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MrClockWork
November 9th, 2012, 09:19 PM
I have been using Moleskine journals exclusivley for about 5 years now and I am just getting into fountain pens. Up until this point I have been using ball points and roller balls but once I switched to a fountain pen I an having HUGE feathering and bleed through issues. I used my new Pilot 78G Fine tonight and I was even having issues big enough to notice with a pen that fine. I have another small Moleskine and a Rhodia note pad that I use at work and I am not having any issues with them at all. In your experience, is there that much of a quality control issue with Moleskine? I have to not finish a journal but this one is about to have the finished pages ripped out and put into a new Rhodia. Gotta use these new fountain pens!

wayne.robinson
November 10th, 2012, 01:13 AM
Moleskine journals are not fountain pen friendly at all. The only ink I've used without much bleed through consistently are the iron gall inks from Rohrer & Klinger, Montblanc and Akkerman.

manoeuver
November 11th, 2012, 06:49 AM
Moleskine paper is hit or miss, historically mostly miss. Some people report better results lately but generally its a no go for tour fountain pens.

John the Monkey
November 12th, 2012, 01:09 AM
Other than the limited editions, Moleskine's paper is poor, especially at a premium price!

If you're carrying on with them, fine nibs, and dry-ish inks (Pelikan Blue/Black) for example will be fine.

Inkyjournal rates inks on the basis of Moleskine friendliness, search on their "100% Moleskine Friendly" tag.

http://inkyjournal.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/100%25%20Moleskine-proof%20ink

dannzeman
November 12th, 2012, 11:52 AM
I would wholeheartedly agree with everything that's been said. In my experience, regular Moleskine notebooks are terrible. The premium special edition ones like the Lego edition is pretty good. I've had an overall good experience with it but there's still inconsistencies within in the notebook. My personal favorite is Rhodia and it's what I recommend to most people.

Tracy Lee
November 12th, 2012, 12:00 PM
I'll second Rhodia and add Claire Fontaine, both my go to paper for everyday use of my fountain pens at work. The down side of using fountain pens is that I need to buy almost all of my work supplies myself. The government is getting off easy!!! :-)

inky
November 12th, 2012, 01:12 PM
I've had the same experiance with the Moleskine notebooks as well. I ended up switching to Rhodia notebooks when I want everything to be perfect. For everyday on the go notes I carry a Field Notes notebook with me. Nice and thin and fits in the back pocket great. The paper tends to bleed and feather with anything above a dry medium nib but I just use them for lists and to-dos so it's no biggie to me. Fraction of the price of the moleskines too!

fountainpenkid
November 12th, 2012, 02:01 PM
My first 'skine was quite bad...a lot of bleed-through as you said, but my second one is a bit better--still feathering and bleed-through with any ink, but to a lesser degree. I don't carry a journal, but just keep a tiny 'skine at my bedside table.

KrazyIvan
November 12th, 2012, 10:02 PM
USe a dry ink and a fine to extra fine nib with them and they are okay, at most.

fountainpenkid
November 13th, 2012, 02:11 PM
USe a dry ink and a fine to extra fine nib with them and they are okay, at most.

True...an Esterbrook XF with Diamine Macassar was actually O.K...but anything broader, and you're only using one side of each sheet.

MrClockWork
November 13th, 2012, 03:47 PM
I don't know how much finer you can get than my Pilot 78G but that bleeds through and feathers like a champ. I'm thinking I might abandon ship on the Moleskine and just move over to a Rhodia or Clair Fontaine stitch bound. Small price to pay for using a pen I actually enjoy though :)

wayne.robinson
November 13th, 2012, 03:48 PM
The 78G is a pretty wet pen if the rest of my Pilots are anything to go by.

MrClockWork
November 13th, 2012, 04:52 PM
Mine must be an exception to the rule. I had to make mine a little wetter. My feed wouldn't keep up with my writing all of the time out of the box and I am not even a fast writer. No worries here though, having my previous Moleskine devotion shattered I am not excited to try out some new paper. I can handle crappy, feathering paper at work because I mostly take short notes but it is totally unacceptable for the, should be, absolutely enjoyable experience of journaling. :)

Bogon07
November 13th, 2012, 10:00 PM
The big advantage Moleskine has is that is is readily available.

I think the main thing is try different combinations until you find one that works for you.

Just ordered the Moleskine The Hobbit Hard Plain Pocket Notebook (Notebook/blank book) for drawing. I expect nearly any of the pen, fountain or pigment I will use will show through to some extent then again that happens with all other notebooks too (Rhodia & Leuchtturm etc).

Petergly
November 14th, 2012, 01:50 AM
I've found that the moleskine cahiers are terrible for bleeding, feathering etc. however, just bought a couple of Moleskine 80-page notebooks; paper is different to the cahiers - seem heavier, and more dense. Minimal feathering and no bleed on these.

Regards,

Pete Mac in Melbourne

John the Monkey
November 14th, 2012, 05:53 AM
I think the 80 page book is the sketchbook, Peter - anecdotally (I'll not buy Moleskine again, personally) I'm told the paper is way better for fountain pens.

KrazyIvan
November 14th, 2012, 08:30 AM
An ink that really helps on Moleskine is Lamy Blue-Black. Not the most exciting ink but it controls the bleed and feathering.

gwgtaylor
November 14th, 2012, 09:13 AM
The only issues I have with my Moleskine is that they tend to burn too quickly and don't give off the satisfying heat of say a piece of oak or a bassoon.

Sorry if that was inflammatory. Or inFLAMEatory. See what I did there?

Moderators, be gentle.

MrClockWork
November 14th, 2012, 09:24 AM
Maybe I will go back in my stack of filled Moleskines and test each book with my 78G and see what happens just for kicks. I will report back.

Petergly
November 14th, 2012, 02:27 PM
I think the 80 page book is the sketchbook, Peter - anecdotally (I'll not buy Moleskine again, personally) I'm told the paper is way better for fountain pens.

Could be. I forgot to mention though that I was referring to the pocket size notebooks. Apologies for any confusion.

KrazyIvan
November 14th, 2012, 02:38 PM
My comments are specifically directed to the pocket size but applies to the large size too. (Graph paper).

LOL @ gwgtaylor

John the Monkey
November 15th, 2012, 12:57 AM
Could be. I forgot to mention though that I was referring to the pocket size notebooks. Apologies for any confusion.

To be fair, my only experience is of the pocket Moleskine too - a lined notebook, a cahier, and a plain reporter. None of them like ink very much :)

FWIW, the paper in the plain reporter is delightful with soft graphite.

My notebook, cahier & some ink;

14811482

Note the odd, tendril like feathering on some of the inks.

Bogon07
November 15th, 2012, 03:31 PM
To be fair, my only experience is of the pocket Moleskine too - a lined notebook, a cahier, and a plain reporter. None of them like ink very much :)

FWIW, the paper in the plain reporter is delightful with soft graphite.

My notebook, caheir & some ink;

14811482

Note the odd, tendril like feathering on some of the inks.

You've just won a Clairefontaine notebook from the Goulets Ink Nouveau contest so you won't need to worry about issues with Moleskines. Congratulations.

John the Monkey
November 16th, 2012, 06:25 AM
You've just won a Clairefontaine notebook from the Goulets Ink Nouveau contest so you won't need to worry about issues with Moleskines. Congratulations.

:D Yes, I didn't see the edition of Write Now, but Brian was kind enough to email and let me know - my daughter has already called the Preppy, I don't think she knows about the notebook, so I may still get to keep that :)

MrClockWork
November 20th, 2012, 09:19 AM
I broke down and bought a Rhodia notebook with the 90g Clairefontaine paper in it and I have to say... it is awesome! I simply couldn't stop writing when I sat down with it! The paper is drastically smoother than Moleskine but still gives the slightest feedback, which I enjoy, and ink actually behaves on it. I may now be a Rhodia convert.

writingrav
November 20th, 2012, 10:49 AM
I broke down and bought a Rhodia notebook with the 90g Clairefontaine paper in it and I have to say... it is awesome! I simply couldn't stop writing when I sat down with it! The paper is drastically smoother than Moleskine but still gives the slightest feedback, which I enjoy, and ink actually behaves on it. I may now be a Rhodia convert.

Many of us have made that journey.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

fountainpenkid
November 24th, 2012, 08:10 AM
Wait...Rhodia uses Clairfontaine paper?

MrClockWork
November 25th, 2012, 08:17 AM
Wait...Rhodia uses Clairfontaine paper?

My Rhodia WebNotebook is filled with off-white 90g Clairefontaine. Pretty sweet stuff :)

mazzas
January 20th, 2013, 04:05 PM
While not my favorite paper (by far), the general availability of Moleskine notebooks almost guarantees that I've got one or two at any given time. I absolutely concur with previous recommendations for Rhodia and (especially) Clairefontaine. But... I have also found that Noodler's ink (specifically, but not limited to: Manhattan Blue, Baystate Blue, and La Reine Mauve) flow nicely and don't bleed or feather in my Moleskine books (or for that matter on most copy paper -- like there's a *huge* difference). :)

fountainpenkid
January 21st, 2013, 07:50 AM
My Rhodia WebNotebook is filled with off-white 90g Clairefontaine. Pretty sweet stuff :)

Cool! But does Rhodia always use Clairfontaine paper?

snedwos
January 21st, 2013, 08:18 AM
Only for the webbie, I think. Not that their other paper is at all bad...

Lane
February 6th, 2013, 08:18 PM
I can echo much of the sentiment here. I've been using Moleskine A5 notebooks for a while and more recently with fountain pens. The paper performs perfectly well with a Lamy Safari F with Lamy Blue ink. It starts to break down with wetter inks and broader nibs. It is also pricey. On the plus side it is well made and holds together beautifully over time.

For a cheap Moleskine alternative: I recently picked up a few Piccadilly A5 notebooks for $5 each at Barnes & Noble and was shocked to see that the paper quality was significantly better than Moleskine. Using a Konrad flex pen with full flex and Noodler's Liberty's Elysium ink the paper didn't bleed or feather in the least. Impressive for any paper. I've only used a few pages so I can't say anything about the consistency of the paper, but I have been impressed so far.

AndreasDavour
February 7th, 2013, 06:58 AM
Using a Hero 616 Jumbo (quite fine nib) and Pelikan Royal Blue is an excellent fit. Not that a better notebook and any ink and pen wouldn't be even better, I'm just saying.

mommalisa
February 17th, 2013, 07:08 PM
G Lalo is great paper - fountain pen friendly- but for pocket notebook size Rhodia is extremely fountain pen friendly, they have a great deal of size choices- and you can choose graph, lined or blank.
Vanness is a 75 year old brick and mortar pen company in Arkansas- it offers all the Rhodia, Claire Fontaine, and the G Lalo. you can email them vanness1938@sbcglobal.net. You can also find their website ( it will be up March 1) vanness1938.com

KrazyIvan
February 18th, 2013, 09:08 AM
I can echo much of the sentiment here. I've been using Moleskine A5 notebooks for a while and more recently with fountain pens. The paper performs perfectly well with a Lamy Safari F with Lamy Blue ink. It starts to break down with wetter inks and broader nibs. It is also pricey. On the plus side it is well made and holds together beautifully over time.

For a cheap Moleskine alternative: I recently picked up a few Piccadilly A5 notebooks for $5 each at Barnes & Noble and was shocked to see that the paper quality was significantly better than Moleskine. Using a Konrad flex pen with full flex and Noodler's Liberty's Elysium ink the paper didn't bleed or feather in the least. Impressive for any paper. I've only used a few pages so I can't say anything about the consistency of the paper, but I have been impressed so far.

I have a few of those Picadilly Moleskine look-a-like journals and they bleed terribly for me. Much worse than Moleskine, even with fine nibs and dry ink. :(

kemuri
July 8th, 2013, 09:51 AM
Hello, everybody!

Strange feeling seeing you all talk about Moleskine notebooks this way!

I've been using them with and without fountain pens and always found them very good. Didn't have the problem with ink passing through the paper and other issues related.

Something I agree is the price. It's not really a good cost & benefit...

Thanks!


-kemuri

cwent2
July 8th, 2013, 11:50 AM
I'll second Rhodia and add Claire Fontaine, both my go to paper for everyday use of my fountain pens at work. The down side of using fountain pens is that I need to buy almost all of my work supplies myself. The government is getting off easy!!! :-)

For work related paper you may be able to obtain Franklin Covey through GSA. I used to before I retired and the paper is Fountain Pen friendly. Just a thought.

Carl

cwent2
July 8th, 2013, 11:52 AM
I have a few of those Picadilly Moleskine look-a-like journals and they bleed terribly for me. Much worse than Moleskine, even with fine nibs and dry ink.

Strange I just got Piccadilly 8 x 8 1/4 from BJ's and it is behaving great!

Cwood

fncll
July 14th, 2013, 01:45 PM
Piccadilly notebooks are a pretty good value. For me, their paper is reasonably better than Moleskine but nowhere near Leuchtterm or the like.

I've tried Moleskine's for years, through some paper changes, and it's never satisfied me with fountain pens.

jacksterp
July 14th, 2013, 02:14 PM
Thanks to this and other forums, I have never had the misfortune to use Moleskine and most likely never will.

There are far too many much better and much less expensive alternatives.

Fawkes
July 21st, 2013, 05:26 PM
I've found that the moleskine cahiers are terrible for bleeding, feathering etc. however, just bought a couple of Moleskine 80-page notebooks; paper is different to the cahiers - seem heavier, and more dense. Minimal feathering and no bleed on these.

Regards,

Pete Mac in Melbourne

Their cahier notebooks are actually my notebooks of choice for school notes (and notes of any kind, really) and I've never experienced feathering with them though have had some minor bleed through. I've used everything from needlepoint nibs like the Platinum UEF to broad LAMY nibs that laid down pools of inks. I guess maybe it depends all on the individual batches because I have had terrible experience with their sketchbooks. The paper has been awful in those that I've tried.

Forgot to add the inks I've used with them: Aurora Black (my favorite), Private Reserve Naples Blue, Akkerman Shocking Blue & Garuda Rood, MB Toffee Brown, Irish Green, Burgundy, Noodler's Dumas and a few others. All have behaved well in the cahiers but terribly in the sketchbooks.

velo
July 22nd, 2013, 02:11 AM
My cahiers, the cheapest of my Moleskines, have no feathering or bleed through. My more expensive lined and plain notebooks are almost unuseable with fountain pens.