15.3.2018

Like several other reviewers, I've become disappointed with Moleskine products because the weight of their paper is starting resemble the pages of my mum's 1950s school bible. I'm stuck with my 2018 page-a-day pocket diary for now, but having just filled a Rhodia A5 dot notebook (which I use for my bullet journals), I thought I'd try a Leuchtturm.This is a first impressions review, but I don't see why my opinion might change over time, so here we go.The notebook is well made with a sturdy cover that's got a *little* bit of flex; nowhere near enough to call it rigid, but certainly protective and of good quality.The product description from Leuchtturm states that there are 8 removable pages in the book -- you wouldn't know without studying them really hard because the perforations are very fine, but they're the last 8 sheets in the book and part of the set that are numbered. However, the very last one of those 8 (the last page in the book) is actually not detachable because it's glued at the spine to the inside back cover.There are two page markers, one patterned and one plain. Quite handy for a bullet journal to have more than one of these.I tested a range of pens on the (second to) last removable page of my notebook. (read: I sacrificed a page, for SCIENCE!)My go-to pen for my bullet journal is a Pigma Micron 05 and I was NOT disappointed at how this notebook stood up to it. There's virtually no show through at all when you turn the page, and holding the page outside of the book after it's detached, you can barely see the ink at all. I found this to also be the case under several other pen types, including roller gel pens, fountain pens, highlighters and markers.So, if you're fussy about show-through, gel pens and fine markers are both viable options -- unlike the pages of Moleskine books which, in my experience, show quite badly under gel pens. I also found that gel dried slightly faster that it does on Moleskine pages -- less ghosting on the opposite page when you close your notebook quickly after scribbling something down and far more lefty-friendly!The only thing I did notice in the minus column for gel pens was that the paper "gave" more under them. What I mean is that there was a mild indentation when I used a gel pen. The Pigma Micron was "silent" on the reverse of the page.The only two pens I experimented with that bled through the paper were a Sharpie marker and a Letraset Promarker, but those suckers bleed through (almost) EVERYTHING!The pages handle fountain pen ink admirably. I tried two kinds and neither showed through. The paper did buckle temporarily in one case (Diamine Shimmering), but it smoothed out again after the ink had properly dried. Of course the quality of your fountain pen's nib will be a factor, but my experience of writing with both a 1940s Parker 45 Flighter (fine nib) and a 2017 TWSBI 580AL (stub) was smooth and virtually drag-free.A 2B pencil showed up well on the page. A Rotring Isograph (0.4) dragged HORRIBLY, no matter how lightly I tried to use it.I've attached a couple of photos of the front and back of the sacrificed page of my notebook, so you can see for yourself the level of show through. Bonus photos of an attachment-free way of letting your notebook keep your pen handy.I don't know yet if I like it enough to switch permanently from Rhodia dot grid notebooks but, overall, I'm very pleased with this notebook.(Note to Amazon: why are some colours of this notebook more expensive than others? Are you punishing people for buying books that aren't muck-coloured?)

31.12.2014

For all today’s gadgets, there’s a great deal still to be said for pen and paper. It’s cheap, reliable and you don’t need to worry about the battery life. Setting those practicalities aside, I find great pleasure in a beautiful notebook and a fine fountain pen, though my handwriting still leaves much to be desired. I’m not a alone in this pleasure with a resurgence in paper notebooks and the legendary Moleskine has pushed to the fore. Is it the best? Here we have two lined notebooks, one from Leuchtturm1917 and the other from Moleskine – let’s take a look and find out.Both Moleskine and Leuchtturm draw on their heritage. Moleskine’s dates back into the early 20th Century name-checking Picasso,van Gogh and Hemingway. Although originally French, it died out in the 1980s, only to be resurrected in the late 90s by an Italian publisher. On the other hand, Leuchtturm goes back to 1917 (hence Leuchtturm1917) with roots in Hamburg, Germany and a reputation for stamp collecting albums, which continues today. These stories are laid out by both companies in small cream folded inserts that accompany each book. The message is clear; you aren’t buying only a notebook, you are continuing the traditions of culture, history and travel.Physically both notebooks are very similar but there are subtle and useful differences. I’d call them medium or A5-sized notebooks though strictly the Moleskine isn’t wide enough for A5. Both are 21 cm tall with hardcovers but the Moleskine is only 13 cm compared with the the Leuchtturm‘s 14.5 cm. Each has an elastic enclosure band, page marker and an expandable pocket inside the back cover. They also come in wide range of colours and pair well with 7″ tablets, such as the Nexus 7.Opening the notebooks shows that both have lined pages with the same line spacing, but with the Moleskine, that’s about it. Although both have an Owner page at the front, the Leuchtturm goes further with three Contents pages and each page is numbered for easy reference. In addition, there are eight perforated pages towards the back that can be removed, along with some stickers to assist with archiving once the notebook is full. The Leuchtturm1917 is for those who want to be organised! “Datum / Date” is printed at the top of each page too, which may put people off but suits me fine.Both notebooks have lovely paper which is a joy to write on with pencil and ballpoint. However, the Moleskine has a problem with pen ink bleeding from one side to the other, particularly with black ink, which makes the Leuchtturm a better choice for fountain pen writers.Overall, both the Moleskine and the Leuchtturm are stylish notebooks with a great feel both in the hand and under the pen. For me as a fountain pen owner, the Leuchtterm wins out by default, but the contents pages and page numbering make it my choice for those reasons too. Pencil owners and people looking for something a little neater may prefer the Moleskine. Whichever you choose, you’ll never go back.

12.7.2017

I'm a huge fan of this notebook. Buying something that you want to be a constant and useful companion is tricky on the internet- you want to be able to feel the pages, admire the details and picture it in your life- but after many evenings spent reading reviews and comments, I settled here. I'm glad I did.Here are some of my favourite features.-THE LOOK - Sturdy, smooth and with just that right bit of sheen to show quality. Looks good.-THE INDEX AND PAGE NUMBERS - This is genius. The first three pages of the book are used to write the contents of your notebook, with space to include the page numbers. Such a simple thing, but nothing has made a notebook more indispensable for me than this addition.

19.8.2020

These have been my go-to notebooks for years now, and there's not a thing I don't love about them except for the RRP (which is why I get them from here). They are perfect for bullet journalling - you really don't need the Bullet Journal version, which is very expensive - any kind of note-taking. I use them primarily as research notebooks, which is where the index and page numbers come into their own. Their hardback construction means they're robust and can take quite a bit of rough handling if necessary. The spine and front labels are fantastic for finding the right notebook on the bookshelf. I use the dot grid versions for fountain pen and ink sampling (see photos), the lined versions for research,

26.3.2017

This is my first Leuchtturm1917 - I got mine in A5 dot-grid (also a first for me) and I have to say I've fallen in love with it.The dot-grid takes a bit of getting used to, so if you've only ever used single ruled or blank paper before, give it a chance before you dismiss it!The paper isn't be-all-and-end-all quality despite many claims; you will absolutely still get ghosting unless you're using pencils or incredibly fine-nibbed pens, but even my XS Faber-Castell PITT artist pen at 0.1mm shows through. That pen is, however, intended to be permanent which could contribute to the ghosting. That being said, I've also used felt tip markers in it (going over some spots three or four times)

14.6.2017

It is beautifully made, the dots are quite visible but not overpowering, the cover colour is positively dreamy and the contents pages are really useful.... In fact, there are loads of useful things about it. It gives you two ribbons which are massively beneficial. I use mine for bullet journalling (yep, I'm one of *them*) and so having two ribbons is really useful for having my month at a glance and my weekly page marked. They are also different patterns, so it is easy to identify which one is which, so you don't accidentally get the wrong page all the time.There is a little pocket at the back for things like stickers and a mini ruler, or anything else you may want to stick in it.

13.1.2018

I bought this notebook to start my first bullet journal this year. I purchased the A5 size which fits really well into handbags. There is a ribbon bookmark attached to the pages and there is an elastic band sitting on the right-hand side to keep everything together.There is a large pocket at the back where you can store notes and stickers too which I find helpful when I attend meetings.There are almost 250 pages in this book, so if you like to bullet journal you will have a lot of space for your spreads. If not then you have a load of room for note taking and writing in general. There is also a contents page in the front so if you have any important pages throughout the notebook you can list

13.8.2014

Well - its right there, im my review title. Gird up your loins for some seriously nerdy stationary pillow talk. Having been a Moleskine one-man preaching band for over a decade, sidling up to other users and stroking their Moleskine, then exchanging knowing glances because we alone were in that exclusive stationary club - the Happy Nerdy Moleskine User Club. That's us. Happy to be apart because we would shun the cheap stationary isles and happily shell out hard earned cash for superior quality as used by Picasso and Hemingway, and then live with the fact that the books weren't quite A4 or A5 and inserted loose leaf papers would get scruffed up corners if they lived in the notebook for any length of time.

5.11.2016

Dreadful prices in my local stores drove me to search the Internet for something better. Most posts and most reviews pointed to Lechtturm as the golden standard. That wasn't a lie.The product is slick and crisp. It seems like there has been given a lot of thought into each and every detail. The result being that when you grab this notebook from your backpack you feel special -- like what you're doing is special. That's a rare feeling, for sure.The size is standard, and works good as a notebook. I use mine for my studies, and it works perfect for that.I bought a version with dots (because I felt crazy that day), and was pleased. An other reviewer somewhere wrote that you don't notice these dots when you've written on that page - that is true.

25.3.2014

Having been a fan of the Moleskine range of notebooks for years (and still continue to enjoy them), I was hesitant about moving away from what I knew to be good quality to try something new. But when I saw a review of this notebook on YouTube that showed the difference in width between this and the supposed 'A5' of the Moleskine range, this was about an inch wider and much truer to A5. Sometimes the width of the Moleskine notebooks can make writing feel like list making. I wanted something where I could spread my hand more when writing.I'd never heard of Leuchtturm before, I suppose perhaps I've been hiding under a rock because they've been going since 1917. The cover is sturdy.

18.1.2018

I am about to make a bold claim: This is 100% the best notebook ever made. Now I know that sounds dramatic, but hear me out on this.It is an understatement to say the quality of this book is great. Because truly, it's FANTASTIC. When I bought my first book in 2016, I had no idea it would last me 2 solid years. But it did! The cover looks just good as it did the day I opened it. Any grease wipes clean off without a trace and its pretty much impossible to dent the cover? My last journal doesnt have a single scratch!I will admit, the pages are too thin for heavy inking. You can normally see the pen through the other side of the paper. Myself and most of the Bullet journal community arent really bothered by this.

5.8.2015

I've been using Moleskine notebooks the last few years, but when I wanted a squared book, I didn't like the Moleskine ones so much, and nor did they usually stock any in my local bookshop, and a short web search later, I found this, which appears in most ways to be superior.I've known Leuchtturm since the early 80's when I was encouraged to collect stamps, and most of the best quality albums and stockbooks available on the market seemed to be from this one quality German brand. As I have started spending more time on stamps again, I am still finding Leuchtturm's products top quality in both materials and binding.So, when I needed a squared notebook and I found this, I had no doubt that what I would get was top notch.

2.11.2020

I've tried many bullet journals and i always come back to this brand. What i find with most are the pages are thicker but there's less.With this one, you get more pages and yes it's not as thick. However, I've used felts, lettering brushes etc and not bled through BUT you can see it on the other side.I've watched many YT bullet journaling and they use this same brand and manage to get super artsy and not run into problems. I did however, use water colour paper and glued it in for when i wanted to get a little fancy.It all boils down to the pens as well, some brands inks are really runny. I had a problem with a deep blue crayola felt and it was super inky but pastel shades (my favourite anyway)

4.1.2018

Having been a fan of Moleskine sketchbooks, I wanted to purchase a notebook for work with the ability to both write and sketch ideas. There are a lot of notebooks on the market that have lined and plain pages, but in wanting to keep sketches next to some notes, I discovered there are some with dotted pages. Moleskine is known for its off-cream pages but recently the quality has been going downhill and I wanted to try something new. Leuchtturm 1917 provide a range of journals, planners, sketchbooks etc in a similar vein to Moleskine and both the dotted pages and off-white paper attracted me.The quality is excellent, as is the range of bright colours if you don't want boring black or neutrals.

26.2.2015

This book is a fine piece of German engineering. Having used Moleskine for many years it was a big decision to try something new. I had become tired of my pencil piercing through the pages, of the ink showing through on the other side and the cover peeling away within a matter of days. And I can safely say that as long as these books are available I won’t be getting any other.I use my book everyday for work so I need it to be sturdy and hard wearing, the hard cover and build quality of this item is far superior to what I’m used to with Moleskine, the cover is also slightly waterproof and this is a big bonus as I’m outside most of the day. The paper is thicker and better quality and I have had none of the issues I've raised above.

Leuchtturm1917 Pocket Notebook (A5) Hardcover Ruled - Reviews

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