Fountain Pen Friendly Moleskine Cahier Alternative

[Emthigious]

Hi all, new member here. Trying to play by the forum etiquette. I've read through some of the sticky topics but didn't really see my question answered so figured I'd give it a try. If I missed something I'm sorry, please let me know.

 

Now for my question. For work, I currently use Moleskine Cahier XL notebooks. They're perfect in practically every way: soft, kraftlike cover; side bound; lays flat; not too expensive; their size. But, of course, the paper is not very fountain pen friendly. My issue with some alternatives are mainly that they tend to be thicker and hard covered, which writes a bit less easy. They usually don't lie completely flat. Also, they're a bit expensive. The Moleskines cost about €5 a piece and that's about as much as I'd like to spend.

 

So, what could some alternatives be? And what is the English word for a "cahier"? As you might've guessed, English is not my first language. In Dutch, we'd call a notebook like this a schrift. Side bound with a single... bind? not like a regular book which consists of several bundles of bound pages. Hope I'm making sense here.

 

End of ramble. Thanks in advance!

[dan in montreal]

You might want to check out Leuchtturm. Some people around here seem to hate it, but my experience has been quite positive. It's not Rhodia or Clairefontaine, but it's decent paper. They have a variety of soft cover notebooks like this.

 

You can also try the Clairefontaine clothbound notebooks. They come in different sizes.

 

The Clairefontaine is more expensive, but is much better paper.

[Emthigious]

Thanks for the recommendation! I have a Leuchtturm notebook. For me, the paper is decent indeed. However, at €20 for a single A4 notebook, they're way too expensive for everyday work-related notetaking. I go through a lot of these.

[Moonshae]

Rhodia would be my suggestion. They have notebooks in various styles and sizes.

[SallyLyn]

Another option is a much finer pen nib. Less ink flow can make lesser paper tolerable.

 

I've also wander into the wild world of pencils. There are great inexpensive or expensive ($2+ a pencil) wood pencils with smooooth cores. Think from Japan, India, some nice ones made in US, Germany, etc. Leads for mechanical pencils come in various grades to 4B maybe 6B. Wider options in paper as a result.

 

Don't know what store options are available to you but papers made in Brazil often decent for pens. The inexpensive composition notebooks from Staples, Walmart from Brazil have good FP reviews. Do some more searches perhaps for other countries or origin.

 

HP laser paper if you want to make some type notebook. 32lb best but have heard some are happy with as low as 24lb. I'd stick with 28-32. See if you can try before you buy.

[bogiesan]

Welcome to the family. You can spends many hours here researching Moleskine.

 

There is another approach to getting happy with a notebook. Find the notebook first, then find a writiing instrument that you like to use with it. Maybe it's a rollerball or gel pen or a mechanical pencil.

[senzen]

You can probably get better prices, particularly if you speak french! I'd love some of these: http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Clairefontaine-Cahier-Pique-uni-21-x-29-7-cm-80-pages-90-g-couleur-variable-/331344283913?hash=item4d25a88909:g:LBwAAOSwcu5UOiT7

 

Uni = blank in Clairefontaine-speak.

 

I have a larger Clairefontaine, 24x32 but it's a little unwieldy.

[sciumbasci]

I used and still use Ciak by Firenze with satisfying results

[grilledcheese]

I am a fountain pen newbie so apologies if I"m stating the obvious, but it was a great surprise to me how great the variation was among different pen/ink/paper combinations. At first I would 'blame' the paper, or the pen, when often a change of ink made a difference. I would second bogiesan and work on finding the right pen/ink for the notebook you already love.

 

And as a native speaker of English (as spoken in California) I don't have another word besides 'notebook' for 'cahier' as you're using it here. The other word I'd use is 'journal' (as in 'Cahiers due Cinema') but that's not as close a match for the usage you want.

[Cocobird]

Are you in the US? Gouletpens.com has a large selection of notebooks. I would suggest Rhodia,

[vermillex93]

For uni stuff normally I'll use Oxford campus pad, I believe it's Germany made. And they offer another professional cover version, it's called Oxford Black N Red notebook. Try googling for reviews.

[birchtine]

Some inks work well on Moleskines. I use Salix, Diamine Registrar's and Pelikan Royal Blue with no real issues.

[MHBru]

Check out the Baron Fig Vanguard collection. About as close a match as I have seen anywhere. If it's the same paper as their other journals you'll be pretty happy.

[Moshe ben David]

I don't use the cahier type notebooks, so my input may not be too useful.

 

In terms of the traditional, hard cover Moleskine notebooks, I've found notebooks by Piccadilly in the same size (I use approx 3.5 x 5.5) had paper that worked well with my fountain pens. Generally I am using either a M or F nib; ranging from the Pilot type nibs to Pelikan. In terms of ink, with my Pilot pens I'm often running Pilot/Namiki inks; with Pelikan or Parker pens I'm usually but not exclusively using Waterman inks.

 

Hope this is useful!

 

Moshe ben David

[thudthwacker]

I've used Piccadilly as well, and find the paper to be quite excellent (and I have a love of stub nibs and saturated inks). They were clearly going after the Moleskine audience, and their "Pocket Memo" line is very much like the Moleskine cahiers -- kraft paper cover, sewn binding, single-signature, pocket in the back, lays flat when you open it. The Piccadilly large Pocket Memo, at 7.5" x 9.8" (according to their website), looks to be the moral equivalent to the Moleskine XL cahier (at 7.5" x 10"). Also, if this sort of thing appeals, Piccadilly has a pretty extensive set of cover designs.

 

I've found them at Barnes and Noble, generally for about half the price of the equivalent Moleskine item.

[Nibson]

I use the same Moleskine Cahier that you describe, in squared format. I know Moleskine has its critics, and some of it in my opinion, has been deserved, but for me they definitely fill a niche and the Cahiers have their place. You spell the advantages out pretty well yourself, and although the pages aren't thick, they pack a lot of them in. I use them for my journal and working out ideas. I use a Parker 51 with Watermans Absolute Brown, and also a Pilot Elite 95S using R&K Verdigris, both with fine nibs. The paper's quite okay with those pens and inks, especially the brown ink. I wouldn't want to try it with anything more substantial than a fine nib though.

 

I'm with the other members who responded suggesting maybe sticking with these Cahiers, but perhaps trying a fine nib?

 

If your heart's set on a change, then I've found similar options in stationers like Paperchase. I quite rate the paper on some of these options, despite not being expensive. Personally though, I still incline towards the Moleskine Cahier because of its sheer utility.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Nibson

[sakamichi]

The Banditapple Carnet has amazing FP-friendly paper and is really good price-wise. Their Tablet size is closer to the Moleskine Large rather than the XL, but I think it's worth looking at!

[mwpannell]

Yes, you can stick with Moleskine but maybe not with your favorite pen. I find the "disposable" Iyota Blade perfect and they are tough for daily rough wear and tear which characterises my Moleakine's life in my back pocket. (The pen doesn't stay there, though.) I've used pocket cahiers for decades, long before the digital notes-in-my-phone age. The Blade is fine nibbed. Not my favorite pen but let's me use the cahiers and has lasted a long, long time. It's grown on me for its unique use.

[LizB]

Clairefontaine 1951 notebooks. Good value, sewn spine bound, single signature, great paper.

 

 

Edit: sewn spine, not staple.

Edited May 29, 2017 by LizB

[tokyobay]

Fine and medium nib with Scabiosa has worked really well for me with this notebook.