Moleskine is really missing out on a lucrative market. I know being a fountain pen user is pretty niche, but we’re mostly a little crazy and will buy heaps of fountain pen friendly notebooks at a time 😅😂
Recently, I read a rumour online that Moleskine had improved the quality of their paper, in terms of fountain pen friendliness. I wrote to Moleskine's customer care, and asked whether this was true. On September 5, 2022 I got this response: "In relation to your request, we kindly confirm that that the quality of the Moleskine paper has not changed. We keep on using the same type of paper, purchased from our historic paper factory, for the production of our items. Our supplier has remained the same since the birth of our company. However, it is possible that some changes which are beyond our control may have had an impact on certain characteristics of the paper (such as technological improvements and chemical components). At the same time, some small differences may always occur from one batch to another. Nevertheless, we take this opportunity to guarantee that, as always, our aim is to offer the best products, with the highest possible quality and a paper durability which remains constant over time. As far as consistency is concerned, keeping in mind that the production of paper is not an easy process to guarantee, these are the main objectives we are constantly working on to achieve: - We have increased the number of parameters, which are periodically tested, in order to keep the quality of our paper under control and to prevent changes in characteristics that we may not be aware of. - We trace each batch along the production line, so to identify and keep track of the various materials used in the different steps manufacturing. We are always aware as far as the quality of our items is concerned and remain engaged to offer the best possible product. Finally, in relation to the type of paper, we confirm that it is suitable for most roller and gel pens. Should you prefer using fountain pens, we kindly suggest you to select one of our objects with paper weights of 100/120 g/m2 at least. "
I wrote to Moleskine about their paper quality too, some years ago. They admitted nothing. Well I knew for a fact it had changed (for the worse) since I had a row of Moleskines over my desk, purchased every year or half year apart.
My experience was very similar when it came to the "expanded" model. I heard that the moleskine paper had improved last year, and during Black Friday 2021, I purchased four notebooks on Amazon, some for less than half the price. To add to the "confusion" and expeculations, I can report that two of them did not perform well with fountain pens (one classic and one Limited "Blend Herringbone" - this last one was the worst of them), and the other two showed results very similar to yours (both from the classic "Expanded" line - but I only used them with Pilot nibs, F and EF ). Thanks for the video.
I have always loved Moleskine notebooks. Yes, I am aware that fountain pen ink may bleed through, but it's been my experience that it depends on the pen and the ink. Lamy Blue in a fine nib works for me. At any rate, I use a lot of Jetstream ink on them, and that's perfect. I love the way the paper feels sort of cloth-like, and the ivory colour ❤️. Anyway, I know that I am in the minority, but I don't care.
When I started using Moleskine notebooks in the 90s, they were very good. (I still have a few of those older notebooks.) The newer notebooks from about 2010 onwards are very inconsistent. I've bought some that handle FP ink very well, and others which handle it terribly. This is frustrating, as I've been a long-time user of the brand. I've switched over mostly to Rhodia and Leuchturm because of this.
And yet the company claims that, due to them using the same paper company since foundation, this means their paper has always been the same! I only got back to fountain pens recently and as soon as I finish my current Moleskine I’ll be saying goodbye to the brand forever - their notebooks can’t even handle an EF nib without bleeding 😑
Thanks for sharing! I love the different arcs/mixes of outdoorsy videos and stationery reviews/appreciation videos. As for this video, I had a similar experience with Moleskine and I also saw improvements in the expanded Moleskine notebook (got it 2 months ago) versus an older Moleskine (the project one) that was 2+ years ago. Huge difference in bleedthrough like you showed. I have only seen people mention improvements in the expanded line as of recent but that may be anecdotal.
With the right nib, EF or F, or even a Pilot M, and the right ink combination Moleskine can shine. I use their Cashier's notebook for multipurpose notes I'm likely to toss out in a few years. Noodler's Black, Diamine Earl Grey are particularly good. Pilot Namiki Blue Black is okay. However, Diamine Oxblood and Prussian Blue bleed right through.
R&K Salix also holds up incredibly well to cheaper paper. I used Salix all through college on 10 cent notebooks and marked over the ink with highlighter and that ink is a champ. A bit of a pain to clean the pen, however.
I only use Leuchtturm for my journals now. I used Moleskine many years ago (before I used fountain pens) and I’m not sure why I stopped but it was likely the quality of the paper just wasn’t the same. I’d love it if Leuchtturm would make an A5 with more pages but even if that never happens, I just pray that they never change their paper!
Hey, thanks for posting! So all of this was a big surprise to me... I had a fairly wet Waterman when I was 12-14 years old, so that must be around y2k or so. I was super excited the first time I saw a Moleskine in the airport on a trip with my parents. I begged and begged and eventually got it (the layover must have been long enough!). I had two or three pocket-sized Moleskine notebooks through that period and none of them had any problem with the watery Waterman. I forgot all about fountain pens in my late teens and recently started getting back into them, and my mom got me one very similar to yours in this video, but standard thickness, and I can report zero bleedthrough, no feathering, and decent dry time just writing. Nice smooth paper with just a bit of feedback. 80 GSM. I guess I say all this to say what's the big deal? They're really just fine. I was actually just writing in mine a minute ago, talking about how I'd like to try some of these fancy papers I keep hearing people talk about. Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Tomoe River... I've never tried them. But then I thought to myself, there's probably a reason why people are recommending those and not Moleskine...
I've never used a Moleskine because I've always heard the paper wasn't the best for a FP. I love Peter Pauper Press journals. I'm a pretty basic FP user, preferring to use a Twisbi Eco med. nib, or a fine Pilot Met, and don't experience feathering or bleeding, and the pen writes so smoothly on their paper. I like the cover designs, so that's a bonus along with the price, lol
I love Moleskine paper as it generally is! I hope they don't change it, lol. I would love to also use fountain pens in it but at the same time if that means that the paper feel will change then I prefer keeping it as is!! There's something about it that makes me feel so comfortable with the notebook and unleashes my creativity. Especially when it is a softcover. I also like that the paper is 70gsm instead of the annoying to me 80gsm of the Leuchtturm paper or other brands. :D :D I think it all comes down to personal preference and what comes first for you: writing instrument or notebook?
Like you, I love the size of Moleskine notebooks, so I use different journals. However I couldn't give up their cahiers for work. The only combination that seems to be acceptable for me is a Platinum Preppy with the Platinum black ink (not the Carbon black, the non permanent one) or Parker Quink in black. Any other pen or ink shows too much ghosting. I am not sure why I can' use the same ink on finer pens, but this is what I'm sticking to.
I've never used a Moleskine (or a Leuchtturm) but I'm not loving my Scribbles That Matter as much as I used to (they changed from a great ivory 100gsm to a thick, white 120gm and 160gsm) so I might have to give Leuchtturm a try in future. I need to find a store that sells them because I have to feel the paper first. I just know I won't choose a Moleskine! As for dogs barking...yes, I heard them and I so feel for you. We have neighbor dogs (two houses behind us and one on the side) where the dogs do nothing but bark for several hours a day. One dog is kept in a small outdoor "kennel" and all that poor thing does is howl; you can tell it's miserable. It doesn't look injured or I'd be calling someone. It's just sad. Some people shouldn't have dogs. 😟
Try Clairfontaine. It is certainly cheaper than Leuchtturm and moleskine, is 90 gsm and very smooth paper. I have been trying out different A5s and found most don't handle FP very well, especially if its one of the wet ink ones. I havent tried Rhodia yet. Any suggestions from anywhere else?
Please call the authorities about the dog if you can - emotional neglect is still neglect, and you might be helping the pup get a chance to still have a good life with someone else 🙏
I'm going to add to the paper conspiracy. I have never had good Moleskine paper from Amazon and I'm convinced that if it says Sold By and Ships From Amazon it's second quiality goods, which is also why they're so much cheaper. I've had good paper from small bookshops that order direct from Moleskine as a distributor.
I thought this, then compared a couple I bought from Amazon. One of them bought in March 2022, a medium hardcover with plain paper was lovely to write on in fountain pen, smooth and no bleed through, and another, large hardcover with plain paper, bought May 2023, is awful with fountain pen, total opposite. The paper in the large notebook was noticeably thinner and lighter in colour. It is also one in which they have started printing the history of moleskine/manifesto inside the notebook rather than how they used to, in a little booklet inside the back pocket. Seeing as I've already written in the new one I'll just switch to using pencil or a Muji 0.38 rollerball because this is all that will work on it so I can use both sides of the paper. Sad :(
There is a newish paper called Iroful, I believe made by the same company producing the new Tomoe River. I’ve only been able to find loose sheets, but I love it. It’s like a cross between Leuchtturm and TR with a touch of Cosmo Air Light.
Old ballet trick…cut your ribbons on an angle and quickly run them through a flame:a bbq lighter or even a long wooden watch. The ribbons are made of polyester aka plastic. The heat will melt them and the won’t fray. If they do after much use, repeat! Love you info. There were some outdated moleskine journals on sale -70% off so for $10 I’ll give them a try.
I recently started journaling, bought a Moleskine and fountain pen only to realize neither were compatible with each other. I have since purchased a standard issue uni ball Vision ballpoint pen. I will likely change to another journal brand after I've filled it up and see what other offerings in journals will work a good fountain pen. Nice to know it wasn't just me being picky about pens and paper. LOL.
I love my moleskine expanded! It fits in a CS No. 8 perfectly, it’s my everyday journal. It’s not fountain pen friendly but that’s not a problem for me as I have lots of other favorite writing instruments. I will add that my moleskine is plain paper not lined, perhaps that is why yours is fountain pen friendly.
I use the tiny two and a half inch x 4 inch shirt pocket moleskine notebooks and love them. Perforated pages to give to people with your contact details written on. I use a Jinhao 80 with a Lamy 1.1 nib and Lamy Turquoise cartridges. The paper shows the shading of this lovely Lamy ink really well.
Interesting, I bought a red soft cover moleskine notebook in November 2022. The paper is similar to towel paper, only smoother. It is sucking the ink right out of the nib onto the next page. Early 2000 I used moleskin notebooks and re-checked the paper. It is very very different. Anyhow.. At the moment I'm enjoying Optik Paper notebooks the best. They have very nice paper, not as plasticy as Clairfontaine and Rhodia, and they work very well well with fountain pens.
I only started using Rhodia today, and it does not bother me when using my composition notebooks. That said, given the paper choices today, I give a pass on Moleskine, since no general consensus for it being FP friendly yet. Back in the 90s was different, since North America only had Moleskine in our bookstores.
I bought an Molskine B5 size at a thrift store still sealed for dirt cheap. It's fountain pen friendly. I also have a couple I bought at Barnes and Noble that also do well with fountain pens. I guess I've lucked out and got some nice paper.
I went through my stash and did some tests. Two notebooks still had their labels. The made in china one hold up good with all inks, the made in turkey one not so much. BUT: even the made in turkey notebook handles the basic Pelikan ink really well, even the blue-black ink with a calligraphy nib wouldn't bleed through. So maybe there ist a way to use any moleskine notebook, just with a different ink and the Pelikan ink is on the cheaper side but still has some nice colors 😊
I only have to open my old journals and run a finger over the pages to know that Moleskines paper did at some point deteriorate. The first notebook from 20 years ago has smoother paper and the notebooks from 10 years ago are rougher. I had to change to Leuchtturm which was annoying at first but which I love now. But Moleskine makes so many paper thicknesses now that one could just buy thicker pages maybe.
We've talked before about Leuchtturm before, which works for you because you use fines/extra fines. I use mediums mostly, so some testing with mediums on Moleskine is a good thing.
I forgot to mention, but I did test with medium pens on this paper. You can see the performance in the Ellington pen review, all medium nibs, using the Moleskine. The results were the same, no bleeding or feathering. :o
I love moleskine. Always have. Yes I've found my fountain pens do just fine in the newer ones. P.s. I hear you about neighbors dogs, try sharing a wall with 3 big barkers... it'll drive you batty.
I tested a Walmart molskine and it failed. As for Vietnam paper, most are really good, rarely is paper from India or China any good. Sadly, almost all American paper is anti- fountain pen. It is lovely to see you again. I hope your weekend is fun.
Neil Gaiman stopped using Moleskine notebooks because they decreased the quality of their paper and it stopped being fountain pen friendly. I know the company claims they never changed anything (as per one very useful commenter here) but evidence begs to differ. Also, their mention in that same reply that we use their thicker paper also tells me they’re not very committed to improving their product, since paper doesn’t need to be thicker to be great for fountain pens, as so many Japanese paper companies have shown us time and time again. Your video gives me hope, though - I have one expanded Moleskine I wasn’t going to even open, but after this I’ll give it a go and cross my fingers I can use it before switching to better brands…
I have the cherry blossom moleskine, blank pages, and it is fountain pen friendly. I think I got it in 2019/2020. Depends on the ink, a very wet/watery ink bleeds through but a very wet/dry ink doesn't lol it's confusing and interesting
Thanks for sharing. I do like Moleskine note books but as a predominantly broad nib wet ink writer they are a no no for me unless they change. Trying my first Hobinichi this year 💕
Very interesting, Alicia! I´m halfway through an expanded Moleskine softcover from mid 2020. The ribbons don´t fray and the paper is mediocre when it comes to fountain pens and inks. Some bleed through, some don´t. I don´t mind (for the purpose of that notebook) but much prefer Leuchtturm and Rhodia. Back in the day the Moleskine paper was fountain pen friendlier but I still like the size, look and feel. And I enjoy the special editions (Potter, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland etc.).
I have several, but none of them work well with fountain pens. I also have lots of Field Notes notebooks, which feather and bleed like crazy. Leuchtturm and Rhodia are so much better. Only issue is if my hand gets a bit of oil on the page, then I get ink skipping.
Good to see you well and doing reviews again Alicia!!! Good for Moleskine to step up their game in giving quality FP friendly paper!! I would say yes the paper is still quite "meh" for FP, but it's a good step in the right direction! Hopefully the FP community will take note of this additional viable option now.
It's sad really. I used to be a devoted fan of their pocket size weekly planner, and notebooks for my travel journals. And they're still fine for what they are, just not with the writing tools I now prefer to use. They'll work well with pencil, ballpoint, fine gel pens. But do they play nice with fountain pens? Sadly, on the whole, nope. Happily Leuchtturm makes reliable alternatives.
Yeah when I first left Moleskine, I moved to Rhodia. But the paper never did it for me, so I kept searching until I found Leuchtturm and various others. I’m really happy with particular Moleskine though, and it’s been such an inspiration to write. Glad you found a notebook that works for you!
I just won’t risk the variable production values ( or lack of!) as the prices over the past ten years have gone crazy as the quality of the paper has gone down. For me the rot set in when the shipped manufacturing to China. I loathe when Western quality companies do this. Invariably the quality goes down, the price stays the same or goes up and the company puts its profits above treating the customer with respect.
I Hope you enjoy it! The fountain pen I used in this video is a Sheaffer Oversized Balance circa 1925. If you’re looking for a modern pen, Gouletpens.com is a really great starting place.
Rhodia is not fountain pen friendly. It's plastic surface won't allow me to write effectively with my pens. Not sure why Rhodia is commonly recommended. Bought a spiral bound meeting planner. Thought it would be good for writing with my FPs. I was so wrong. In fact, my ballpoint pen actually wrote better.
I agree, that’s also my experience with Rhodia. My theory: I usually see people that love nibs with a lot of feedback really love it. I use nibs with minimal scratch or feedback, I’m a Pelikan gal for instance, anything with little to no feedback seems to skid right off the page without making a mark. Nope. Not for me either.
I agree as well. I initially bought a Rhodia notepad to work with my calligraphy pens/markers. I don’t like to use my fountain pens on it as my gold nibs would feel like they’re ice skating ha.
Maybe they realized how the Leuchtturm 1917's are eating their market share? They literally pop up next to Moleskine notebooks in Amazon lists and cost half the price. And now Amazon sell their own notebooks that can take fountain pens and they are cheaper that the Leuchtturm 1917 🤣 So, long gone are the days you had to buy a Moleskine if you want a quality notebook.
Moleskine notebooks aren’t even pen friendly. Ballpoint or a pencil is the only thing that works for me. I use other notebooks simply because Moleskines are so bad at handling any amount of ink.
Not speculation. Moleskin is no longer the Gold standard and by the way neither is Leuchterumm in my molesting opinion. Guess the podium now is more in Midori or Clairfontaine… or not
the answer is cheap. there are Moleskines, for drawing and for watercolouring. The paper is thick, and therefore you can use it with fountainpen and ink and the Moleskines with the "normal" paper are not fountainpen friendly. The time from where Moleskine came, you used it mostly with pencils... ........... beside all the fakes out there. There are Moleskines with 200g paper there, for sure. Compare it...
I'll add that just because a paper is thick doesn't mean it's fountain pen friendly. Watercolor paper is among the worst papers to write on in my opinion.
I was going to say that! I started using the sketchbook and the paper quality is really good! Maybe that the answer, get the sketchbook instead as least if you draw.. thanks for the video Alicia!! 400 pages!! Omg…
I'll save everyone the trouble. NO, they're fucking most definitely NOT fountain pen friendly. Unless of course you love lots of bleed through & ghosting! The most over-priced, over-rated junk notebooks on the market.
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Moleskine is really missing out on a lucrative market. I know being a fountain pen user is pretty niche, but we’re mostly a little crazy and will buy heaps of fountain pen friendly notebooks at a time 😅😂
Recently, I read a rumour online that Moleskine had improved the quality of their paper, in terms of fountain pen friendliness. I wrote to Moleskine's customer care, and asked whether this was true.
On September 5, 2022 I got this response:
"In relation to your request, we kindly confirm that that the quality of the Moleskine paper has not changed. We keep on using the same type of paper, purchased from our historic paper factory, for the production of our items.
Our supplier has remained the same since the birth of our company. However, it is possible that some changes which are beyond our control may have had an impact on certain characteristics of the paper (such as technological improvements and chemical components). At the same time, some small differences may always occur from one batch to another. Nevertheless, we take this opportunity to guarantee that, as always, our aim is to offer the best products, with the highest possible quality and a paper durability which remains constant over time.
As far as consistency is concerned, keeping in mind that the production of paper is not an easy process to guarantee, these are the main objectives we are constantly working on to achieve:
- We have increased the number of parameters, which are periodically tested, in order to keep the quality of our paper under control and to prevent changes in characteristics that we may not be aware of.
- We trace each batch along the production line, so to identify and keep track of the various materials used in the different steps manufacturing.
We are always aware as far as the quality of our items is concerned and remain engaged to offer the best possible product.
Finally, in relation to the type of paper, we confirm that it is suitable for most roller and gel pens. Should you prefer using fountain pens, we kindly suggest you to select one of our objects with paper weights of 100/120 g/m2 at least. "
Thx Tim, that's good info 👍🏻
This is super helpful!! Thank you 🙏👏
I wrote to Moleskine about their paper quality too, some years ago. They admitted nothing. Well I knew for a fact it had changed (for the worse) since I had a row of Moleskines over my desk, purchased every year or half year apart.
This is a thorough trove of information. I have been quite disheartened by the quality of their paper becoming less and less pleasing.
@@AvecPoesie I can guarantee you that in 2024, Moleskine paper is absolutely rubbish. Fontain pen bleeds more than copy paper.
I’ve never had luck with fountain pens and moleskine. I actually used to warn fountain pen users against them!!
My experience was very similar when it came to the "expanded" model. I heard that the moleskine paper had improved last year, and during Black Friday 2021, I purchased four notebooks on Amazon, some for less than half the price. To add to the "confusion" and expeculations, I can report that two of them did not perform well with fountain pens (one classic and one Limited "Blend Herringbone" - this last one was the worst of them), and the other two showed results very similar to yours (both from the classic "Expanded" line - but I only used them with Pilot nibs, F and EF ).
Thanks for the video.
I have always loved Moleskine notebooks. Yes, I am aware that fountain pen ink may bleed through, but it's been my experience that it depends on the pen and the ink. Lamy Blue in a fine nib works for me. At any rate, I use a lot of Jetstream ink on them, and that's perfect. I love the way the paper feels sort of cloth-like, and the ivory colour ❤️.
Anyway, I know that I am in the minority, but I don't care.
I’m using a Lamy with Lamy blue fine nib on a Moleskin and it bleeds like crazy 😢
When I started using Moleskine notebooks in the 90s, they were very good. (I still have a few of those older notebooks.) The newer notebooks from about 2010 onwards are very inconsistent. I've bought some that handle FP ink very well, and others which handle it terribly. This is frustrating, as I've been a long-time user of the brand. I've switched over mostly to Rhodia and Leuchturm because of this.
And yet the company claims that, due to them using the same paper company since foundation, this means their paper has always been the same! I only got back to fountain pens recently and as soon as I finish my current Moleskine I’ll be saying goodbye to the brand forever - their notebooks can’t even handle an EF nib without bleeding 😑
Thanks for sharing! I love the different arcs/mixes of outdoorsy videos and stationery reviews/appreciation videos.
As for this video, I had a similar experience with Moleskine and I also saw improvements in the expanded Moleskine notebook (got it 2 months ago) versus an older Moleskine (the project one) that was 2+ years ago. Huge difference in bleedthrough like you showed. I have only seen people mention improvements in the expanded line as of recent but that may be anecdotal.
With the right nib, EF or F, or even a Pilot M, and the right ink combination Moleskine can shine. I use their Cashier's notebook for multipurpose notes I'm likely to toss out in a few years. Noodler's Black, Diamine Earl Grey are particularly good. Pilot Namiki Blue Black is okay. However, Diamine Oxblood and Prussian Blue bleed right through.
R&K Salix also holds up incredibly well to cheaper paper. I used Salix all through college on 10 cent notebooks and marked over the ink with highlighter and that ink is a champ. A bit of a pain to clean the pen, however.
I only use Leuchtturm for my journals now. I used Moleskine many years ago (before I used fountain pens) and I’m not sure why I stopped but it was likely the quality of the paper just wasn’t the same. I’d love it if Leuchtturm would make an A5 with more pages but even if that never happens, I just pray that they never change their paper!
Hey, thanks for posting!
So all of this was a big surprise to me... I had a fairly wet Waterman when I was 12-14 years old, so that must be around y2k or so. I was super excited the first time I saw a Moleskine in the airport on a trip with my parents. I begged and begged and eventually got it (the layover must have been long enough!). I had two or three pocket-sized Moleskine notebooks through that period and none of them had any problem with the watery Waterman. I forgot all about fountain pens in my late teens and recently started getting back into them, and my mom got me one very similar to yours in this video, but standard thickness, and I can report zero bleedthrough, no feathering, and decent dry time just writing. Nice smooth paper with just a bit of feedback. 80 GSM. I guess I say all this to say what's the big deal? They're really just fine.
I was actually just writing in mine a minute ago, talking about how I'd like to try some of these fancy papers I keep hearing people talk about. Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Tomoe River... I've never tried them. But then I thought to myself, there's probably a reason why people are recommending those and not Moleskine...
I've never used a Moleskine because I've always heard the paper wasn't the best for a FP. I love Peter Pauper Press journals. I'm a pretty basic FP user, preferring to use a Twisbi Eco med. nib, or a fine Pilot Met, and don't experience feathering or bleeding, and the pen writes so smoothly on their paper. I like the cover designs, so that's a bonus along with the price, lol
Molskine is so popular, and I really wish they were more consistent. I'm glad you found a good one, regardless!
I love Moleskine paper as it generally is! I hope they don't change it, lol. I would love to also use fountain pens in it but at the same time if that means that the paper feel will change then I prefer keeping it as is!! There's something about it that makes me feel so comfortable with the notebook and unleashes my creativity. Especially when it is a softcover. I also like that the paper is 70gsm instead of the annoying to me 80gsm of the Leuchtturm paper or other brands. :D :D I think it all comes down to personal preference and what comes first for you: writing instrument or notebook?
Like you, I love the size of Moleskine notebooks, so I use different journals.
However I couldn't give up their cahiers for work. The only combination that seems to be acceptable for me is a Platinum Preppy with the Platinum black ink (not the Carbon black, the non permanent one) or Parker Quink in black.
Any other pen or ink shows too much ghosting. I am not sure why I can' use the same ink on finer pens, but this is what I'm sticking to.
I've never used a Moleskine (or a Leuchtturm) but I'm not loving my Scribbles That Matter as much as I used to (they changed from a great ivory 100gsm to a thick, white 120gm and 160gsm) so I might have to give Leuchtturm a try in future. I need to find a store that sells them because I have to feel the paper first. I just know I won't choose a Moleskine!
As for dogs barking...yes, I heard them and I so feel for you. We have neighbor dogs (two houses behind us and one on the side) where the dogs do nothing but bark for several hours a day. One dog is kept in a small outdoor "kennel" and all that poor thing does is howl; you can tell it's miserable. It doesn't look injured or I'd be calling someone. It's just sad. Some people shouldn't have dogs. 😟
Try Clairfontaine. It is certainly cheaper than Leuchtturm and moleskine, is 90 gsm and very smooth paper. I have been trying out different A5s and found most don't handle FP very well, especially if its one of the wet ink ones. I havent tried Rhodia yet. Any suggestions from anywhere else?
Please call the authorities about the dog if you can - emotional neglect is still neglect, and you might be helping the pup get a chance to still have a good life with someone else 🙏
I'm going to add to the paper conspiracy. I have never had good Moleskine paper from Amazon and I'm convinced that if it says Sold By and Ships From Amazon it's second quiality goods, which is also why they're so much cheaper. I've had good paper from small bookshops that order direct from Moleskine as a distributor.
I thought this, then compared a couple I bought from Amazon. One of them bought in March 2022, a medium hardcover with plain paper was lovely to write on in fountain pen, smooth and no bleed through, and another, large hardcover with plain paper, bought May 2023, is awful with fountain pen, total opposite. The paper in the large notebook was noticeably thinner and lighter in colour. It is also one in which they have started printing the history of moleskine/manifesto inside the notebook rather than how they used to, in a little booklet inside the back pocket. Seeing as I've already written in the new one I'll just switch to using pencil or a Muji 0.38 rollerball because this is all that will work on it so I can use both sides of the paper. Sad :(
There is a newish paper called Iroful, I believe made by the same company producing the new Tomoe River. I’ve only been able to find loose sheets, but I love it. It’s like a cross between Leuchtturm and TR with a touch of Cosmo Air Light.
Old ballet trick…cut your ribbons on an angle and quickly run them through a flame:a bbq lighter or even a long wooden watch. The ribbons are made of polyester aka plastic. The heat will melt them and the won’t fray. If they do after much use, repeat! Love you info. There were some outdated moleskine journals on sale -70% off so for $10 I’ll give them a try.
Thanks so much for the tip!
I recently started journaling, bought a Moleskine and fountain pen only to realize neither were compatible with each other. I have since purchased a standard issue uni ball Vision ballpoint pen. I will likely change to another journal brand after I've filled it up and see what other offerings in journals will work a good fountain pen. Nice to know it wasn't just me being picky about pens and paper. LOL.
I love my moleskine expanded! It fits in a CS No. 8 perfectly, it’s my everyday journal. It’s not fountain pen friendly but that’s not a problem for me as I have lots of other favorite writing instruments. I will add that my moleskine is plain paper not lined, perhaps that is why yours is fountain pen friendly.
I use the tiny two and a half inch x 4 inch shirt pocket moleskine notebooks and love them. Perforated pages to give to people with your contact details written on.
I use a Jinhao 80 with a Lamy 1.1 nib and Lamy Turquoise cartridges.
The paper shows the shading of this lovely Lamy ink really well.
Interesting, I bought a red soft cover moleskine notebook in November 2022. The paper is similar to towel paper, only smoother. It is sucking the ink right out of the nib onto the next page. Early 2000 I used moleskin notebooks and re-checked the paper. It is very very different. Anyhow.. At the moment I'm enjoying Optik Paper notebooks the best. They have very nice paper, not as plasticy as Clairfontaine and Rhodia, and they work very well well with fountain pens.
I only started using Rhodia today, and it does not bother me when using my composition notebooks. That said, given the paper choices today, I give a pass on Moleskine, since no general consensus for it being FP friendly yet. Back in the 90s was different, since North America only had Moleskine in our bookstores.
I bought an Molskine B5 size at a thrift store still sealed for dirt cheap. It's fountain pen friendly. I also have a couple I bought at Barnes and Noble that also do well with fountain pens. I guess I've lucked out and got some nice paper.
I always put those ribbon ends close to a candle to melt is a bit to prevent unravelling. Maybe it works with your one as well.
I went through my stash and did some tests. Two notebooks still had their labels. The made in china one hold up good with all inks, the made in turkey one not so much.
BUT: even the made in turkey notebook handles the basic Pelikan ink really well, even the blue-black ink with a calligraphy nib wouldn't bleed through. So maybe there ist a way to use any moleskine notebook, just with a different ink and the Pelikan ink is on the cheaper side but still has some nice colors 😊
I have one made in China and the fountain pen bleeds through so much that the other side is unusable :(
I only have to open my old journals and run a finger over the pages to know that Moleskines paper did at some point deteriorate. The first notebook from 20 years ago has smoother paper and the notebooks from 10 years ago are rougher. I had to change to Leuchtturm which was annoying at first but which I love now. But Moleskine makes so many paper thicknesses now that one could just buy thicker pages maybe.
We've talked before about Leuchtturm before, which works for you because you use fines/extra fines. I use mediums mostly, so some testing with mediums on Moleskine is a good thing.
I forgot to mention, but I did test with medium pens on this paper. You can see the performance in the Ellington pen review, all medium nibs, using the Moleskine. The results were the same, no bleeding or feathering. :o
I love moleskine. Always have. Yes I've found my fountain pens do just fine in the newer ones.
P.s. I hear you about neighbors dogs, try sharing a wall with 3 big barkers... it'll drive you batty.
I tested a Walmart molskine and it failed. As for Vietnam paper, most are really good, rarely is paper from India or China any good. Sadly, almost all American paper is anti- fountain pen. It is lovely to see you again. I hope your weekend is fun.
Neil Gaiman stopped using Moleskine notebooks because they decreased the quality of their paper and it stopped being fountain pen friendly. I know the company claims they never changed anything (as per one very useful commenter here) but evidence begs to differ.
Also, their mention in that same reply that we use their thicker paper also tells me they’re not very committed to improving their product, since paper doesn’t need to be thicker to be great for fountain pens, as so many Japanese paper companies have shown us time and time again.
Your video gives me hope, though - I have one expanded Moleskine I wasn’t going to even open, but after this I’ll give it a go and cross my fingers I can use it before switching to better brands…
I have the cherry blossom moleskine, blank pages, and it is fountain pen friendly. I think I got it in 2019/2020. Depends on the ink, a very wet/watery ink bleeds through but a very wet/dry ink doesn't lol it's confusing and interesting
Tried the pocket Cahiers and they not FP friendly. Just tried the Volant version and they are FP friendly 😊 More expensive though.
I love the size of the expanded Moleskine....but with my fountain pens, I just can't use them. I love Leuchttrum paper.
Thanks for sharing. I do like Moleskine note books but as a predominantly broad nib wet ink writer they are a no no for me unless they change. Trying my first Hobinichi this year 💕
Very interesting, Alicia! I´m halfway through an expanded Moleskine softcover from mid 2020. The ribbons don´t fray and the paper is mediocre when it comes to fountain pens and inks. Some bleed through, some don´t. I don´t mind (for the purpose of that notebook) but much prefer Leuchtturm and Rhodia. Back in the day the Moleskine paper was fountain pen friendlier but I still like the size, look and feel. And I enjoy the special editions (Potter, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland etc.).
Try Clairfontaine, its cheaper than Moleskine and Leuchtturm.
@@brightonbabe2139 Thank you! Yes I like Clairfontaine a lot.
I bought a Moleskine diary and my fountain pen works fine with it.
I have several, but none of them work well with fountain pens. I also have lots of Field Notes notebooks, which feather and bleed like crazy. Leuchtturm and Rhodia are so much better. Only issue is if my hand gets a bit of oil on the page, then I get ink skipping.
Good to see you well and doing reviews again Alicia!!!
Good for Moleskine to step up their game in giving quality FP friendly paper!! I would say yes the paper is still quite "meh" for FP, but it's a good step in the right direction! Hopefully the FP community will take note of this additional viable option now.
It's sad really. I used to be a devoted fan of their pocket size weekly planner, and notebooks for my travel journals. And they're still fine for what they are, just not with the writing tools I now prefer to use. They'll work well with pencil, ballpoint, fine gel pens. But do they play nice with fountain pens? Sadly, on the whole, nope. Happily Leuchtturm makes reliable alternatives.
I recently bought an XL hardcover and its paper is fountain pen friendly.
I have the 2023 Molelskine diary (70 GSM) and it does terribly with my Japanese medium tip fountain pen. Feathering and bleed through.
Sadly, I can only get ballpoints to work on this paper :(
I love your handwriting. Do you have worksheets for it?
Hello and thank you! I don’t, but maybe that’s something I could consider putting together!
I use Rhodia for my journals and I just love them
Yeah when I first left Moleskine, I moved to Rhodia. But the paper never did it for me, so I kept searching until I found Leuchtturm and various others. I’m really happy with particular Moleskine though, and it’s been such an inspiration to write. Glad you found a notebook that works for you!
I just won’t risk the variable production values ( or lack of!) as the prices over the past ten years have gone crazy as the quality of the paper has gone down. For me the rot set in when the shipped manufacturing to China. I loathe when Western quality companies do this. Invariably the quality goes down, the price stays the same or goes up and the company puts its profits above treating the customer with respect.
I just ordered this notebook. Thank you for your video. I would like to buy a fountain pen, can you tell me the brand name of your fountain pen.
I Hope you enjoy it! The fountain pen I used in this video is a Sheaffer Oversized Balance circa 1925. If you’re looking for a modern pen, Gouletpens.com is a really great starting place.
@@adventuredenali Thank you. I'm going to start. You are very inspiring.
Rhodia is not fountain pen friendly. It's plastic surface won't allow me to write effectively with my pens. Not sure why Rhodia is commonly recommended.
Bought a spiral bound meeting planner. Thought it would be good for writing with my FPs. I was so wrong. In fact, my ballpoint pen actually wrote better.
I agree, that’s also my experience with Rhodia. My theory: I usually see people that love nibs with a lot of feedback really love it. I use nibs with minimal scratch or feedback, I’m a Pelikan gal for instance, anything with little to no feedback seems to skid right off the page without making a mark. Nope. Not for me either.
Totally agree. I find it to be a slippery paper. Not a fan at all.
I agree as well. I initially bought a Rhodia notepad to work with my calligraphy pens/markers. I don’t like to use my fountain pens on it as my gold nibs would feel like they’re ice skating ha.
Maybe they realized how the Leuchtturm 1917's are eating their market share? They literally pop up next to Moleskine notebooks in Amazon lists and cost half the price. And now Amazon sell their own notebooks that can take fountain pens and they are cheaper that the Leuchtturm 1917 🤣
So, long gone are the days you had to buy a Moleskine if you want a quality notebook.
No im not having any luck with my fountain pen and my moleskine journal at the moment
Moleskine notebooks aren’t even pen friendly. Ballpoint or a pencil is the only thing that works for me. I use other notebooks simply because Moleskines are so bad at handling any amount of ink.
Not speculation. Moleskin is no longer the Gold standard and by the way neither is Leuchterumm in my molesting opinion. Guess the podium now is more in Midori or Clairfontaine… or not
Nice review, I guess Its time for me to change moleskine to something else
I hope you continue with your outdoorsy and bookish videos...
Did you try Clairefontaine?
the answer is cheap. there are Moleskines, for drawing and for watercolouring. The paper is thick, and therefore you can use it with fountainpen and ink and the Moleskines with the "normal" paper are not fountainpen friendly. The time from where Moleskine came, you used it mostly with pencils... ........... beside all the fakes out there. There are Moleskines with 200g paper there, for sure. Compare it...
I'll add that just because a paper is thick doesn't mean it's fountain pen friendly. Watercolor paper is among the worst papers to write on in my opinion.
I was going to say that! I started using the sketchbook and the paper quality is really good! Maybe that the answer, get the sketchbook instead as least if you draw..
thanks for the video Alicia!! 400 pages!! Omg…
No no it's not
I'll save everyone the trouble. NO, they're fucking most definitely NOT fountain pen friendly. Unless of course you love lots of bleed through & ghosting! The most over-priced, over-rated junk notebooks on the market.
OMG, the dogs are *annoying*! I can't believe they are still alive.
Hahahah!