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bec11mort
July 4th, 2014, 06:33 PM
I've had relatively good luck so far using fountain pens in Moleskine notebooks, particularly the XL grid notebooks (as long as I use an extra fine or fine nib). When I saw they were coming out with dot grid notebooks I absolutely had to have one. I dropped $20 and picked one up so I just wanted to share my experience in case anyone else was tempted by these notebooks.

I got the notebook in ocean blue, and the color is beautiful. I don't have any photos of the cover because I've already torn it off the notebook to use as the cover for a different notebook (if that tells you anything about my opinion of the paper). The paper is the usual smooth off white paper that Moleskine is known for with a grid dark grey dots. The dots are faint and I love the look of them.


http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o714/bec11mort/mol1_zpsc9900c3a.jpg (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/bec11mort/media/mol1_zpsc9900c3a.jpg.html)


The paper took ink quite well with minimal feathering (even with Noodler's Rome Burning which feathers on everything I've tried except for tomoe river paper).


http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o714/bec11mort/IMG_20140704_200423877_zps100a0a6d.jpg (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/bec11mort/media/IMG_20140704_200423877_zps100a0a6d.jpg.html)


I tried to stick to finer nibs, but the bleedthrough was still terrible. Several of the inks even bled through the back of the page onto the next sheet. I wouldn't recommend these notebooks for fountain pens. Even the pencil and ballpoint pen ink was visible on the back of the page.


http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o714/bec11mort/IMG_20140704_200444429_zps8e98651f.jpg (http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/bec11mort/media/IMG_20140704_200444429_zps8e98651f.jpg.html)


Has anyone else tried the dot grid notebooks, or was the name Moleskine enough to keep you away from them? Incidentally, if anyone is interested in trying the paper, I'd be happy to mail you a few sheets before I recycle the rest of this.

Silverbreeze
July 4th, 2014, 06:41 PM
I love Moleskine for none liquid ink. I avoid them for Fountain Pen. Even Field Notes are more consistent with fountain pens and I think they cost less

jacksterp
July 12th, 2014, 07:05 AM
Not a very good showing, once again, for Moleskine. What kind of paper are they using???

Thanks for taking the time to review and save others from making a mistake.

stonerman33
July 12th, 2014, 10:47 PM
Not a very good showing, once again, for Moleskine. What kind of paper are they using???

Thanks for taking the time to review and save others from making a mistake.

From the looks of it, the same tissue paper I put in gift bags during the holidays when I'm too lazy to wrap.

I do love some of the collaborations that Moleskine takes on (Star Wars, Lego, The Hobbit) as well as some of their special notebooks like the wine tasting etc, but the paper is a deal breaker. If I'm paying $20 for a notebook, it better work well for my intended use. Thankfully, there are a fair amount of good alternatives at similar or better price points. I just wish they were as easily available to me locally as the Moleskines I can pick up at B&N or Staples.

Faustine
July 13th, 2014, 09:42 PM
Sadly I was suckered into buying a new dot grid Moleskine, in a moment of office supply weakness, solely because of its glorious orchid color. And faced the same realization about the sheer sucktitude of its paper. So I essentially wasted my money, since I'll never use it for anything as I always use fountain pens.

But really, it's a fantastic color:
http://photos-h.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/10431926_574784935973767_783129277_n.jpg

But ugh the showthrough drives me NUTS.
http://photos-a.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xap1/10467942_407221439416952_347552657_n.jpg

Sigh, Moleskine.

Faustine
July 13th, 2014, 09:44 PM
On the plus side, I loved seeing all your ink samples though! Diamine Marine is on my next sample list now! :)

7188photo
July 13th, 2014, 09:53 PM
That's what made me abandon Moleskine many years ago, the terrible paper!!
Have to say, though, that I have the impression that their paper used to be better - when I check some of my notebooks from about 10 years ago the bleed through is way less bad as it is now. A shame, really.

The Good Captain
July 14th, 2014, 01:58 AM
I like Moleskines and just tailor my ink and nib combination to suit. Mainly F or EF/XF and Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black. However, other of my favourite inks are pretty good too - Aurora Blue-Black (mix of 2:1); R&K Salix; R&K Verdigris and a few others.

naimitsu
March 2nd, 2015, 06:10 PM
Everything but Iroshizuku inks bleed through on my Moleskine. I thought it was just me, as I am a new user and have a history of using a heavy hand. So naturally I thought I was putting down too much ink, even with my TWSBI EF nib!

Thanks for the review!

Special K
March 11th, 2015, 11:58 PM
I don't know why Moleskine won't make a fountain pen friendly paper. People would certainly buy it. Just their name alone would ensure sales. Moleskine is a cool sounding name and if I found out it was FP friendly I'd snatch it up.
The Moleskine sketch note book will not bleed. It's a much thicker paper. I have several different notebooks. Some I have to use a roller ball on. The Black n Red notebook I found at michaels is fountain pen friendly. All the rest of my paper that's fountain pen friendly but I had to get them off line.
I have so much paper, I won't run out. Back to the subject. I'm sure Moleskine will give us an FP friendly note book sooner or later

naimitsu
March 12th, 2015, 08:27 AM
I don't know why Moleskine won't make a fountain pen friendly paper. People would certainly buy it. Just their name alone would ensure sales. Moleskine is a cool sounding name and if I found out it was FP friendly I'd snatch it up

That's the most disappointing part of it all. They brag that Hemingway used a moleskine, but he wrote with a (Montblanc?) fountain pen. It's pretty obvious that he didn't write in Moleskine's moleskines...
From Wikipedia:

Notebooks with features similar to the present Moleskine notebooks were popular in Paris during the 19th and 20th centuries, handmade by small French bookbinders who supplied the stationery shops of Paris. In the late 19th to early 20th centuries similar black notebooks were used by Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse. However, none of them used the present Moleskine-brand notebook since the brand was founded much later.

The present Moleskine notebook is fashioned after Bruce Chatwin's descriptions of the notebooks he used in his travels. The name itself, "Moleskine", is a nickname that Chatwin uses in one of his most celebrated writings, The Songlines (1986).

So there you go. The company completely missed it mark.

Scrawler
March 12th, 2015, 10:54 AM
Has anyone else tried the dot grid notebooks, or was the name Moleskine enough to keep you away from them? Incidentally, if anyone is interested in trying the paper, I'd be happy to mail you a few sheets before I recycle the rest of this.

Yes, the name Moleskine was sufficient for me to eschew these, in favour of Rhodia.

velo
March 12th, 2015, 09:12 PM
The only Moleskine I've used that takes fountain pen ink are the cahiers. The good thing is they are probably the cheapest.

http://i61.tinypic.com/1zxix5.jpg

TSherbs
March 13th, 2015, 06:07 AM
The only Moleskine I've used that takes fountain pen ink are the cahiers. The good thing is they are probably the cheapest.

http://i61.tinypic.com/1zxix5.jpg

these have better paper than their usual?

Silverbreeze
March 13th, 2015, 07:21 AM
Meh about FieldNotes level in my experience
YMMV

velo
March 13th, 2015, 04:59 PM
The only Moleskine I've used that takes fountain pen ink are the cahiers. The good thing is they are probably the cheapest.

these have better paper than their usual?

It's not better the paper is just thicker.

Bisquitlips
April 10th, 2015, 04:35 PM
I use Moleskine and have for years with no issues. Fast drying inks are the key.

I also use the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks which are a bit more forgiving of wetter inks.

Some good reviews here for any who are interested.


http://www.amazon.com/Leuchtturm-Medium-Notebook-inches-LBL11/dp/B002CVAU1Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428705083&sr=8-1&keywords=leuchtturm1917

Joe in Seattle
April 16th, 2015, 05:46 PM
Leuchsturm 1917 makes a pen friendly dot notebook.

Special K
May 9th, 2015, 10:10 PM
I have two Moleskine notebooks. I think one is for sketching a and the other for writing. I wonder which one is is fountain pen pen friendly. I really like their looks. I guess I'll just have to find out for my self

nospam666
October 2nd, 2015, 04:59 PM
I use Moleskine and have for years with no issues. Fast drying inks are the key.


Same here. I prefer Moleskine actually. White paper is hard on my eyes so I prefer their off white.

I prefer Japanese fine nibs and that definitely helps.

KKay
November 7th, 2015, 09:01 PM
I bought a pack of two Moleskines a while back. I prefer dot grid. You saved me some future money. I prefer fountain pen friendly paper. I started using the Moleskine before I bought my first fountain pens. Then I bought Field Notes. Some FN works better than others with fountain pens. Sadly the FN dot grid I bought was not fountain pen friendly either. The Rhodia so far is the best fountain pen friendly dot grid I've found. But I like the size of the Moleskine, or FN better. The Rhodia pad I have is very small. It also opens from the top. I prefer a side opening notebook. Thanks for the review on this. I really appreciate it.

penwash
November 8th, 2015, 08:42 AM
I also just found out that Moleskine writing notebooks are not fountain pen friendly.

The feathering is not that bad (in my opinion) but the bleed-through is bad.

I can't use the other side of the page.

Sailor Kenshin
November 8th, 2015, 01:21 PM
I also just found out that Moleskine writing notebooks are not fountain pen friendly.

The feathering is not that bad (in my opinion) but the bleed-through is bad.

I can't use the other side of the page.

Yeah...I just live with the one-sided aspect. I've got a Mole pocket notebook (lined, though) serving now as my bag-crafting notebook. Not much bleed, major show-through.

matteob
August 22nd, 2017, 09:14 AM
I have never had luck with Moleskines and fountain pens, even using fine nibs. I would always point to Rhodia for fountain pen use as the clairefontaine paper is very fountain pen friendly. I have moleskines and use pencil or biro with them though I still get some show through and ghosting with both those. They are a nice design but I don't rate the paper much.

rluka
August 22nd, 2017, 07:05 PM
The planners works fairly well for me.
Except the slim panoramic weekly planner, but that one got thinner paper.

The notebook paper bleed through.

Inkflow
November 19th, 2017, 10:24 PM
I have an issue on pronouncing the Moleskine name. I was told there is no right or wrong way to say it; however, I feel the "mole-skin" pronunciation is too pedestrian. So, I find myself making it exotic (mole-uh-SKEEN-ay) or "mole-SKEEN." Thoughts?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Chrissy
November 20th, 2017, 03:21 AM
I have an issue on pronouncing the Moleskine name. I was told there is no right or wrong way to say it; however, I feel the "mole-skin" pronunciation is too pedestrian. So, I find myself making it exotic (mole-uh-SKEEN-ay) or "mole-SKEEN." Thoughts?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
If you Google 'how to pronounce Moleskine you get several entries and among those is one that says the Company is asked this question frequently. There is no specifically correct way, and that's what they like about it.

Some say mole skin, some say mole skina, some say mole skeen, some say mole uh skin. Say it however you like and be happy. :)

Inkflow
November 22nd, 2017, 06:30 PM
Bahahahaha!


Went to a pen show with someone and she insisted that they were called Moleshskeeny, said she was quarter Italian so she just knew.

I asked if her grandfather was Sean Connery but she didnt get it.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

chalkdust
June 3rd, 2018, 11:28 AM
I used a Moleskine dot grid notebook (or is it journal?) in a format they call "Chapters". It is a bit thinner than the standard large cahier. I think it fits a Midori traveler's notebook size. Anyway, I sued it for a travel journal. I enjoyed having the easy-to-find chapter divisions. That allowed me to keep separate types of things handy. So one chapter was all the flight details and all arrival and departure times and all confirmation numbers and details like that. And other chapters were date-based notes about the places I visited. When I returned home, the little notebook became a great resource for recalling events from travel.

I used X-Feather ink and an Ahab pen (without flexing it) so feathering and bleed through were no issue. Also - and this is strictly a personal thing - I never write on the left hand page, only on the right page. It is odd, I guess, but I was trained to do that by my physics professor. He insisted on that for our lab notebooks.

arrow
May 5th, 2019, 09:55 AM
It's an old post, but did anyone come up with a good pen and ink combination for Moleskine? I use basic Parker Quink in a reasonably priced pen. The pen doesn't let out too much ink, the nib is fine to medium, and I can write on both sides of the paper. It doesn't show through more than pencil or ball point. Pencil can always be done very lightly, but still...

The Good Captain
May 6th, 2019, 01:41 AM
It's an old post, but did anyone come up with a good pen and ink combination for Moleskine? I use basic Parker Quink in a reasonably priced pen. The pen doesn't let out too much ink, the nib is fine to medium, and I can write on both sides of the paper. It doesn't show through more than pencil or ball point. Pencil can always be done very lightly, but still...

I still find the best results on Moleskine papers using Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black and my normal nibs are F or EF - Pelikan ones as it happens. However, Platinum Blue-Black is pretty good as well.

bebox
May 6th, 2019, 03:45 AM
I'm writing with a Pilot PO-nib (on a nice 743) in my Moleskine notebook and it works very well with most inks (Diamine, Iroshizuku, Kyo-no-oto).
As I still have too many Moleskines NBs, I'm glad that I've found a solution.
And the PO nib is wonderful on pretty much any paper. Love it on Leuchtturm and TR as well.