A5 Journal Recommendations?

[zubzub]

I just purchased an Exacompta journal, Clairefontaine Clothbound, Rhodia Webnotebook
And a couple other notebooks like AmazonBasics A5, Mnemosyne notebooks, Kokuyo notebooks,

 

I don't know if there are any other notebooks that can beat the Clairefontaine for the price! I was planning to just buy a lot more of them, but I figured I should try some other ones first or get some recommendations. Is there anything out there like the Clairefontaine with the same quality for around the same price?

Thanks

[NicolausPiscator]

_{So far as I know - but I live in Germany - there is no real alternative to the Clairefontaine in regard to price and quality. It is reliable and very good. When you would live in France Rhodia would be available for a low price in every supermarket. However, in Germany it is expensive.}

[inkypete]

I'm a huge Clairefontaine fan and user. They never let you down. There are cheaper and more expensive choices but I think Clairefontaine is a good mix of quality and price.

[Mr. Spiff]

Leuchtturm notebooks are excellent as well.

 

I happen to prefer them to all others, but your tastes may vary.

[SpecTP]

I prefer Nanami Seven Seas A5 Writer's. For the same thickness of the others, you have double the number of pages. And none of the pages bleed at all despite their thinness.

Edited July 7, 2017 by SpecTP

[CatHerder]

+1 for Nanami

[zubzub]

I prefer Nanami Seven Seas A5 Writer's. For the same thickness of the others, you have double the number of pages. And none of the pages bleed at all despite their thinness.

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

Leuchtturm notebooks are excellent as well.

 

I happen to prefer them to all others, but your tastes may vary.

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

[effika]

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

 

Depends on what I need the journal for. I've seen that Rhodia can have a longer dry time for ink than my LT1917. So, the Rhodia is used for non-time constrained situations. My LT1917 gets used for quick notes on the go.

 

(I hate spelling Leuchttrum! Rhodia is much easier to spell.)

[Mr. Spiff]

[shrugs]

 

Everyone's tastes vary. I happen to dislike Rhodia paper.

[inkypete]

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

My experiences with Leuchttrum have been ordinary in terms of FP friendliness. Love the format of the notebooks but paper quality is a deal breaker for me.

[fjoly79]

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

 

I shopped in the US and in Canada as well; Rhodia is more expensive, Leuchtturm offers a great paper quality and really great writing experience but very slow to dry, I find. I used to use Rhodia paper way back then when I was living in Paris and in London: I still think Rhodia offers the best paper quality.

[obilot]

I agree that the Leuchtturm1917 paper can be a little slow to dry. (I use the A5 dot-gridmbooksNoodlers inks I find especially slow, so I always carry a blotter.

 

I've had a suspicion that slow-drying may be a necessary tradeoff for the minimal bleedthrough if one uses wet-writing pens. My permanent black ink (Platinum Carbon) can be a little ghosty with my TWSBI Mini stub nib, but it's not distracting, and I've even had ink-urp from a *couple* of different pens that didn't bleed through to the other side or leave the paper to wet or deformed on the other side to write on.

 

Which Clairfontaine notebook are people referring to? I have one with shiny plaid covers and a fabric spine that I used as a journal in Germany many many years ago, and the brown Pelikan 4001 I was using got very weird on the pages after just 15 years, but I remember finding it really nice to write on at the time.

 

I like the idea of Rhodia, but I dislike orange, It's a dumb tic, but one I can't shake.

[mikepinkerton]

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

 

7mm -- and sometimes 8mm! -- lines (Rhodia) vs 6mm lines (Leuchttrum). I'm used to the narrower ruling from Moleskine and I get a lot more on a page.

 

-mike

Edited July 21, 2017 by mikepinkerton

[liston]

+1 for Nanami

[PaganArcher]

I personally prefer Leuchtturm for my needs. I'm not a fan of Rhodia paper at all.

[Chrissy]

I'm another +1 for the Nanami TR A5 Writers. I also have a very nice Apica notebook that I purchased on Amazon. That's lovely paper too.

[Lexus77]

Yea they are on my list, but they are expensive! I might buy them at a later time or try to pick up some Tomoe paper when I'm in Japan

 

 

Why do people still prefer Leuchttrum when Rhodia has way better paper quality? I've seen that they do have an index on their beginning pages, but I don't see what else is better. Also, they're more expensive than Rhodia.

 

It's the feel, for me. Sure, Rhodia doesn't bleed either, and the showthrough might be even smaller, but it doesn't feel like paper to me. It feels more like plastic, while it looks like paper. It's just too smooth. I don't like that.

[alaskazimm]

My two go-to notebooks for journaling are the Nanami Seven Seas and the Apica Premium. Both great papers for fountain pens and both have a large page count - though the Seven Seas is much more, the Apcia is no slouch in the page count department.

[LostArk]

My favorite journal / notebook is the Life Noble Note. They are expensive and you have to wait for shipping from Japan, but they are the ne plus ultra. The Apica C.D. Premium notebook is just as good and more readily available, and though the color of the paper is nothing special to my eye, I suppose some may prefer it. If I had to pick a journal with a built-in cover, I feel the Quo Vadis Habana edges out the Rhodia Webnotebook by virtue of the fact that the former lies perfectly flat, while the latter does not.

[praxim]

... I also have a very nice Apica notebook that I purchased on Amazon. That's lovely paper too.

Thanks to this and noticing their leather notebook covers I ordered some (bookbindersonline) which arrived today. Yes, very nice paper, it seems on brief writing.