Paper Review in Photos - Multiple brands, same pens and inks

[Scooby921]

I have a habit of buying a new notepad every now and again in search of one I well and truly like. Some are for the home desk, others the work desk, some get pocketed, and one hides in my laptop bag just in case. There are plenty of reviews on here for the different brands of paper and notebooks, so I don't think I'll waste everyone's time with another detailed review. Instead I wanted to group a bunch of these together so that people can more easily see the color difference and compare performance for feathering, bleed, show-through, shading, and sheen.

The pens / inks, top to bottom:
TWSBI 580AL w/ Broad PB BLS Cursive Italic - Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Visconti Opera Master w/ Masuyama Tuned 18k Fine (writes Med) - Montblanc Twilight Blue
Visconti Homo Sapiens Steel Midi w/ 23k Fine - Homemade "Red921" (PR Fiesta Red, JH Rouge Hematite, MB Season's Greetings Brown)
Montblanc Chopin 145 w/ Medium Mottishaw Cursive Italic - Montblanc Permanent Blue
TWSBI 580AL w/ Medium PB BLS Cursive Italic - Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2868_zpsnodpldgp.jpg


The paper, left to right and top to bottom:
Banditapple
Leuchtturm
Franklin-Christoph
Zequenz
Clairefontaine
Black n' Red
Apica
Rhodia

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2866_zps2zxbreyk.jpg


Labeled and stacked for color comparison:
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2872_zps9fxectzp.jpg



Individual posts per paper / pad to follow....

[Scooby921]

Apica

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2917_zpsuiwitci6.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2918_zpskh9ghlnk.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2919_zpsui5g7hgx.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2920_zpsowy6fsjz.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2927_zpsgemer1oc.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2928_zps0wkbwaqv.jpg

[Scooby921]

Banditapple

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2888_zpsefwoj7x7.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2889_zpsdt5tdrtp.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2890_zpsg2c0ysmd.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2891_zps30yneacz.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2942_zpsqbjhttuk.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2943_zpsp15hie9r.jpg

[Scooby921]

Black n' Red

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2912_zpsd82gh9oc.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2914_zpsys5ysqrd.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2915_zpsm14dbqod.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2916_zpsum2hlghx.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2930_zps1sadcyeg.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2931_zpss7ailagk.jpg

[Scooby921]

Clairefontaine

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2892_zpsxoblbyeb.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2894_zpsrl80xbys.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2895_zpsegho5heh.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2896_zps2irovaxd.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2940_zpszywq6akz.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2941_zpsbepvhs7i.jpg

[Scooby921]

Franklin-Christoph

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2901_zpsbuocksnj.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2903_zpsmog6pfry.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2904_zps63dxrmss.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2905_zps4xvzwmmy.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2936_zps8g2bqmvc.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2937_zpswlrsk15t.jpg

[Scooby921]

Leuchtturm

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2897_zpsh5i1sokp.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2898_zpsseap5dhp.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2899_zpsptffgk49.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2900_zpspz94bsnh.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2938_zpslfpajveh.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2939_zpswnvbrn2l.jpg

[Scooby921]

Rhodia

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2906_zpsysb4siw5.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2908_zpsuhlamorc.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2909_zpsu4z8sljy.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2910_zpsw25kgws3.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2933_zpsxg1sn9hm.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2934_zpsaektpx37.jpg

[Scooby921]

Zequenz

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2885_zpsmj9wzftn.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2882_zpsnanozes4.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2886_zpsqix97fv7.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2887_zpslqzvwlnl.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2944_zpst8szxdrg.jpg
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2945_zpsynvvmwxy.jpg

[Scooby921]

My opinion:

Leuchtturm and Zequenz aren't worth purchasing if you intend to write on them with a fountain pen. Rollerball or ballpoint, sure, otherwise avoid them. Clairefontaine is great paper as everyone already knows, but this little notebooks is a bit too rigid. It doesn't flex and bend in a pocket like you might want, and you pretty much have to break it to get it to open flat, and then it never closes again. The build of the Franklin-Christoph pad is very pleasing to hold and to use. Unfortunately the paper really is purple, it screws with your eyes, and distorts the color of your ink. I use it to jot down attempted recipes in the kitchen. Durable enough yet I don't care enough about it to be bothered if I spill something on it.

I think everyone already knows everything there is to know about the Rhodia pad. Great paper and the top bound spiral is just easy to use. I keep one of these on both the home desk and the work desk, though I have been searching for a cheaper alternative. The Apica pad has fallen out of favor as I've diversified the inks I like to use and also acquired a few pens that write wetter. It was unexpectedly well-behaved during these writing samples and photos. More often than not I find it feathering a bit and generally making the writing look terrible. I won't buy another one. My favorite pads thus far have been the Black n' Red and the Banditapple. The Black n' Red pad is cheap and uses heavy paper. Great writing experience, no show-through, no feathering, and it seems to bring out more shading and sheen from the inks. The small Banditapple notebook offers similar properties in something small enough to stick into a pocket. It does what the Clairefontaine pad didn't.

Here are a few more shots of why I really like the Black n' Red notebook / paper...

Pink-ish sheen / halo around the Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2949_zpsvymoxf3j.jpg

Great sheen on the old MB Violet and the Bungbox Vivid Red
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2956_zpseuxtvesm.jpg

Sheen on both the Faber Castell Garnet and the Bungbox Piano Mahogany
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2957_zpsaiibq4ih.jpg

Pleasant shading from the Franklin-Christoph Brown 732 and Tenebris Purpuratum
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2958_zps4mw84fks.jpg

More shading with Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu, Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine, and Bungbox Bright Blue.
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2961_zps1wszwfyv.jpg

[migo984]

Thanks for the great photo reviews. I enjoyed looking through them and reading your synopsis.

I like Black n' Red paper - it is the same as Oxford Optik. I don't like Rhodia at all - neither their 80, 90 or 100gsm. Is yours the 90gsm vellum finish?

Franklin Christoph - this paper was a terrible experience. The bleed-through was awful with nearly every pen and ink combo I tried (EF and F). My partner had the same experience with his pens (mainly broad, stub, and italic) on it too. The notebook has sadly now been relegated to a scribble pad for shopping lists.

We use a Leuchtturm for our pen and ink log and rarely experience bleed-through. Only the wettest inks, like Blackstone Colours of Australia, cause it any problems. Most others are fine. I've heard that they did change the paper for a while but then reverted.

My current favourites are Taroko Mystique notebook with 80gsm Orchid paper, Taroko Enigma notebook with 68gsm Tomoegawa and the Graphilo range of paper and notebooks.

[Lady Onogaro]

Gosh, I miss Banditapple. It had a bit of tooth, but I did not mind that at all.

[migo984]

Gosh, I miss Banditapple. It had a bit of tooth, but I did not mind that at all.

Aren't they made anymore?

[Scooby921]

Thanks for the great photo reviews. I enjoyed looking through them and reading your synopsis.

I like Black n' Red paper - it is the same as Oxford Optik. I don't like Rhodia at all - neither their 80, 90 or 100gsm. Is yours the 90gsm vellum finish?

Franklin Christoph - this paper was a terrible experience. The bleed-through was awful with nearly every pen and ink combo I tried (EF and F). My partner had the same experience with his pens (mainly broad, stub, and italic) on it too. The notebook has sadly now been relegated to a scribble pad for shopping lists.

We use a Leuchtturm for our pen and ink log and rarely experience bleed-through. Only the wettest inks, like Blackstone Colours of Australia, cause it any problems. Most others are fine. I've heard that they did change the paper for a while but then reverted.

My current favourites are Taroko Mystique notebook with 80gsm Orchid paper, Taroko Enigma notebook with 68gsm Tomoegawa and the Graphilo range of paper and notebooks.
My Rhodia pads are 80gsm vellum. It's a good pad overall, but with the Black n' Red being $3-5 cheaper and better I have no reason to buy Rhodia anymore. I might continue to pick up another random pad here and there just to try them, but more than likely I'll stick with the Black n' Red. I use them at work and don't get to expense them. I don't think the cost is high enough to write off on my taxes, so sticking with good and cheap is my top priority. The standard office pads and notebooks are not fountain pen friendly.




Gosh, I miss Banditapple. It had a bit of tooth, but I did not mind that at all.

Aren't they made anymore?
I haven't seen any for sale from any vendors in the USA for quite a while. Goulet had a short supply, but those disappeared quickly. By the time I bought and evaluated my one notebook they had sold out and I couldn't get any more.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Got tired of hitting 'thanks,' but GREAT thread. I love how you displayed the show-throughs, which can rule out a certain paper for me.

[katerchen]

The shading on that red :O :O :O

[Scooby921]

Photobucket ruined every photo I've ever posted online. I have these on my list to fix.

[EHV]

Thanks very much for this!

I have to agree that Black & Red is great paper at a great price.

I do happen to get along with the Franklin-Christoph and the Apica though, especially the Apica Premium.

I ordered the most recent Banditapple off of a Facebook link on their site at the end of last year and it is atrocious! I wonder if something changed because what I have is so bad, it won't even take ink from any of my fountain pens. It's even worse than any of the cheap legal pads,etc. at work for me. It must really be different that what was released and sold previously.

Re: Leuchtturm; the paper in their A5's is 80gsm and doesn't work nearly as well for FP's as their Master notebooks, which come with 100gsm paper but are only available in the A4 size.
This 100gsm paper is definitely comparable to Rhodia, etc., even with wider nibs and hi-flow gushers. If they would use the 100gsm in their smaller notebooks, I really think that they would have a wider audience. I also think that this difference may be the reason that there are such discrepancies in the online reviews and experiences. The paper difference info doesn't seem to be something that they make widely known either.