Once You Go Rhodia, You Never Go Back?

[inkstainedruth]

 

 

If you're talking about the 6x8 Miquelrius notebooks, I have been able to find them at Barnes & Noble stores readily. I am surprised more independent stores rarely carry them, but as they are mostly lined notebooks for writing, and there are very few regular stationery stores (ones not focused towards wedding, special occasion stationery) I suppose it's not too surprising. One of my favorite notebooks for fountain pen writing as well!

 

The only ones I've every seen in B&N are the graph paper ones. My husband bought one several years ago, just to try it (he used to like the multi-use spiral bound Miquelrius notebooks that had some pages that were lined, some that were graph paper, and some that were divided into quarters of blank spaces on the page -- all in the same notebook; but Miquelrius no longer seems to make them). I ripped out a page to see how it was, FP-wise, and it was good -- but I don't have much use for graph paper (I do like the 10/inch graph paper pads from Staples for stuff like drafting patterns, but I don't recall how FP friendly that paper is).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[invisuu]

I know Im a tiny minority, but I cant stand Tomoe River paper. The 52gsm one curls up under sweat and is too see through, the 68gsm one is better in that aspect, but its too textured for my taste. I can feel the nib running into bumps on the paper. The 68gsm ivory version is the best and I use it on a regular basis, but I much prefer Rhodia - specifically the 90gsm coated ivory version. Which is good for my wallet, as Rhodia is dirt cheap compred to tomoe river over here.

 

Also, some inks change colour on tomoe. My favorite inks, Montblanc inks, come out completely different. Tofee Brown looks almost identical to Smoky Quartz on Tomoe River, for example.

[dan in montreal]

 

The only ones I've every seen in B&N are the graph paper ones. My husband bought one several years ago, just to try it (he used to like the multi-use spiral bound Miquelrius notebooks that had some pages that were lined, some that were graph paper, and some that were divided into quarters of blank spaces on the page -- all in the same notebook; but Miquelrius no longer seems to make them). I ripped out a page to see how it was, FP-wise, and it was good -- but I don't have much use for graph paper (I do like the 10/inch graph paper pads from Staples for stuff like drafting patterns, but I don't recall how FP friendly that paper is).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

In Canada, a variety of Miquelrius journals are offered at chapters.indigo.ca. They had a sale on a few months ago and I got 4 or 5 of them. I'm sure they ship to the US. Not sure what the shipping fees are though.

[inkstainedruth]

Well I just looked at their website, and while they have a lot of spiral bound Miquelrius notebooks, they don't seem to have the journals listed. :-(

Dealing with miquelrius.us directly worked well enough for me (although the journals were actually shipped by something called OM Online). I got a discount because I was buying a dozen (that should last me several years, since I'm only about halfway through the current volume). Writing 3 pages a day, I go through a little over 3 per year. So, I won't have this problem again until, oh, say about 2022...

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[adim]

Here, in Romania, there aren't many choices of good paper (read: famous brands), I struggled to find Rhodia and Clairfontaine, there's Moleskine everywhere, but other than that, there was a library which had some Leuchtturm in stock, which they returned in batches in less than one month because they sold not one piece.

 

I did buy a couple of Rhodia notebooks (ruled, A4) and I liked them, at first try. But then I received a Paperblanks medium notebook which I really love, much more than the Rhodia. Then I took the plunge and ordered from abroad 2 Leuchtturm notebooks and I think I found what I like.

 

My conclusion is that I enjoy much more writing on paper which is not ice-smooth and shiny like the Rhodia, but a tad, a tiny bit rugged like the Leuchtturm and even the Paperblanks. I also love paper that is not pure white, so the slight yellow tint of Leuchtturm and Paperblanks appeal much more to me than any other paper.

 

So, although I have very little experience, I did go Rhodia and then went back.

 

I may experiment more in the future, but for the moment, I would go with Paperblanks or Leuchtturm over Rhodia any day, for my likings.

[migo984]

 

I may experiment more in the future, but for the moment, I would go with Paperblanks or Leuchtturm over Rhodia any day, for my likings.

I agree. I am not a Rhodia fan. Too slick.

[Anne-Sophie]

 

Rhodia and Clairefontaine, the sister company notepad and notebooks are available in a wide variety of size; with blank, lined, grid, dot and Seyes pages in white or cream.

 

Rhodia paper is ethically produced, the by products are earth friendly and it is produced by labor which receives fair pay, it is sourced from trees replenished since 1934.

 

To me, they are the best for a smooth writing experience with fountain pens, which is why I speak so highly of them.

 

But as with everything in the hobby, people have different taste for everything so that it why there is such a plethora of fountain pens, nib widths, nib grinds, inks and papers to choose from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SpecTP]

I use more Rhodia than anything else but for me nothing beats Tomoe.

 

I am totally spoiled by tomoe paper.. 500 sheets book are fantastic!

[migo984]

Rhodia and Clairefontaine, the sister company notepad and notebooks are available in a wide variety of size; with blank, lined, grid, dot and Seyes pages in white or cream.

 

Rhodia paper is ethically produced, the by products are earth friendly and it is produced by labor which receives fair pay, it is sourced from trees replenished since 1934.

 

To me, they are the best for a smooth writing experience with fountain pens, which is why I speak so highly of them.

 

But as with everything in the hobby, people have different taste for everything so that it why there is such a plethora of fountain pens, nib widths, nib grinds, inks and papers to choose from.

Agreed :-)

Clairefontaine/Exacompta make so many different types of paper. I like their lightweight printer paper Clairmail (50 & 60 gsm), which is surprisingly tolerant of FP ink, and a reasonable, cheaper alternative to Tomoegawa for my airmail pen pal letters. Although it is smooth, it has a slight tooth, so isn’t too waxy/slick, which is the feature I don’t like about Rhodia’s standard paper. It doesn’t show sheen but being “white”, does show up ink colours beautifully.

[EBGBs]

I use more Rhodia than anything else but for me nothing beats Tomoe.

 

This is almost where I am too.

 

My favourite paper is Rhodia. I'm glad to see everyone's feedback here, even from those who like it less, because it comforts me in the fact that Rhodia is the right paper for me; as i prefer smooth gliding writing. So indeed I may very well never go back.

 

The Tomoe River paper pad I have is very, very thin, light and see-through. Long drying time, too. In my opinion it is just not usable in any daily activity. But I do think Tomoe River paper does something with inks that no other paper does; the colours light up, they shade, sheen, shine on it like it's an ink carnival.

So when I want to be amazed by an ink, or when I play with an ink to post on this very forum; it's most often on Tomoe River.

[inkstainedruth]

At the moment I've been using an unlined page large notepad from Paper for Fountain Pens to take notes about a book I'm currently reading (research for a project). I went through an entire Rhodia pad no. 19 (although just on one side), and while I liked it a lot, I've discovered that with the Tomoe River paper I'm getting sheen from inks I didn't think of sheening -- Edelstein Tanzanite and Iroshizuku Kon-peki -- because they don't sheen on other paper I've used. OTOH, though, inks do dry slower on the Tomoe River paper (I had to be careful with the library book and contact with the notebook because I was getting pickup on the (fortunately plastic) dust jacket of the book from Noodler's Luck of the Draw LE (no sheen from that ink, but the dry times were way slower).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Anne-Sophie]

Review or comparison posts on the ink forum written on tracing paper or velum which is even smoother and more transparent.

 

Those have given me the idea to use those papers with fountain pen ink, and they truly make the inks shine, pop and are just a pleasure to use.

 

I imagine Tomoe River has the same appeal.

 

 

However, my day to day use calls for Rhodia because, the ink in my bold nibs fountain pens will dry fast enough, with the help of blotter paper, before I turn the page.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[invisuu]

At the moment I've been using an unlined page large notepad from Paper for Fountain Pens to take notes about a book I'm currently reading (research for a project). I went through an entire Rhodia pad no. 19 (although just on one side), and while I liked it a lot, I've discovered that with the Tomoe River paper I'm getting sheen from inks I didn't think of sheening -- Edelstein Tanzanite and Iroshizuku Kon-peki -- because they don't sheen on other paper I've used. OTOH, though, inks do dry slower on the Tomoe River paper (I had to be careful with the library book and contact with the notebook because I was getting pickup on the (fortunately plastic) dust jacket of the book from Noodler's Luck of the Draw LE (no sheen from that ink, but the dry times were way slower).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Tanzanite and Kon Peki look really nice on Tomoe River, yeah. They almost glow. Very cool.

[inkstainedruth]

I hadn't realized that Tanzanite HAD sheen until that point....

There are some inks (Akkerman Shocking Blue, Diamine Oxford Blue) that even sheen on the bad absorbent Piccadilly sketch pad paper. But Tanzanite? I had no clue....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TheDutchGuy]

...you turn the page and write on the opposite side of the same piece of Rhodia, you will find that the properties are completely different.

I've noticed that as well. The writing experience on the front is very different from the back. With really wet and smooth pens it's not that noticeable, but with dryer pens it's a huge difference. I've learned not to try pens just on the front side of the page, but also on the back.

 

Paper should be judged in proportion to its price point. Rhodia costs a fraction of Tomoe. For work I use slim 50-page Rhodia notebooks that cost 2 euros each. Unbeatable at the price so that's what I use for work.

 

My diary is a Paperblank harcover, one of these thick affairs with an elaborately decorated cover. The paper is quite nice. It's not white, but still shows off the qualities of the ink. It works well with my fountain pens, except with very wet inks (then it bleeds). At 20 euros, it's not cheap.

 

The quest for the ultimate paper is fun, but I don't want to enter the unobtainium rabbit hole. I need something that will work, that's readily available and economically priced. Rhodia, Oxford and Clairfontaine fit the bill, though Clairfontaine is too smooth for some of my pens. (Someone said that Rhodia and Clairfontaine are the same - that puzzles me, they feel noticeably different to me.)

[Karmachanic]

Here's a notebook value calculator based upon surface area per $. Tomoe come out on top!

[adim]

I've noticed that as well. The writing experience on the front is very different from the back. With really wet and smooth pens it's not that noticeable, but with dryer pens it's a huge difference. I've learned not to try pens just on the front side of the page, but also on the back.

 

Yes, I also remarked that on both my Rhodia notebooks. And since I almost exclusively use F nibs, it's really annoying. A friend of mine uses pens with wet M nibs and was really surprised when I told him, since he never remarked that in his notebooks.

 

One more reason I prefer a slightly grainy ("feedbacky") surface, like Leuchtturm's.

[inkstainedruth]

Here's a notebook value calculator based upon surface area per $. Tomoe come out on top!

 

Interesting. I'd like to see how the Miquelrius journals rate compared to the Seven Seas ones -- fewer pages but definitely useable on both sides (which I'm not always sure is the case with Tomoe River paper because it's so thin). And a lot less expensive per volume in initial cash outlay.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JonSzanto]

I consider writing papers the same way I view car salesmen: the slicker they are, the more I avoid them. Guess where Rhodia falls?

[Karmachanic]

 

Interesting. I'd like to see how the Miquelrius journals rate compared to the Seven Seas ones -- fewer pages but definitely useable on both sides (which I'm not always sure is the case with Tomoe River paper because it's so thin). And a lot less expensive per volume in initial cash outlay.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Just in case. Tomoe is available in two weights 52gsm from Seven Seas ( 480 pages) and others, and 68gsm from Taroko (384 pages)

Edited May 13, 2018 by Karmachanic