Moleskines: Love them or Hate them?

[Basil]

Howdy all,

I have been a lover of the moleskines for a very long time now. I used to write in them for years with a regular ball point, and when I switched into fountain pens I have had no issues with them.

My question is why do so many people say that these wonderful books are no good for fountain pens?

If you don't like them I'd love to hear why and maybe other notebooks that you enjoy more.

Either way I'd love to hear what everyone has to say. And as always pictures of your books are always welcome;)

[JPDyson]

I haven't owned one that behaved well with fountain pen ink; others say they're "inconsistent" which implies there are some that do, but it's a crap shoot. I have a Rhodia Webbie (dot grid) that I love. It's nicer in every way (save for wallet impact).

[Vlad]

I've only used a couple of them, but have not found them great for fountain pens. Some inks work fine, but others bleed terribly, especially if it's a wet nib. I prefer paper made my Clairfontane and Rhodia. The ink doesn't dry as fast, but the paper just feels great.

[drocu]

This almost seems like a poll so I'm going to answer it like one.

Hopefully I'm not the only one, but I won't even consider getting one because of the hipster fascination with them.

Yes, it's a stupid reason, but it's my gut reaction. In a way, I'm glad to hear they're not perfect for FPs so I won't be tempted to try one.

[petr]

love 'em. use them daily.

[Slivovitz]

I bought a couple, and have filled one of them with my daily journal scribblings. It is okay, some show through with the mostly Noodler's inks that I use, but not enough to be an issue, a little bit of show through arguably adds character. I got a little feathering with some pens. I couldn't really tell any quality difference between it and the anonymous cheap bound composition book that was my journal before it; the Moleskine has a classier looking cover, elastic closure, and a sewn in ribbon bookmark, but the paper quality was similar. My current journal is a Clairefontaine, which has almost no show through from the other side, no feathering, and was available in the larger page size that I prefer for most writing. It was less expensive, too, although I think I got a sale price.

I certainly don't hate the Moleskines, just think that the comparatively high price is more about product image than exceptional quality.

[Basil]

Just out of curriosity what ink/pens were you using in the books when the feathering or bleed through happened.

So far I have used noodlers bp black, fox and rein mauve with Lamy pens and a montblanc with the blue and blue black.

None of them had any bleed through or feathering.

[Vlad]

Half of the inks I've tried on Moleskine bleed too much to be acceptable. The worst featherers are:

Noodlers Ottoman Azure, Luxury Blue, Ottoman Rose
Diamine Prussian Blue

BP Black is a very well-behaved ink, above average.

[The Nid Hog]

I had used Moleskines for a long time, but I switched over to Rhodia when I started writing more with fountain pens. I've had a variety of problems with Sailor, Platinum, Waterman and Montblanc inks. Nothing devastating, but enough to convince me to give Rhodia a try. I also use composition books from Muji (very inexpensive) and they perform exceptionally well with all of my inks.

[Slivovitz]

Just out of curriosity what ink/pens were you using in the books when the feathering or bleed through happened...

I didn't really take notes on what I was using when I saw feathering, but my impression that it was more related to broader nibs, such as on my Haolilai 801F, or Parker 51. These are really only mediums, but are the broadest I have. Of course, if I'd really looked at the issue, it might have been ink related as well. So far I've only used Ottoman Azure in the Haolilai, and Namiki Blue in the Parker.

As I understand the term, bleed through would be ink actually soaking through the page all the way to the other side. I don't think I saw that, short of an actual spill. What I would get is show-through, which I understand to be the handwriting on one side of the paper being visible on the other side. I don't think I've found a pen or ink that doesn't have show through on Moleskine paper, although it's faint enough not really to be a problem.

[Patman27]

Love them. I use them pretty consistently and haven't had a problem with feathering. I use a fine point pilot though, so maybe the ink volume is less than others.

[acesn8s]

I've experienced feathering and bleed-thru with my fountains and my moleskine. I switched to the Rhodia Webnotebook and haven't had a problem.

[gks]

Another vote for Rhodia, I use their Dot Pad's #19, and I think once my Quo Vadis notebook is full I will be switching to the Webbie.

For the money you pay for a Moleskine, spending a little more nets you a much better notebook.

[Mendel]

I had been a user of Moleskins for a long time, but recently purchased my first Rhodia Webbie and I love it! I saw a previous thread on B&B regarding Rhodia and was intrigued. Buy one. You won't be disappointed.

[andyg30]

As previous posters have commented Moleskins seem inconsistent. Great with some pen and ink combinations but bleed with others.

[erudolph]

i have taken to always carrying a moleskin 3.5 x 5 inch, sift brown cardboard covered notebook, either ruled or gridded. i write in it with a fine nib vanishing point using sailor ink and it performs brilliantly.

[mboschm]

I'm filling in a Moleskine reporter notebook and, besides see-through, I have not had other issues. However, my next notebook will not be a moleskine, I've seen some leather-bound ones in an artisan shop which I'd bet my nuts they're of higher quality, even if a little pricier, but, at least, I'll be paying top quality and not regular-quality plus hipster-appealing brand.

[whavens]

I bought several Moleskines when Waldenbooks went out of business. I get a little bleed through with them but not a deal breaker. I mostly use a Parker 21 with 5 o'clock Shadow ink. It will be a while before I have to replenish, as I bought a lot when they had the clearance.

[Bristlingbeardofodin]

No problems with my pocket calendar which is the only Moleskine I use. I wouldn't go so far as to say I love them but I would put them in the highly satisfied category.