Help me find my next journal
July 1, 2017 5:02 PM Subscribe
My current journal is about two months from being full. Due to the circumstances under which I acquired the current journal (I found it while cleaning out a box of childhood nonsense - it contains no brand information whatsoever), I can't find an exact replacement. Please help me find an alternative. (Picky journal specifications under the cut.)
Things I require of a journal:
- Fountain-pen friendly paper. I don't mind a little show-through, but feathering and bleed are not okay.
- Lined pages. Ideally college ruled (7mm).
- Fairly sturdy construction. I travel with my journal and am not terribly careful with my things.
Things I would ideally like to have:
- I would prefer an A5 journal - definitely nothing smaller. I could do a larger size, but I prefer the A5.
- As many pages as possible.
- Plain covers. Colors are fine, but I don't really want designs or "inspiring" quotes.
- I like a ribbon bookmark, but can live without one.
Things I definitely do not want:
- Spiral binding.
- Page-a-day diary formats.
- Rhodia notebooks. I know they've got nice paper but I find them very aesthetically displeasing.
Things I require of a journal:
- Fountain-pen friendly paper. I don't mind a little show-through, but feathering and bleed are not okay.
- Lined pages. Ideally college ruled (7mm).
- Fairly sturdy construction. I travel with my journal and am not terribly careful with my things.
Things I would ideally like to have:
- I would prefer an A5 journal - definitely nothing smaller. I could do a larger size, but I prefer the A5.
- As many pages as possible.
- Plain covers. Colors are fine, but I don't really want designs or "inspiring" quotes.
- I like a ribbon bookmark, but can live without one.
Things I definitely do not want:
- Spiral binding.
- Page-a-day diary formats.
- Rhodia notebooks. I know they've got nice paper but I find them very aesthetically displeasing.
The large Moleskine notebook seems to be pretty close to what you want. Durable, takes ink well (I've even done water colours in them), just under A5, book binding, ~200 pages, plain black cover (other colours available too), ribbon bookmark, etc...
Is there something you don't like about it?
posted by bonehead at 5:17 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is there something you don't like about it?
posted by bonehead at 5:17 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
As soon as I read "fountain pen" I thought of Jet Pens.
They call these notebooks rather than journals.
Here's a good selection that might meet your criteria:
https://www.jetpens.com/Notebooks/ct/762?f=5fcb84b878b1970b_256af6d408966623&ip=48
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 5:29 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
They call these notebooks rather than journals.
Here's a good selection that might meet your criteria:
https://www.jetpens.com/Notebooks/ct/762?f=5fcb84b878b1970b_256af6d408966623&ip=48
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 5:29 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Leuchtturm1917, maybe? Paper quality is less than Rhodia but definitely better than Moleskine. I love mine, but am not a fountain pen person.
posted by acidic at 5:52 PM on July 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by acidic at 5:52 PM on July 1, 2017 [5 favorites]
My current journal comes from Peter Pauper Press. 160 lined pages, hardback, elastic placeholder, small enough to fit in a purse. I am not in love with the yellow flowers, but if I need to, I can make a cover for it, so...
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:46 PM on July 1, 2017
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:46 PM on July 1, 2017
Seconding MonkeyToes: in general Peter Pauper press has a diverse selection with pages that are not lined too heavily (I hate that.) Their paper holds gel ink well without bleeding (not sure about fountain pens.) You could check out their black "Flanders" journal, (here) which is plain and durable. I am not a Moleskin fan. For the money Peter Pauper Press is a much better buy in my opinion (as as excessive journaler who has tried almost every option out there.)
posted by Crystal Fox at 7:23 PM on July 1, 2017
posted by Crystal Fox at 7:23 PM on July 1, 2017
It's got one of your dealbreakers, but I'd like to evangelize the Rollbahn notebooks:
They have gorgeously smooth paper, narrow gridded lines that are very pale and not distracting/busy at all, and are small and sturdily built. They're made by the Japanese company Delfonics, and in Japan they're about $4; outside of Japan they're harder to find, and the last one I bought cost me about $12. Though like you, I tend to hate spiral-bound notebooks, this has the perfect spiral binding, and the metal spirals and paper are both sturdy enough that it becomes a feature, not a bug.
Read this very thorough review of the Delfonics Rollbahn notebooks here or take a look at another one, here, then if you're inclined to buy one there are some on Amazon for about $10, and links in the comments of the first review if you'd rather not buy from Amazon. (You can apparently buy them directly from the Delfonics website--see here, and scroll down a little bit--but all the notebooks are currently sold out.)
posted by tapir-whorf at 7:26 PM on July 1, 2017
They have gorgeously smooth paper, narrow gridded lines that are very pale and not distracting/busy at all, and are small and sturdily built. They're made by the Japanese company Delfonics, and in Japan they're about $4; outside of Japan they're harder to find, and the last one I bought cost me about $12. Though like you, I tend to hate spiral-bound notebooks, this has the perfect spiral binding, and the metal spirals and paper are both sturdy enough that it becomes a feature, not a bug.
Read this very thorough review of the Delfonics Rollbahn notebooks here or take a look at another one, here, then if you're inclined to buy one there are some on Amazon for about $10, and links in the comments of the first review if you'd rather not buy from Amazon. (You can apparently buy them directly from the Delfonics website--see here, and scroll down a little bit--but all the notebooks are currently sold out.)
posted by tapir-whorf at 7:26 PM on July 1, 2017
Best answer: "Fountain pen friendly" and "lots of pages" makes me think of Tomoe River paper. You might want to get some sample sheets to see if it's your kind of thing. If it is, the Seven Seas "Writer" is only missing a ribbon.
posted by gnomeloaf at 8:00 PM on July 1, 2017
posted by gnomeloaf at 8:00 PM on July 1, 2017
The Clairefontaine 1951 clothbound notebooks might be just what you're looking for.
- Fountain pen friendly paper
- Line spacing is 8 mm, so a *bit* wider than you'd prefer
- Nice and sturdy, for a softbound notebook
- 96 pages
- Fairly plain, and definitely classic, in design
They're also *very* well-priced for that many pages of good paper.
posted by Jeanne at 8:06 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
- Fountain pen friendly paper
- Line spacing is 8 mm, so a *bit* wider than you'd prefer
- Nice and sturdy, for a softbound notebook
- 96 pages
- Fairly plain, and definitely classic, in design
They're also *very* well-priced for that many pages of good paper.
posted by Jeanne at 8:06 PM on July 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've been eyeing these Moo Notebooks. They sound like almost exactly what you're looking for.
posted by gennessee at 9:17 PM on July 1, 2017
posted by gennessee at 9:17 PM on July 1, 2017
Leuchterm paper is not fountain pen friendly, that I can attest.
Like you, I am against spiral binding. I hate the way the wire bends, making it hard to turn pages, and I hate getting things snagged on the end. But I have always really liked the way a spiral notebook lies flat when you write. My handwriting life was changed forever when I discovered a Japanese line called Mnemosyne. Their books are bound with individual double-wire loops rather than spirals. The loops are sturdy, do not bend, do not snag.
I also found that I really like the paper. It's low glare (Clairefontaine makes my eyes hurt, even though the paper quality is great) and the tooth is smooth but not overly smooth, as Clairefontaine can be.
In addition to the wire binding, there are other things about this brand that may be potential deal breakers. They are lined only on one side of the page, and the page count is only 75. Still, I like these notebooks so much I am chiming in anyway, just to suggest that if you get a chance to handle one in a store you might take a look and see what you think.
posted by Morpeth at 1:39 AM on July 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Like you, I am against spiral binding. I hate the way the wire bends, making it hard to turn pages, and I hate getting things snagged on the end. But I have always really liked the way a spiral notebook lies flat when you write. My handwriting life was changed forever when I discovered a Japanese line called Mnemosyne. Their books are bound with individual double-wire loops rather than spirals. The loops are sturdy, do not bend, do not snag.
I also found that I really like the paper. It's low glare (Clairefontaine makes my eyes hurt, even though the paper quality is great) and the tooth is smooth but not overly smooth, as Clairefontaine can be.
In addition to the wire binding, there are other things about this brand that may be potential deal breakers. They are lined only on one side of the page, and the page count is only 75. Still, I like these notebooks so much I am chiming in anyway, just to suggest that if you get a chance to handle one in a store you might take a look and see what you think.
posted by Morpeth at 1:39 AM on July 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
The guys at Pen Addict are way into fountain pens; here's search results for "notebook review". Includes several of the notebooks mentioned above.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:03 AM on July 2, 2017
posted by jrobin276 at 2:03 AM on July 2, 2017
ooh oooh, you want goulet pens! :) They're my favorite fountain pen (and other supplies) online store, with lots of reviews. Start with their blog (link with a search on notebooks). They also often do "ink" tests so you can see how your pen+ink will fare on that journal.
posted by ellerhodes at 9:26 AM on July 2, 2017
posted by ellerhodes at 9:26 AM on July 2, 2017
Not even the Rhodia Webnotebook? I use the plain black one and it doesn't look radically different from a Leuchtterm or Moleskine of a similar size save for the embedded logo, which isn't super obvious on the black cover.
Otherwise, I've heard EXCELLENT things about Midori notebooks. They do not come with a cover (it's a whole thing about simplicity, focus on the paper, etc.), but they do sell external covers on the site and they come in standard A5 sizes so if you wanted to splash out on like a nice notebook cover or something and just mix and match book inserts, these are probably pretty great for that.
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:47 AM on July 5, 2017
Otherwise, I've heard EXCELLENT things about Midori notebooks. They do not come with a cover (it's a whole thing about simplicity, focus on the paper, etc.), but they do sell external covers on the site and they come in standard A5 sizes so if you wanted to splash out on like a nice notebook cover or something and just mix and match book inserts, these are probably pretty great for that.
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:47 AM on July 5, 2017
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posted by rtha at 5:08 PM on July 1, 2017 [7 favorites]