my inks bled through the paper. I just bought a similar Eccolo notebook that cost a quarter of what I paid for the Moleskine. It has all the features of the moleskine; however I like its size better (slightly smaller), it comes with two ribbon markers--not one, appears to have more pages, and no bleed-through. I can't imagine buying another Moleskine product.

[torstar]

Since I have about 25 M notebooks floating around, I adjust to meet the tempermentalness of them.

 

Then I see people on the subway who are using them for journals and art sketchings, to amazing levels of glory, and make a mental note to carry an extra one around with me to gift to someone with these talents the next time I come across one.

[Bill Wood]

I like a test sheet in any paper product. It's a great idea, and I'm glad you got a sheet. Good for moleskin. I use mine with gel pens and lead pencil. It's pretty well known now that fountain pens are not for moleskin, but for other purposes they're just fine.

Bill