Update! I'm giving away a luxurious Rhodia Webnotebook! It's an A5, softcover, dot grid layout with lovely 90 GSM paper. For more information, follow me on Instagram here: instagram.com/downthebreatherhole/. The giveaway is open until April 30, 2024.

When the first Moleskines appeared, they were wonderful and filled a niche in the notebook market for writers. These Italian-made Moleskines had very good paper. But as soon as the brand became successful, they outsourced production to China and the paper quality plummeted. I mean plummeted! The paper quality can actually vary wildly from notebook to notebook. Some are only good with pencil and ballpoint. It is such a shame. Moleskines however do have one overwhelming advantage: they are available everywhere in the world, practically, even at airports. All of the other notebooks are harder to find. (Leuchtturm is becoming more widely available, but still nowhere near that of Moleskine.) So if you travel and need to buy a new journal to refill your leather cover, Moleskine is reliable in that way. The fingerprint/oil issue is terrible on Moleskne--I've taken to writing with a piece of blotter paper under my hand to avoid ruining the bottom half of the page. I absolutely love Clairfontaine and Rhodia paper--my fountainpens almost skate across the pages--but I do not like the rubbery covers of the Rhodia Webbook, and I have had one that started peeling away. And again, not widely available in regular stores. As for the Midori--I did not like the textured paper. It made even the smooth nib of my Montblanc feel scratchy. It's great for writing with Blackwing pencils, though. Leuchtturm is the best alternative to Moleskine, with very good paper, but its distribution, while improving, is still not broad enough for my commitment. I need something that is easy to replace. By the way, I always use a leather cover for my notebooks as none of them are sturdy enough on their own for travel. But they all vary, in size, so one cover will not work for all. Again, this makes the Moleskine my imperfect but practical choice. PS Rhodia now makes a wonderful "Composition" style notebook in A5; I love it.

Of the notebooks you discussed, I’ve only used Leuchturm1917 and I really like it for fountain pens. An additional feature is that the pages are numbered and there’s dedicated space at the beginning for an index/table of contents, which is ideal for a commonplace book. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

The original books were a style of book rather than a specific brand, available in Paris from the late 19th century until the mid 1980s. They were pocket-sized notebooks or 'carnets', bound with leather or oilskin/oilcloth, and were sold by local stationers. These notebooks became well known because they were favoured by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. The Moleskine name has been attributed to British writer Bruce Chatwin. In his 1987 book ‘The Songlines’ he described his Paris notebooks as “carnets Moleskines”, Moleskine referring to the black oilcloth binding. Moleskine - pronounced ‘mol-ey-skine’ - is French for moleskin (the English name for such oilcloth because of how it felt to the touch). In the mid-1990s an Italian company started to make them, using the brand name Moleskine. They were initially very good, but over time the quality has deteriorated.

I haven't seen anyone mention the Stalogy 365 notebooks yet. I tried Midori MD first and appreciated the improvement but wasn't satisfied with the number of pages. As the name suggests, the Stalogy 365 has a year's worth of pages and writes smoothly with fountain pens. I've had two so far and I love it.

My English is basic but I really like the way you speak, clearly and very nicely, I listen with pleasure :) Greetings from Poland

Leuchttrum 1917 A5 notebooks have been my go to. I use them daily and they hold up very well. Its the right balance for daily use that still holds up to some decently juicy fountain pens. Rhodia is def my go to for the more "loose leaf" letters. Inks really pop out and its nice to just tear out a sheet from a notepad instead of dealing with reams of loose paper. Great Vid! -Luis

gotta try the Jetpens Kanso Noto notebooks, they're 20 bucks, have tomoe river S paper, and have a high page count. after trying rhodia, clairefontaine, etc. these have been the best especially in price/quality ratio

I looooooove my Rhodia and Clairfontaine. If you're interest in learning to write in a super cool formal way, Clairfontaine makes a 'French Ruled' paper that is how children used to learn to write with fountain pens in schools in France. It's fun to practice now and then, and if you're keeping an ink notebook it's a fun flourish.

I just found your channel and I really like your videos. Keep up the good work! 💪

Exactly. Finally somebody who speak the true. Nobody else should spend his money for moleskine when want to use fountain pen. Thanks for sharing. Hello from Slovakia

0:00 📓 Introduction to the Moleskine notebook and the speaker's journey from ballpoints to fountain pens. 0:41 🛠 Two main problems with Moleskine notebooks: durability and paper quality. 2:04 📝 Durability issues include corners breaking, spine splitting, and cover separation. 2:07 📄 Paper quality concerns include bleeding, feathering, and ink inconsistency due to fingerprints. 3:14 📔 Introduction to alternative notebooks, starting with the Midori notebook. 5:38 📒 Introduction to the Clairefontaine notebook, known for smooth paper and minimal design. 7:41 📘 Introduction to the Rhodia Web notebook, praised for durability and similar paper to Clairefontaine. 9:37 📚 Introduction to the Endless Recorder notebook, featuring "regalia" paper for vibrant ink performance. 12:19 📖 Introduction to the Leuchtturm1917 notebook, offering a similar experience to Moleskine but with better durability and paper quality.

I've been using some Paperage notebooks as I've been on a budget and got a 3 pack of them A5 size for $20. They hold up pretty well and aren't quite as nice as Leuchtturm but them being a fraction of the price, I cannot complain. I just LOVE the Midori MD, Stalogy (even though I'm not the BIGGEST fan of paper that thin), and...listen. Whatever paper Field Notes used in that yellow "Signs of Spring" was freaking amazing! It was pretty toothy, but I just loved the feedback it gave me. I would love an A5 notebook with that exact paper, but I think I looked a while ago and couldn't find anything quite like it - not a bigger notebook anyway. Great video!

Brilliant video. As a newbie to fountain pens, but a paper-snob veteran I really love and appreciate your concise, but detailed descriptions.

I feel that to me the paper quality of the Leuchtturm1917 is the best of the lot. It's not the smoothest; it has some tooth to it and that's deliberate. If you enjoy both fountain pens and nice dark woodcase graphite pencils like Blackwings Musgraves or Mitsubishi, I find it yeilds consistently satisfying results. Great review!

Great review! The Rhodia and Leuchtturm notebooks are brilliant. I also really like the Tomoe River notebooks because the paper was especially designed for fountain pen use.

Super review! I liked the Midori MD notebook so well I'm on my second, after experimenting with whatever looked good on the shelf. I have a Clairfountaine notepad, and find true what you say about the texture of the paper -- lovely, but I actually prefer a bit of "tooth" on the page when I write, and so am enjoying Midori better for the writing experience itself. I'm pretty sure the Clairfountaine does better with sheening and shimmering inks. And, yes, Tomoe River is a wonder. Hope that's still true with the corporate changes. Thank you!

New subscriber here! I love all the Rhodia products that I’ve used! I love their dot journal formatted paper for organizing stuff for work. Big gel and felt tip pen user here. Great video.

Thanks for the great video. When you were done with no. 4 and stated to announce no. 5 I thought "Oh no! I have to tell him about Leuchtturm!" - well ... I use the Rhodia A6 a lot for on the go. I use the LT Bullet Journal and (too) many different LT notebooks; I especially like the softcover versions that will not look like crap when having them in your pockets or bags. And I enjoy the details like page numbers.

Thank you for all the great recommendations on notebooks. I am always looking for notebooks to write in for my fountain pens .🖋️ I am an avid writer and write every day sometimes multiple times a day. I have filled up the Rhodia notebooks in one month! I just ordered a Midiori notebook to try that out and I think next I am going to try a Leuchtturm 1917. I like that those have a lot more pages so that I am not replacing my notebooks every month. Great video!! Thanks again!❤️

You sir are speaking my language. I have piles of Rhodia, Midori, and Tomoe River but you are definitely convincing me that I need more!

Excellent video, thank you ! I had some fingerprints issue (not too many) with the Leuchtturm, but apart from that, they are very good indeed !

I recommend Mnemosyne notebooks. The paper is great, they lay flat, and the cover is a firm plastic. Plus, they’re half the price of most other notebooks.

Completely agree with your thoughts here, but would also recommend Stalogy in this space. Especially some of their smaller format landscape formats.

Nice delivery and content. You have a new subscriber. Now you really do have to get some Tomoe River notebooks reviewed....

Great info! I love my Jumping Fox notebooks -- A5 , dotted lines, quality paper which accepts the Uniball micro 0.5 pens very nicely.

I was a Moleskine user when I was still using ballpoints but I switched to the Travelers Notebook system in a big way once I started writing with fountain pens. The size can be quite the adjustment, but while I was still buying bigger books the TN refills is what I end up writing on and so I've been using the TN happily for about 5 years now and I can't be happier (especially since I really splurged on the really thin best in class paper).

I don’t write a lot but when I do, I tend to use multiple inks. I’m excited for this introduction and review f other notebooks. Thank you. I also subscribed. I look forward to your other content.

I love LT1917 with my Lamy and TWSBI and I love Stalogy with my Sailor and TWSBI .

Loved your review and I agree with all of your assessments. I am in love with the LEUCHTTURM1917 - 120G Special Edition paper too. It’s by far the best and I am not going back.

A caveat regarding Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper: not all of their notebooks/pads use the same paper stock, and some is definitely very inferior. I have a Clairefontaine 90gsm notebook which has significant ghosting and bleedthrough - much more so than other lighter-weight papers, even. Tomoe River is far and away my favourite, but if you're still exploring notebooks and paper, I'd recommend trying Cosmo Air Light/Snow (which is unfortunately discontinued but some smaller brands still have stocks of notebooks) or Iroful paper; they're all 75gsm papers and show ink properties to very good effect while having much less bleedthrough and feathering than Clairefontaine/Rhodia.

Want to say thank you for this video. It randomly appeared in my feed a few days after I bought a Moleskine,which I was unhappy with. Went out and found a Leuchtthurm 1917 and couldn’t be happier. Much better writing experience and I love the index and pagination. I never heard of this brand until I saw this video.

Thank you ever so much for introducing the Notebooks, I am Sure to get them a try. Greetings 😊

This! I tried a Moleskine last year after mostly using Leuchtturm and Hobonichi notebooks, and I hated the paper. To me it feels soft in the wrong way, pulpy. Having said that I much prefer very smooth paper which glides, and very thin Japanese style paper, that crinkles. To that end, have you tried Hobonichi or Stalogy at all?

Cosmo has ended up my go-to notebook. Similar to Midori but I like the slight enhancement of the ink it provides. (Cosmo Note specifically, but I need to try Air and Snow as well.)

Your channel came up in my recommendations, had to check this out! Very interesting comments. I've been useing Moleskine for years and had noticed a change in the paper, not quite as good. I hadn't realized how inferor Moleskine has become to other brands. I have a considerable stack of unused Moleskine notebooks and they may just stay unused as I get something else to write in. Maybe it's just my not-so-great hearing and/or my computer, but I'd like to suggest increasing the volume of your audio.

I agree with you 100% about the Moleskines. My favorite notebooks are Rhodia, Clarefontaine, Leuchtterm 1917, Apica, and anything with Tomoe River Paper.

I might be an atypical fountain pen user in that I'm not into flashy ink qualities like sheen or shimmer, and I like yellow-toned paper more than bright white, absorbent surfaces more than slick ones, etc. Midori fan, obviously! I just filled my first Leuchtturm and thought it was perfect, but then I needed a new notebook and remembered seeing rave reviews for Endless. Long story short, this video would've saved my life (or $20, same difference) if only it had existed a week ago, lol. I really appreciated how you laid out the differences between each of these notebooks and their characteristics to help viewers choose based on those preferences. Meanwhile, I have a new Leuchtturm on the way to me now...

I am a self confessed paper snob……mostly in the six yrs since I started using fountain pens. Since Tomoe River paper from Machine no. 7 has ended I’ve been searching for a replacement paper. I’ve tried all the ones you reviewed, and more. My overall winner…….Kunisawa. It’s beautiful and so smooth. Super high Japanese quality paper. But still nothing beats my Tomoe River paper from the old machine. I’m working through my stockpile slowly.

Thank you. Exactly the intel I needed.

When I first got into fountain pens, I was using an awful cheap notebook and immediately moved to a Leuchtturm1917. After that one I went on to and am currently using a Nanami Seven Seas Writer with Tomoe River paper and I absolutely love it.

Thank you for the comprehensive review. Ps your lampshade is tilted and it's killing me 😂

Just subbed. Glad to have found your channel The Clairefontaine paper is excellent. The book cover reacts to humidity a bit and curls. At least in my experience. I am fond of leuchturm. I’ll have to try the midori.

I really like the Lochby notebooks (and the field journal, too). Great paper quality!

I've also defected away from Moleskine in recent years for all the reasons you mentioned! Good old KZfaq algorithm got you a new subscriber ^-^

I love Rhodia for my fountain pens. I have several pads in several types. Great stuff!

Hey Brian! - My name is Hari and I watched your video on the recommended notebooks to try (which by the way is the most popular video on your channel, so congrats!) and it’s more than just useful! It can help me find the paper that’s best for my fountain pens without having to deal with feathering and bleeding. - I already got a Moleskine and a Leuchtturm notebooks. The paper quality on the Leuchtturm is slightly better than the Moleskine, but from my experience it still bleeds and feathers a little bit. It must have been a wet writing nib on one of my fountain pens. - I am definitely going to try the Clairefontaine Clothbound and the Midori MD at some point in the future. I already got three Endless Recorder notebooks that have Tomoe River paper instead of the Regalia which I am DESPERATE to try, but haven’t yet. They got better paper than the ones I have currently. - Thanks you so very much for the suggestions, Brian, and happy writing! - P.S. How often do you reply to comments?

The Rhodia 90 gsm is the best I've ever found for fountain pens. The ink doesn't bleed through and dries relatively quickly. Never had a problem with fingerprints or ink not wanting to adhere to the page. It's all I've been using for a couple of years now.

I use the 18 month horizontal weekly planner soft cover for work and notes. I use a Platinum Preppy as my daily pen and I haven’t noticed any issues. The ink looks good, it doesn’t smudge or feather, though it does bleed a bit. The paper texture is good and gives me the right amount of feedback. Maybe I’m just lucky and I got one with good paper in it. Next time I need one I’ll definitely get something with MD or Tomoe River paper.

I used to use moleskin little back pocket notebooks. I carried them on short trips. The pages just started coming out. I put it in a baggie and put in a drawer and never bought another one. Thanks for this video. I appreciated very much.

Long time user of Mole. Switched from Mole to Leuchtturm years ago, despite I mostly use simple things like Parker ballpoint or Faber 9000 pencils. The paper degradation in the Moles was saddening. L also have a better cover when thrown it in the bag every morning, and does not fall apart if beaten up. Always A5 dotted :)

Thank you for an interesting review! I think I will try the Rhodia. I like the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook with 120 gsm paper, because I usually both write and draw with fine liners in my notebook. The 120 gsm paper doesn't bleed through like the 80 gsm does.

Excellent video! Thank you! I've used Clairefontaine student notebooks (17 x 22cm) for decades. Bound in signatures and available in lengths up to 384 pages (bound in signatures). A good trick: write only on right-hand pages, then turn the notebook over and write on the right-hand pages! Especially good when writing when out and about and not at desk or table. (NB "caliper" is the thickness of paper which is why notebooks that look the same may have more or fewer pages.)

Great review! For me, a left-handed person who enjoys writing with a fountain pen, I find the Clairfontaine sheen stops the ink from absorbing quickly ... a definite show-stopper for a left-handed person. I need to use EF nibs to make my writing work as it is. The Midori is a great notebook with wonderful paper. I do use their slip covers. The best notebook I have found for fountain pens (and yes, they are expensive, but an amazing experience) is Smythson. They have a super-thin paper that doesn't bleed, feather, or show through to the other side of this ultra-thin page. Despite the high price, you need to try this at least once in your life.

I love using MD Midori A5 notebooks. But, I was starting a new writing project, the “Morning Pages” (Julia Cameron style) which meant using quite a few Midori A5’s. So I decided to try one of the Amazon offerings called Focus Day in a B5, larger format - wow, I found it surprisingly Fountain Pen friendly - and the cost savings is a plus. Now, after 3 months, I am more than half way thru a 360-page volume and have another blank volume on the way. It might be worth it for you to consider? As a pen/ink/f.p. test in all my volumes, I keep a page of pen-ink-combinations on the last page which gives me a place to see what will work. Btw, I still journal using the Midori A5’s concurrently. Thanks again for your review.

Archer& Olive notebooks are pricy but the paper is really thick and perfect for fp's. I appreciate your reviews. I've purchased two of the Kaco pen cases, based on your review. They are just what I needed.

I enjoy paper comparisons. Thanks.

You talked about the elastic band stretching out on one of your books, I bought a 2 pk of 5x8 art books for sketching on the go that has the thin bands like that. I used some 1 in. elastic band to make a loop to go around the book horizontally, and made two tight loops along the same piece to hold my pens. I found this to be good way to make sure it stays closed, and always have my pens available as they are attached to the band that’s on the book.

Great video, im currently using up some moleskins and I can’t use my fountain pens 🖋️ because the ink bleeds through and I can’t use two sides of the paper, but my favorite is tomoe river paper. I’ve never tried lechtrum thanks for the recommendations ❤❤❤

Has anybody tried using the exceed notebooks from Walmart? I have been thoroughly impressed with them lately. 100gsm 240 numbered pages. I haven’t tried sheening inks on them, I only use platinum carbon black and noodlers baystate blue. But I have only seen light ghosting, and I use fairly wet nibs. Great video!

Your channel grows fast. 2000 subscribers when I started the video. Now 2030 after a meal break. 👍

Good analysis - thanks! I love Clairefontaine paper, so their notebooks and Rhodia are my go-tos. I also like Apica - another brand for you to try. I used to be able to buy hardbound Clairefontaine A5 notebooks but I can't find them anymore; should have stocked up when I had the chance LOL. One additional point you didn't cover is whether the paper is white or cream. I wish the Rhodia Webnotebook came with white dot-grid paper instead of just cream, but as far as I know it doesn't. I also wish I liked Leuchturm better, but for me the quality is too similar to Moleskine (maybe it's because I'm left-handed?). I've never tried Midori, so thanks for the recommendation!

rhodia does use clairefontaine paper. there are differences in format and a few other things, but the paper is made by the same company. it's wonderful paper!

I'm personally surprised you're not having the fingerprint issue with midori because that is notorious for getting waxy if you get your hand/fingers on the paper. I love the video and thoroughly enjoyed your review!! I'm looking into Leuchtturm notebooks for sketching someday

The only things I like Moleskine notebooks for is on then go scribbles like grocery lists and scratch writing. Glad I found your channel 👍

Hi! Thanks for a really informative video! Hey, have you ever been to Tabula Rasa stationers in the greater Salt Lake City area?

I used the Endless Recorder notebooks and it is brilliant for fountain pens.

I have been using Rhodia recently and like them fairly well, but I will definitely check out Midori after seeing this. The way their binding seems to lay flat and the low cost make them look pretty nice.

I used to love Moleskine. Was a loyal user. Untill I rediscovered my fountain pens. I am now using an Endless notebook which I love, but it takes ages for the ink to dry. My favourite notebook is a Dingbat! This brand handles fountain pens beautifully, brings out all the characteristics of the inks. Definitely recommend. Have a Midori on standby but yet to try it.

Yaas! Leuchtturm! I love them..havent tried the others..inks are great on these!

I didn't start with Moleskine when I really got into stationary and pens (I actually started with LT1917 on a whim), so I think I benefited from knowing specifically what I wanted when I tried it. When I worked in an office, I kept a Moleskine on my desk (A5 softcover or bigger) and it was perfect for all my job notes. Now, I tend to keep one for traveling (A5 or smaller) because I know it'll get a bit beat up and I don't bring expensive supplies with me. A few of these notebooks are definitely on my list to try, but I'm also a lefty so every notebook, pen, and ink combination is always a fun experiment😅

I have all of the Notebooks you showed except for our no. 4 and I agree with you completely. My Moleskine 18 month planner fell apart completly and didn't survive the 18 months, so yeah, not been a fan ever since. *shrug* I also have notebooks with Tomoe River paper - I just love the sound and feeling of that paper and it takes ink really well (even thouogh the new version is a bit different than the old)

I've gotten a little bit of the fingerprint problem with Leuchtturm, but not badly, mostly with the 1.1mm stub nibs. Other than that, they're great. If you don't mind ghosting, just about any notebook with Tomoe River paper is also a solid choice, though fountain pens tend to take awhile to dry on that. Apica and the Kokuyo notebooks are also solid choices. The other decent choice that I've found is Artist's Loft. While it's not as good as Rhodia or Midori or the others, I've definitely found it to be way better than Moleskine for only a fraction of the cost. Their "premium" (120 gsm, 180 pages) notebook holds up decently enough to use fine tipped fountain pens and dries quickly, though there is slight ghosting with the broad nibbed pens.

I've used every one of these aside from the Endless Recorder- Leuchtturm was always my go-to, but lately I've been in a Midori and really enjoying it. I love the smoothness of Rhodia and Clairefontaine, but I find that my ink takes significantly longer to dry on those, I think because of the way the paper is coated or something, whereas Leuchtturm and Midori don't share that issue. You can also get a plastic cover to put on your Midori notebooks to keep them from getting unduly grungy and beat up if you carry them around in a bag, which is helpful, since they don't have a typical, leatherette cover.

Cvs Pharmacy Cvs Caliber composition , cvs filler paper, I love the filler paper for letter writing its great for teaching calligraphy or things where you need to see guidelines under the paper its just as good as tomoe river as far as bleed through and feathering go and it really shows off the sheeny dhady shimmery properties ... give it a go let me know what you think :)

I looooove the Midori books, can't wait to try Leuchtturm1917, and have a little bit of a love affair with Hobonichi planners because of the paper. That said, just a fun tip to keep the ribbons from unravelling (as quickly, at least). I usually trim off a frayed end, and seal it with a little bit of clear nail polish. Keeps them from unravelling, and the worst it does visually is make the end of the ribbon look a little wet, even once the nail polish is dry. :)

This is great. Have just started my journey into fountain pens. Company gave us some free moleskin stuff and have noticed the significant bleeding when I'm writing.

Two I haven't seen mentioned yet (although I didn't read every single response) LAMY Notebooks come in soft and hard cover versions and I feel are under represented in the fountain pen world. Nice paper with a unique grid/line pattern. Also, the Itoya ProFolio Oasis is a really nice option...I'm currently using my first Oasis and have already purchased a refill for when this one is filled.

Currently using a wire-bound journal by nu:elite - pretty good; I only use black ink, which is probably more likely to bleed through than lighter colours, but it hasn't bled, and is smooth. Works well with Lamy Joy, Jinhao, Parker, and Sheaffer fountain pens; also works with carbon black ink in an old Rotring Artpen. I've forgotten how much I paid for the book, but I'm not rich, I am mean, so it wouldn't have been hugely expensive. And I do like the wire binding - no issues with cracking spines.

Tomoe River paper is my favorite. I have a few notebooks from Hobonichi and I still haven't tested the new one but the old one is the best paper for fountain pens and you get enough pages for the year.

Loved this video, but I seem to want a combination of things that I can’t find. I personally love the form factor of the Moleskine softcover and would get the expanded version if not for its incompatibility with fountain pens. I really like the leuchtturm notebooks, but I’m not a hard cover guy. If leuchtturm made a softcover that had the page quantity similar to moleskine expanded, I’d be the first in line.

I use a Baron Fig notebook and I love them. They work beautifully with fountain pens.

My absolute favorite are Midori, especially for school when I need multiple books. I like to have a sturdier journal for my everyday jounal especially when writing without a hard surface, but I keep a stack of Midori md notebooks on my desk!

Recently got a Maruman Mnemosyne: I gotta say, its pages are quite different from the Moleskine/Leuchtturm notebooks (silky smooth, thin pages) but I think they're really great for fountain pens. I started using them for a combination if illustration and journaling and I find it a completely different experience. (I used Leuchtturm 1917s)

What a wonderful video.🌿

Ive been using a Leuchtterm 1917 and I love it for fountain pens.

I was going to say ha nerd stiff paper and pens but then I remembered that I am indeed also intersted into this nerd stuff and watching with genuine interest 😂 describing the texture or writing experience with paper is hard but you do a really good job in giving me an idea of what to expect

I stopped worrying about the fountain pen in the notebook's context when I got caught in the rain and the bag with it got wet. The notes made with a fountain pen were unreadable, and with a ballpoint pen it was almost possible to read.

Thank you for a brilliant useful review My suggestion Maruman Mnemosyne Notebook I am a VFFP tragic & this notebook works well with vintage flexible fp's

An advantage to the brand Moleskine is their binding, which opens flat. That was the reason someone suggested I try one, and it’s a feature I very much like. I couldn’t tell in your video for all the notebooks, but some of them had typical bindings which don’t open flat. I assume that isn’t a feature you care about (which is cool, everyone is different). The vast majority of my writing, however, has been in dirt cheap Hilroy manuscript books (which do not open flat). Those are my personal favorite. I’m certainly not the first writer to remark the following, but writing with the cheapest, most disposable materials gives us permission to write poorly, it frees us from self censorship, and encourages us to be honest. Us writers can get hung up on finding the perfect pen, the perfect book, the perfect chair, the perfect desk… it distracts us from writing, and in the end, if we actually find the perfect setup, we end up getting stuck: we don’t want to write anything that isn’t as perfect as our gear. But everyone writes for different reasons. And your reasons and my reasons may not be the same.

I am a Midori MD dotted notebook user. I did have to purchase a leather cover (from another brand). Paper is a bit toothy for some people, but I like the feel of the nib on it. Clairfontaine French-rule paper was my first fountain pen friendly paper. Rhodia Webnotebook paper is a bit too slick for me. Leuchtturm I used for a while. I like Midori more nowadays, though. I think it is a matter of taste. Whatever one choses, if one enjoys it, is good!

In England I use the Stamford Book Company which are excellent for fountain pens. You can choose colours and coverings and they are hand bound. Not the cheapest but worth the money.

As someone who has used fountain pens and dip pens for many years, one tip is to use a cover sheet as you are writing. It has become such an integral part of my writing setup that I honestly don’t even really notice it anymore. Almost any paper will be affected by oils from fingers and hands and it always has an adverse effect on how the ink goes on the paper. On the rare occasion that I need to see the entire paper for some reason, I have an old sock that I cut a couple of holes in, one for my fingers and one for my thumb, and it keeps my skin off the paper.

Your comment about regalia and skin oil, it was something I realized after using it for a couple of pages. It loves soaking up oil!

I don't use Moleskine due to bleed through and feathering when using fountain pens, but also when using Pilot Frixtion. On another note, I usually paint clear nail varnish on the bottom of ribbon/woven page markers so that they don't fray. I use a leather cover on my notebooks and so the notebooks are well protected. I have, like and recommend Rhodia Goalbook 90gsm. Midori, Stalogy, Hobonichi, Wanderings and Travellers Company all more than Leuctturm 1917.

You should try Apica notebooks. I personally like them very much. They have their normal line of papers that are less smooth and with a little bit more of texture but it is not rough by any means. I like that quite a bit. Then they have their premium line that has a smoother paper, it feels like it is more coated. I like that one as well.

I swapped Moleskine for Rhodia Rhodiarama. So far, the paper handled not only any fountain pen nib that i threw at it, but also ink swatching, which involved several layers of ink put on with wide brush. I also bought "Atoms to astronauts" notebook out of curiosity and it seems to handle fountain pens just as well.

Great overview here. By the time I'd gotten hold of a Moleskine notebook - probably a decade-and-change ago, the bloom had already left that rose, at least from my experience with it, and this was corroborated by others. Not an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately: one of my favorite, widely-available notepads (Ampad Gold Fibre), took a serious nosedive in quality after the company was absorbed by Tops, who made sure to keep the product kinda-sorta *looking* the same, but cheating-out with materials overall.. My current favorite notebook made its appearance in the proverbial nick of time: what I was using up until recently was Apica's Figurare in A5 format. between paper that was both pitch-perfect for fountain-pen use and consistent in quality from book to book (something I've heard was an issue with some of Endless' offerings), it was my go-to for years before Apica apparently stopped production some two years or so ago. Other options I tried were either a tad expensive by my lights, inconsistent in quality, poor performing, or difficult to get hold of in quantity. Then I discovered something new from Clairfontaine: a notebook based on their Triomphe stationery line. My hope shot *way* up over this since Triomphe has been my one-and-only choice for letter-writing - just the right mix of insanely-good behavior with any of my FPs, reasonable price, excellent matching envelopes, and a low-key elegance without an excess of pretense. Happily, the notebook has lived up to the rest of the Triomphe line in overall quality, and the price, while higher than what I was paying for Figurare, is a good deal more reasonable than other offerings I've tried. I'd say it's worth a look; so far it appears only Goulet Pens offers it.

Bonjour ! Thank you for this video. I have tried all of them and currently I am for the first time with a B6 Stalogy. The paper is incredibly thin but I have no problem with my fountain pen. For people who care about animals, you must know that Leuchhturm and Moleskine are not vegan, they use animal glue. I had several Leuchhturm and mine didn’t aged very well. My best vegan options are Dingbats (the very best), Midori and now Stalogy. Bonne journée !

Nice video! I have right now an Endless and have the same problem. Lot of fingerprints (o hole hand) from factory. Love the paper thogh.