Question For Those That Have, And Are Disappointed With, Both The Rhodia Webbie And Leuchtturm1917

[Silent Speaker]

Which is the "lesser of two evils"?

 

I have one Webbie (140mm x 210mm - 5.5in x 8.25in; blank) with which I've not been all that enthused for all the usual reasons reported by others here and there: bleed/show/feather etc.

 

Basically, I was disappointed that it wasn't of the same quality as the white Rhodia pad paper - you can, in my experience, apparently throw anything at that kind - broader nibs, wetter inks yadda yadda yadda.

 

From what I've gleaned of the Leuchtturm notebooks, they're not any better.

 

However, what I'd like to know is, to what degree are they worse?

 

Provided that you are someone that has used a Webbie, and have experienced bleed/show/feathering (due to whatever factors: nib size/nib wetness/ink type/weather) and have used a Leuchtturm with much the same results, how bad are the aforementioned effects on the Leuchtturm compared with the Webbie?

 

I ask because very soon I shall have need of some notebooks (3-4 of them, going on to 6-8 if/when I fill the first batch) that are of the typical Moleskine-esque black/elasticated/back pocket variety (hard or soft cover) and am wondering if it is worth it to get the Rhodia's which cost quite a bit more than the Leuchtturms.

 

I could perhaps fiddle with my ink and nib combinations to find something that is "just right" with the Rhodia I have, but provided that I don't, would the Leuchtturms perform significantly worse?

 

I can tolerate my current experience with the webbies, but I don't think I could if it were any worse.

 

Thank you for your advice.

[The Good Captain]

Personally, I prefer the Leuchtturm notebooks as I don't like the ivory colour of the Rhodia. The only bleed-through I've experienced with either was with the same ink - Noodler's 'Prime of the Commons' but that goes through most of the papers I use.

Neither show any problems at all with any other of my inks, and certainly I'd not say that either were bad in any way. My preference is for the Leuchtturm though but I do use Rhodia pads a lot and prefer their white paper over the ivory notebooks any day.

[Mags]

There is a Midori brand notebook which is less glossy than Rhodia and a touch absorbent. Feathering and bleed through has been minimal. I bought it at Laywines in Toronto. They do phone and mail orders. No affiliation I just like the notebook.

Which is the "lesser of two evils"?

 

I have one Webbie (140mm x 210mm - 5.5in x 8.25in; blank) with which I've not been all that enthused for all the usual reasons reported by others here and there: bleed/show/feather etc.

 

Basically, I was disappointed that it wasn't of the same quality as the white Rhodia pad paper - you can, in my experience, apparently throw anything at that kind - broader nibs, wetter inks yadda yadda yadda.

 

From what I've gleaned of the Leuchtturm notebooks, they're not any better.

 

However, what I'd like to know is, to what degree are they worse?

 

Provided that you are someone that has used a Webbie, and have experienced bleed/show/feathering (due to whatever factors: nib size/nib wetness/ink type/weather) and have used a Leuchtturm with much the same results, how bad are the aforementioned effects on the Leuchtturm compared with the Webbie?

 

I ask because very soon I shall have need of some notebooks (3-4 of them, going on to 6-8 if/when I fill the first batch) that are of the typical Moleskine-esque black/elasticated/back pocket variety (hard or soft cover) and am wondering if it is worth it to get the Rhodia's which cost quite a bit more than the Leuchtturms.

 

I could perhaps fiddle with my ink and nib combinations to find something that is "just right" with the Rhodia I have, but provided that I don't, would the Leuchtturms perform significantly worse?

 

I can tolerate my current experience with the webbies, but I don't think I could if it were any worse.

 

Thank you for your advice.

[HDRoot]

I got a Leuchtturm1917 Major and found the paper useless. I tried it with several pen/ink combinations. It bled entirely through the page and onto the next page. It's advertised as FP-friendly but I don't see it. All I got from the vendor was "Gee, sorry you didn't like it, maybe you should (spend more money) and get one of these instead.

 

A shame, really, because I like the design and features. A4 notebooks don't grown on trees.

[K. Cakes]

I've had around 8 Leuchtturms of different sizes. Pocket, master, A4, and a planner. Including one I used as my ink notebook and was filled with inks of all different brands. I've never had the trouble with feathering or bleedthrough that others have, except with one certain ink brand which was very poorly behaved in my ink journal. I do use mainly fines and extra fine nibs, but even with my wider stubs and cursive italics I don't have any issues. Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

Depending on which size nibs you use Rhodia may be worth the extra price. I think if you're having that many problems with Webbies Leuchtturm probably won't be up to your standards. If you're in the U.S. I'd be happy to send you a sample of Leuchtturm paper, there are always a few perforated leafs in the back of notebooks that I don't know what to do with.

[bogiesan]

Leuch and Rhodia are at the top of the market. If you find fault with both, time to look elsewhere. There are literaly hundreds fo notebooks on the market.

Your need for a stack of notebooks suggests you need a specific feature: paper quality. But these two brands have nice covers; Leuch has numbered pages; Rhodia is orange although both offere a rainbow of colors these days but, surely, that cannot be a factor.

 

I happen to really like the Barnes and Nobel in-house brand, ecosystems, for its bright white paper and thick covers. INexpensive, too. And built of post-consumer sources and made in the USA. All of my lovely inks look great on the white paper.

 

I have used editions of all of the major brands of notebooks and none of them are perfect. Whitelines, Molie, Leuch, Piccy, Rhodia, many others. The single factor that made it easy for me to enjoy whichever notebook I have in my hands at any moment is that I only the recto side of each leaf.

 

Hope you find something soon that satisfies your criteria.

[Silent Speaker]

Thank you all for your responses!

 

I have spent the better part of the day (my excuse: it rained) going over them and reviewing review after review - flicking back and forth between accounts of the two notebooks - and leafing through my own Rhodian specimen until I realised that it was absurd to do so without an actual sample of the competing product. (the absurdity of giving this much thought to stationery at all only came to me a in a moment of odd lucidity that was quick to give way to madness once more)

 

However, there's just no time left to order such samples from half the world away.

 

Anyway, to cut a long and drawn-out story short (too late) I came to a miraculous discovery:

 

By adding together a slew of disparate variables that no sane and normal person would bother with (because, "omergerd! fountain pens!" ) including but not limited to: my current geographical location; my future location; the temporal displacement generated in a shift between the two points; the various amounts of required legal tender for any such transaction of goods to occur in the first place; what writing instruments and writing fluids and their various properties that I shall be taking with me and of course my nascent yet dramatic and profound mathemagical powers, I came to the grand conclusion that, in the end, the price difference between the Leuchy's and the Rhody's is negligible for me in my position. Thanks to all the runners up, my dog and clowns - goodnight!

 

I will say however thank goodness for Dutch fine stationers, crazy Netherlandic postage rates and my own timid and conservative nature:

When heading off for parts unknown, I would rather bring with me the devil I know rather than one that I don't.

 

Especially if it's only a few dollars difference between the two. (if that, in fact the rhodia's might even be cheaper)

 

Thank you all again for sharing your experiences with Leuchtturm "the bad romance that never was".

 

Perhaps one day.

 

But not today.

(and not tomorrow either)

 

 

~Tune in next week for more blathering nonsense. And now, for these messages...........~

[chadden42]

Check out Jetpens. Many Japanese papers function well. I have particularly enjoyed the Kokuyo brand.

[Joe in Seattle]

I think you made the right decision. I have used both notebooks, and do find the Rhodia to be the winner. However, the 1917 notebooks are available to me at half the price. Their quality is 85 to 90% of the Rhodia quality, in my view.

[wikeh2004]

I might make a suggestion. I recently bought some TWSBI notebooks. This is a new product and are available in small, medium, and large with lined, grid, or blank pages. They have 240 pages per notebook (120 sheets) so it's a bit more generous than the usual notebooks. The cover is flexible, and only time will tell how durable. The paper is not as smooth as the Rhodia, but it seems to take fountain pen ink very well, and doesn't show much feathering or bleed through. They are also quite reasonable, like the TWSBI pens. You can find them on the TWSBI website.

[TommySix]

I've used both and neither have let me down with Noodler's Black with F Nibs on a variety of pens

[Notebookish]

I have used and am disappointed in the Webbie and most Leuchtturms. Webbie is too glassy for me and it doesn't even look like paper IMO. L1917 was my favorite until they changed the paper in their A4+ Dot notebooks about two years ago, and now they spread and have bleed-through for my favorite inks. I still use their A5-type notebooks without problems.

 

I have had luck with some Japanese brands from Jetpens, i.e. some Kokuyo varieties, but I almost never appreciate their formats (B5 size etc). I am a stickler for A4 hardcovers with 5mm grids (preferably dots), and few Japanese notebooks come in that format. Midori's MD brand was close but not quite there for me.

 

In the end, what did I do? Well I am 75% through making my first hand-made notebook filled with Tomoe river paper, an A5 one to start with before attempting an A4 size, although I have already ordered A3 size Tomoe paper and printed dot-grids on them, raring to go once I put together my first "sample book" to learn the ropes. I have been using loose Tomoe sheets to some satisfaction lately, not quite as satisfying as L1917 A4+ dots before they destroyed it for reasons I'm sure involve corporate greed (I am still bitter about that), but pretty much the best I can do right now.

 

So I suppose the solution was making my own notebook. It's actually going surprisingly well. If you don't have time for this and don't necessarily need a very particular format, I say check out Kokuyo varieties on Jetpens.

[Jackson]

Thank you all for your responses!

 

I have spent the better part of the day (my excuse: it rained) going over them and reviewing review after review - flicking back and forth between accounts of the two notebooks - and leafing through my own Rhodian specimen until I realised that it was absurd to do so without an actual sample of the competing product. (the absurdity of giving this much thought to stationery at all only came to me a in a moment of odd lucidity that was quick to give way to madness once more)

 

However, there's just no time left to order such samples from half the world away.

 

Anyway, to cut a long and drawn-out story short (too late) I came to a miraculous discovery:

 

By adding together a slew of disparate variables that no sane and normal person would bother with (because, "omergerd! fountain pens!" ) including but not limited to: my current geographical location; my future location; the temporal displacement generated in a shift between the two points; the various amounts of required legal tender for any such transaction of goods to occur in the first place; what writing instruments and writing fluids and their various properties that I shall be taking with me and of course my nascent yet dramatic and profound mathemagical powers, I came to the grand conclusion that, in the end, the price difference between the Leuchy's and the Rhody's is negligible for me in my position. Thanks to all the runners up, my dog and clowns - goodnight!

 

I will say however thank goodness for Dutch fine stationers, crazy Netherlandic postage rates and my own timid and conservative nature:

When heading off for parts unknown, I would rather bring with me the devil I know rather than one that I don't.

 

Especially if it's only a few dollars difference between the two. (if that, in fact the rhodia's might even be cheaper)

 

Thank you all again for sharing your experiences with Leuchtturm "the bad romance that never was".

 

Perhaps one day.

 

But not today.

(and not tomorrow either)

 

--"nascent...mathemagical powers". -- brilliant ! I will steal this to support my English major's contention that 2 + 2 = 5.

 

~Tune in next week for more blathering nonsense. And now, for these messages...........~

[Runnin_Ute]

Black n' Red is very good.

I have tried A5 wirebound and A4 casebound and had good luck with both. Haven't tried any other sizes that are available. Mine have all been lined.

[mongrelnomad]

You'll only be truly happy with one of these...