Alternatives To Large Moleskine Cahier

[scorchgeek]

Basically the only thing I dislike about this notebook is the paper, but that's enough to make me want to get away from it even after using nearly 50 of them. Nevertheless, I have been unable to find anything that has all the features I want:

• about 80 pages (somewhat negotiable, but 64 is too small and anything more than 100 is too large);
• simple stitch / cardboard binding (soft cover might be okay, but hardcover is too stiff for such a small notebook);
• roughly the same size (8 × 5.5 inches, 13 × 21 cm – A5 is wider than I'd really like, but I can live with it if everything else is good);
• standard, narrow/college ruled;
• and, of course, good, fountain pen-friendly paper, since that's the whole reason I'm looking for something else.

So far I haven't even been able to satisfy the first three at once. Anyone have any tips?

 

I did see this thread, but that is about extra-large ones, and it didn't help.

[Ghost Plane]

Rhodia webnotebooks, Quo Vadis Habanas, Clairefontaine notebooks, and if you like Tomoe paper, Goulets have their notebooks...even Paperblanks can be surprisingly good.

[Alfa38]

The best I've found in this size (A5 slim) is the Idea notebook by Kokuyo. It is made with Tomoe River paper, and is available in ruled, grid, or plain paper, the covers are really nice, and the book is stitched rather than stapled. You can get them from Nanami Paper http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/kokuyo-tomoe-river-idea-a5-2.html

[Kublai Khan]

Would recommend making your own notebooks too, if you have the right paper. You just might enjoy doing it. I was able to find YouTube videos out there that guide you step by step in making moleskine replicas. I've make notebooks out of regular printer paper, watching these videos.

Edited November 30, 2016 by fpnnat0

[Alfa38]

Would recommend making your own notebooks too, if you have the right paper. You just might enjoy doing it. I was able to find YouTube videos out there that guide you step by step in making moleskine replicas. I've make notebooks out of regular printer paper, watching these videos.

Interested in this. Are you stitching them?

[Kublai Khan]

Interested in this. Are you stitching them?

Yes I am. You might want to practice with low quality paper, initially. Here are two videos you might like:

1. https://youtu.be/ERhZGHQtCCk (DIY moleskine)

2. https://youtu.be/f96v8LRyblw (a more serious film on bookbinding, quite absorbing).

Have fun!

Edited December 1, 2016 by fpnnat0

[scorchgeek]

Thanks everyone! The Idea notebooks looked good, but I couldn't find them for sale in ruled rather than grid (I love grid paper for notes and planning, but can't quite see myself using it for a journal). However, also on Nanami Paper I found the LIFE Kappan notebook (http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/life-kappan-notebook-lines.html). My only minor complaints with this are:

• A5 is just a hair wide for my taste.
• The rule is closer to US college ruled than narrow (7mm rather than 6mm), and I find I tend to write faster and neater with a slightly narrower rule.

However, after ordering one as a sample, I'm sold on the overall quality and the paper, and since I haven't found anything else better after a couple hours total of looking, I'm planning to order a bunch. The Noodler's Black and Blue that work well on the Moleskine paper don't really soak into this paper well and kind of make the pen feel like it's skimming across the surface so lightly that you can't control the tip properly. But Heart of Darkness works well, even with an extra-fine nib, and both of the Levenger inks I had handy to test (Gemstone Green and Cobalt Blue) work great as well. My really wet Uni-Ball Vision rollerballs didn't bleed or feather at all, unlike a lot of even fairly high-quality paper I've tried them on.

[Alfa38]

Thanks everyone! The Idea notebooks looked good, but I couldn't find them for sale in ruled rather than grid (I love grid paper for notes and planning, but can't quite see myself using it for a journal). However, also on Nanami Paper I found the LIFE Kappan notebook (http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/life-kappan-notebook-lines.html). My only minor complaints with this are:

• A5 is just a hair wide for my taste.
• The rule is closer to US college ruled than narrow (7mm rather than 6mm), and I find I tend to write faster and neater with a slightly narrower rule.

However, after ordering one as a sample, I'm sold on the overall quality and the paper, and since I haven't found anything else better after a couple hours total of looking, I'm planning to order a bunch. The Noodler's Black and Blue that work well on the Moleskine paper don't really soak into this paper well and kind of make the pen feel like it's skimming across the surface so lightly that you can't control the tip properly. But Heart of Darkness works well, even with an extra-fine nib, and both of the Levenger inks I had handy to test (Gemstone Green and Cobalt Blue) work great as well. My really wet Uni-Ball Vision rollerballs didn't bleed or feather at all, unlike a lot of even fairly high-quality paper I've tried them on.

Excellent! You can always cut them to be narrower, with a metal straight edge (ruler) and razor knive.