Rhodia Vs. Maruman Mnemosyne

[R_Dorothy Wayneright]

Hi there guys,

 

I am a huge fan of A5 pads and I noticed that the Maruman Mnemosyne A5 pads (staple-bound top) were often more expensive than Rhodia A5 pads (staple-bound top) from anywhere I can make a comparison. I get a feeling Maruman Mnemosyne is generally more expensive than Rhodia. These are just my observations of online paper retailers and my local Maido and Kinokuniya, so I am not 100% certain. I am not going to spend hours comparing different pad/notebook sizes and retailers! No way!

 

Is Maruman Mnemosyne worth the extra cost?

 

I am sort of a fountain pen novice, but I have both a Mnemosyne A5 and a Rhodia reverse book and the paper seems very similar (haven't done an extensive review yet but both are highly regarded and have worked well for me) so much that I can't help but feel that Mnemosyne is a bit overpriced. My Lamy 2000 is wetter on the Mnemosyne, and the shading of the ink is more dramatic, I must admit. But for the price difference, I am not so sure.

 

Goulet Pens--Rhodia No. 16 (A5), $5.50

Jet Pens--Maruman Mnemosyne Project Notepad (A5), $16.00 (I think I paid around $9-11 dollars at Kinokuniya)

 

Anyone share my sentiments? No flame on either brand, I do love both, but I wonder if I am paying for brand image with the Mnemosyne, since it is an 'it' item in Japan.

 

I never realized how much more satisfying writing can be with the proper tools, by the way! Forgive the inconsistency on my Lamy 2000 EF, I am a left-handed underwriter and my L2K's nib hasn't been tuned by Mr. Binder yet. Oh, and sorry in advance for the horrible photography.

 

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc409/rdorothywayneright/P1020605.jpg

 

Any input is very much appreciated! Thanks!

Edited January 19, 2012 by R_Dorothy Wayneright

[inkypete]

I bought a couple of different size Maruman Mnemosyne from Kinokuniya in Sydney about 12 months ago and the paper was very ordinary - definitely not what I would class as FP freindly.

[professionaldilettante]

I bought a couple of different size Maruman Mnemosyne from Kinokuniya in Sydney about 12 months ago and the paper was very ordinary - definitely not what I would class as FP freindly.

That's what I thought, because if i remember correctly, there was a post here in the past week saying that they needed a new notebook cause the Maruman in their notebook cover bled like crazy.

[ChuckR9]

I like the Rhodia pads for my personal use, but purchased a 5 pack of Maruman Mnemosyne Special Memo Notepad - B5 for my son to use at College. They seem to be very popular for students, although I doubt many use fountian pens. To me the paper seems to be similar.

[Philosophy Student]

I prefer the packaging of maruman. But the rhodia paper is better. As pads go i feel rhodias packaging to be lacking.

[Reygan]

Maruman notebooks were recommended to me by a fellow member of my local pen club, and I must say, these notebooks handled my fps far better than any paper I've tried thus far! I got the septcolour notebooks, and it was very smooth and no evidence of even showthrough on my broad nibs. Cost for these great notebooks in my country is around 7 dollars, so it really offers good value for money. Rhodias are very expensive in my side of the world (almost 20 usd!) so the maruman is a no-brainer choice for me.

[holgalee]

The mnemosyne lined paper is not fp friendly. I know as I had one and inks teems to bleedthrough, even though I predominately used Japanese fine nibs. Not sure about the other types of paper in the mnemosyne range though. A pity as the range looks really classic and handsome.

[SharkOnWheels456]

I recently ordered a 5 pack of the Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks, and I've actually found the paper to be quite pleasant. It's not as good as Rhodia, but it is very smooth and doesn't bleed if you use more well behaved inks. However, if you get hand oils (specifically fingerprints) or any form of liquid on the Maruman, you will get some horrible feathering. Still, I've found it to have better drying times to Rhodia paper, which is a big thing to keep in mind as a lefty, so I'm not too bothered by it. If Rhodia had wirebound notebooks with regular lined rulings, I would probably put them lightyears ahead of the Maruman.

[proton007]

I use a Mnemosyne notebook for testing pens and inks, and haven't experienced any bleed through or feathering issues. The shading comes out nicely.

I can't find Rhodia in my place, so Mnemosyne is the second best choice.

 

For those claiming Mnemosyne isn't FP friendly, it's possible they're confusing Maruman and Mnemosyne.

 

Maruman makes lined sheets that are sold separately. These are NOT meant for FP use, and their cover indicates as such.

 

The Mnemosyne is a higher quality offering by Maruman, and it only consists of spiral notebooks in different sizes.

 

If you see ink bleed on the Mnemosyne, your pen probably needs to use 100+ Gsm paper.

[inkypete]

I use a Mnemosyne notebook for testing pens and inks, and haven't experienced any bleed through or feathering issues. The shading comes out nicely.

I can't find Rhodia in my place, so Mnemosyne is the second best choice.

 

For those claiming Mnemosyne isn't FP friendly, it's possible they're confusing Maruman and Mnemosyne.

 

Maruman makes lined sheets that are sold separately. These are NOT meant for FP use, and their cover indicates as such.

 

The Mnemosyne is a higher quality offering by Maruman, and it only consists of spiral notebooks in different sizes.

 

If you see ink bleed on the Mnemosyne, your pen probably needs to use 100+ Gsm paper.

My experience has been with both. I bought a really nice Mnemosyne A5 pad folder complete with pad, and an A5 spiral notebook, and they were just OK, not great. They had too much bleed through for my liking compared to my usual Clairefontaine it wasn't anywhere near as good. I have tried other Maruman product with mixed results too.

Edited April 4, 2014 by inkypete

[displacermoose]

I use Mnemosyne b5 notebooks all the time and have never had a problem with them. For me, having grey rather than purple lines is totally worth the increased price.

[Lyander0012]

So, I have a sample of Maruman's Septcouleur and a No. 18 Rhodia pad. The sample is actually just a page I got out of a notebook, so while I haven't done extensive testing on the paper (seriously considering a buy, though), I have managed to give it a thorough inking.

 

Both are great for fountain pens, with the Maruman pulling ahead of the Rhodia paper in terms of smoothness. Also, sheen and shading are very much more pronounced on the Maruman than the Rhodia. Don't get me wrong, the Rhodia paper is very much deserving of the stellar reputation it has among FP enthusiasts, but the Septcouleur paper just surpasses it in every way, even in price I'm sorry to admit

 

Now, I'm not a hundred percent certain whether Maruman uses the same paper across their lines, so as I've not a Mnemosyne pad, I can't really comment on it. Still, it's a point of reference to people who have both. I'll probably stick with Rhodia as my primary FP paper because it's the more economical buy, but Maruman would be good if I can find it on the cheap.

Hmm, maybe I can satiate my craving with one of the smaller notebooks, haha; I normally gravitate towards larger pages, but I'll make an occasional exception.

 

 

Hope that helped, and cheers!

Kevin

[dmourati]

Maruman Mnemosyne are fantastic with fountain pens. I use their 182 B5 grid notebooks with both a Namiki Falcon and Sailor both in Fine Nibs with no issue.

[Keyless Works]

I prefer Mnemosyne although I admit the paper quality doesn't seem to be 100% consistent though it's never bad. It offers more absorption without bleeding than Rhodia does. I buy more Rhodia because it's cheaper and on sale more of the time.

[Ambien]

I prefer the Rhodia over Maruman Mnemosyne. I do own a spiral notebook and I find that the paper is too smooth for some FPs. Paper with mild texture tends to write better for me.

[Lyander0012]

True, extremely glossy papers are sometimes quite difficult to work with, but you have to admit that you get amazing sheen and shading on them with good pens. Rhodia is great for all practical purposes, methinks, but Maruman makes papers that would be great for ink journalling. Depends on what you need, I suppose.

 

I prefer the Rhodia over Maruman Mnemosyne. I do own a spiral notebook and I find that the paper is too smooth for some FPs. Paper with mild texture tends to write better for me.

[cellmatrix]

Both are great for fountain pens, with the Maruman pulling ahead of the Rhodia paper in terms of smoothness. Also, sheen and shading are very much more pronounced on the Maruman than the Rhodia. Don't get me wrong, the Rhodia paper is very much deserving of the stellar reputation it has among FP enthusiasts, but the Septcouleur paper just surpasses it in every way, even in price I'm sorry to admit

I agree with Kevin here. Rhodia is great paper but Maruman Sept Couleur paper is smoother, ink appears more vivid and shades better. The only negative point is that drying time is slightly longer.

Edited October 11, 2014 by cellmatrix

[jmccarty3]

Awaiting a couple of the Boston Note Books by Maruman from Jet Pens. These are supposed to have even better paper than the Mnemosyne. Will report on how they compare to Rhodia and Clairfontaine.