Looking for Moleskine replacement, looking for advice

[DrScott]

I completely agree with donwinn and excarnate, the Markings by CR Gibson notebooks are top quality. I use the leather bonded ones exclusively now. The paper is consistently good throughout the notebook, the leather gives is a bit of a more sophisticated look, and it is the same form factor as the Moleskine. Not to mention how cheap it is!

 

Highly recommended.

[ash13brook]

Before you abandon your Moleskine, you might try changing your ink.

I was using a Waterman Medium with Waterman ink in a cheap journal from Officemax. The line was way too thick as I write slow. So, I ordered a Fine, but I had the same problem. I finally ordered an Extra Fine, but at the same time changed to Noodler's Swishmix Eternal Nile Ebony. Beautiful line width. I haven't tried it again with the Fine nib, but am confident that I could have saved the price of the Extra Fine merely by changing inks.

I have tried this combination in a Moleskine and it jsut as good there also.

I'm pretty sure the Noodler's Swishmix (only from Swisher Pens) is available as a regular Noodler's Bulletproof ink. There are more colors than the black that I use, too.

Then you can keep the Moleskine, which seems to be the format you like.

[JFT]

Before you abandon your Moleskine, you might try changing your ink.

I was using a Waterman Medium with Waterman ink in a cheap journal from Officemax. The line was way too thick as I write slow. So, I ordered a Fine, but I had the same problem. I finally ordered an Extra Fine, but at the same time changed to Noodler's Swishmix Eternal Nile Ebony. Beautiful line width. I haven't tried it again with the Fine nib, but am confident that I could have saved the price of the Extra Fine merely by changing inks.

I have tried this combination in a Moleskine and it jsut as good there also.

I'm pretty sure the Noodler's Swishmix (only from Swisher Pens) is available as a regular Noodler's Bulletproof ink. There are more colors than the black that I use, too.

Then you can keep the Moleskine, which seems to be the format you like.

 

Thanks for the advice but it is rather the other way around

 

I bought about 20 bottles of inks in the last month and half. I have only 2 pen moment a Waterman Le Man 100 M nib which is medium wet (but I find it too dry when I put Noodler's in) and a Visconti Van Gogh F Nib (very wet). With any Waterman or Herbin inks, which are the ones I love to use to balance the dryness in my Le Man, I get excessive feathering and bleedthrough, let's not even talk of WM or Herbin inks in my Van Gogh on Moleskine paper...

 

To my dismay I found my Le Man 100 a bit too dry, with a lot of skipping issues with the 4 Noodler's color I have. So I bought a wet F nib to enjoy these inks. Result: no combination that works with Moleskine. So yes I like the form factor of the Moleskine but I want to chose which pen and which color I write with I dont want the paper to chose for me A paper that tell you otherwise is badly behaved :roflmho:

 

 

[finalidid]

Amazed at the variation in reports of Moleskine paper quality ...

 

I like A5, I like wide-ruled, I like non-slickie paper, I like hard-cover, I like a pen-loop, I like perfect-bound (square binding, not ring or folded-over like the composition book), I like creamy Clairefontaine paper, I like ... free dancing girls that come with it?

 

[cklondon]

I have a Moleskine knockoff I got at either Target or Walmart (both sell the brand) with the brand Markings by C.R. Gibson. It is good with xf, f, and m nibs, with noodlers and pelikan royal blue, and skrip blue black, and pelikan green. The one I have is smaller, 4 x 6, but I think I saw the larger size also. I also have a bonded leather journal by the same company, also with fp friendly paper.

 

The bonus is, these are very inexpensive, $4 for the small one, $8 for the bonded leather journal. Check Target and/or Walmart for these. I love mine.

 

Donnie

 

I picked up a couple of the small Wal-Mart ones a month or two ago when my wife dragged me there kicking and screaming (not my favourite shopping location, can you tell??? I love them as little `jotters`that I keep with me wherever I go. They are less than half the price of Moleskine small journals and do the same job, since they could end up being marked in by an FP, BP, gel pen, pencil, whatever is handy. However, I prefer real Moleskine for the larger journals that I use. Just really like the format and the ability to lay flat, and the paper is `good enough`that the form and functionality outstrip the occasional lack of paper consistency. The one problem with those WalMart journals is that they only come lined, but for the price, I can`t complain too much I guess...

 

 

[JFT]

Amazed at the variation in reports of Moleskine paper quality ...

 

I like A5, I like wide-ruled, I like non-slickie paper, I like hard-cover, I like a pen-loop, I like perfect-bound (square binding, not ring or folded-over like the composition book), I like creamy Clairefontaine paper, I like ... free dancing girls that come with it?

 

I have two A5 Moleskine, a lined one and a squared one (which I bought by error). The lined one can't stand any FP, the squared has no problem with either, even my wet calligraphy pen (Rotring Art Pen) doesn't bleedthrough using Herbin inks. I also have a smaller notepad which is ok with both the Le Man and the Van Gogh. The problem is the consistency

 

It seems that asking for a lined A5 with hardcover and good paper is too much. Why doesn't Rhodia and Clairefontaine make that? (Or Whitelines since we're dreaming ) The elastic band and the pocket (and the dancing girl ) may be nice but I dont mind losing that if I get good and consistent paper.

[AndyHayes]

Try this thread

 

Moleskine like pad with Rhodia paper - possibly

[JFT]

Try this thread

 

Moleskine like pad with Rhodia paper - possibly

 

Thanks a lot These pads seem very interesting indeed!

[thefsb]

I can also vote for Markings by C R Gibson. I found one at Staples for $6 and took a chance on it. I normally use Clairefontaine 3.5" x 5.5" for my pocket journal/notebook. But the Gibson has a Moleskinesque closure and pocket in the back. (Moleskine paper I found makes my nice nibs look like a sharpie.) My Sailor Sapporo with medium left oblique cursive italic nib produces the line it's supposed to. The paper is a tad thin so there's a wee bit of bleed through visible, but not too bad. Nice orange cover too. Try one out.

[xena]

I am using the levenger Junior instead- roughly the same size; it is quite lovely, the paper is pleasant, and it is awesome because you can rearrange the paper however you like.

[NC5B]

This past weekend at Shopko (a midwestern discount chain) I found one of the smaller "Markings with CR Gibson" bonded leather books with Grid Paper. I haven't started using it yet (I'm finishing out a Moleskine reporter), but preliminary tests are very positive.

 

Steve

[excarnate]

This past weekend at Shopko (a midwestern discount chain) I found one of the smaller "Markings with CR Gibson" bonded leather books with Grid Paper.

And I found a larger one with grid paper at Target! I took some cellphone pictures...the one with the UPCs is too blurry, but the one below has my pocketsized moleskine (brand) grid notebook on top for scale and comparison. FWIW my Moleskine works fine and I got it for ~$11 (at Books-A-Million), but my larger notebook is the Markings by C.R. Gibson and my future notebooks are likely to be as well ($9 for the larger sized!). Although the tone of the paper is hard to capture in the lighting of the store with a cellphone camera, the colored tabs in my moleskine look right. As you can see, everything lays pretty flat (I tried not to bend the store copies too much!), the grids are similar, the paper in the larger lined one is whiter but not blinding, the lines are nice and narrow. The Moleskine is a bit stiffer, but the Markings are pretty stiff and would work well writing unsupported. They all have a nice pocket in the back and a decent flexible band and bookmark ribbon. I haven't had either the Moleskine or the Markings long enough to judge their durability, but they both seem fine (and equivalent), unlike the poor abused Miquel Rius mini-pocket.

[fedrepger]

im also very interested in a reasonable priced moleskine alternative.. did anyone ever had a notebook pocket size from paperblanks? they are a moleskine knockoff, just dont kno what the paper's like.

 

Greetings

Martin

[freznow]

Well I'm just tickled! The other day, before I decided I wanted a fountain pen, I was at target and got a Markings journal so that I might be encouraged to start up journaling. I'd been fretting that it might not go well with the noolder's ink I had ordered, but judging from the comments here it should be great! What a stroke of luck.

 

BTW, I got it because of the narrow lines, the wonderfully sedate look, and because it was there and inexpensive! The elastic, pocket, and ribbon are a bonus, they're nifty.

[JFT]

Thanks to all who responded.

 

I have ordered some Rhodia Webnotebook that I hope will fill the bill!

 

http://www.bloc-rhodia.fr/Rhodia-BOUTIQUE/...otebook-A5.html

 

Here's a review I found of this new product:

http://www.blackcover.net/?p=20

 

I can't wait to get mine!

 

 

[inkypete]

Thanks to all who responded.

 

I have ordered some Rhodia Webnotebook that I hope will fill the bill!

 

http://www.bloc-rhodia.fr/Rhodia-BOUTIQUE/...otebook-A5.html

 

Here's a review I found of this new product:

http://www.blackcover.net/?p=20

 

I can't wait to get mine!

 

 

I have a couple and they are not particularly FP friendly. As they have not used their standard paper but opted to try and copy Moleskin with an ivroy paper, it is not to their usual standard. Beware and don't buy more than one until you have tested them with your FP and ink combination. I was very disappointed.

[JFT]

I have a couple and they are not particularly FP friendly. As they have not used their standard paper but opted to try and copy Moleskin with an ivroy paper, it is not to their usual standard. Beware and don't buy more than one until you have tested them with your FP and ink combination. I was very disappointed.

 

Oh Thank you for the warning... I was hoping so much that they would be FP friendly ...

 

Are they equivalent to Moleskine or slightly better in your experience?

 

[CharlieB]

I have a couple and they are not particularly FP friendly. As they have not used their standard paper but opted to try and copy Moleskin with an ivroy paper, it is not to their usual standard. Beware and don't buy more than one until you have tested them with your FP and ink combination. I was very disappointed.

 

Oh no.....

 

This is the most depressing news I have read in a long time.... Rhodia is now selling non-fountain-pen-friendly paper????

[inkypete]

I have a couple and they are not particularly FP friendly. As they have not used their standard paper but opted to try and copy Moleskin with an ivroy paper, it is not to their usual standard. Beware and don't buy more than one until you have tested them with your FP and ink combination. I was very disappointed.

 

Oh no.....

 

This is the most depressing news I have read in a long time.... Rhodia is now selling non-fountain-pen-friendly paper????

 

 

I am a devoted Rhodia and Clairefontaine user going as far as importing my needs and copping the freight such is my love of quality paper. This is the only example I have found where Rhodia have compromised their quality so don't let it deter you from ordering their usual products. I think they have focussed too much on trying to emulate Moleskin's ivory paper rather than creating their own book.

I hope they see the error of their ways and churn them out with the standard paper grade, even if it meant less pages.

I stress again the feathering and bleed is not as bad as Moleskin and maybe your pen/ink combination will be ok. Just be careful with your original order until you have tested them.

[limesally]

I just revised - or rather, followed up on my original Quo Vadis Habana review with an updated post. This could be a possibility.