FINALLY! Found a Unicorn Moleskine Notebook!!

[@SeaweedKisses]

👉UPDATE! Right after recording this video, I ordered more of these (2024) 12 month Daily Page planner notebooks. Three hardcovers, all made in China, all with Blue Quality Control sticker, all passing the fp and gel ink test! I also ordered two more softcover versions, both made in China with Blue Quality Control sticker, and worked perfectly fine with fp inks as well!!🙌😭🎉

[@SeaweedKisses]

P.S. I found a QC sticker for my current Expanded Moleskine Blank page- made in China with GRAY quality control sticker, NOT fp ink friendly. So paper quality may depend on design style of paper (dot, grid, blank, dated)…🤔

[@stephaniek.6083]

@@SeaweedKisses My notebooks are always dotted and normally they are always suitable for fountain pens. There could be something to it, that it's whether the paper is dotted, lined or blank. I once had one that was lined and it was terrible.

[@apocalypse_frau]

I couldn’t find any soft cover 12 month in the bargain price range, but I found HC ivory 12 month large in other colors for six dollars or less. I have a stash of TRP, have my 2025 line up assembled, but I’m going to pick up a few of the 80% off Moleskines. Even if it’s not FPF, everyone in the house also uses ballpoint and gel pens. Would love to find a seller with the Vietnam level quality control. Too bad Moleskine doesn’t hold their books to a consistent standard. I like the hunt though. 😊

[@doloresofcourse]

Your enthusiasm is contagious. I'm slinging these books in my cart like I'm bailing water.

[@SeaweedKisses]

Aww, thank you. Hope you enjoy your new notebooks!!

[@expressof0x]

I work in a retail store that sells Moleskine notebooks. The paper is ABSOLUTELY different depending on the notebook. What I have found in my years of being an extremely stubborn fountain pen user that loves the feeling of Moleskine notebooks is that the ones with the blue quality control stickers are usually the ones that can have the version of paper that can handle fountain pen ink. Obviously, you can’t just open them all to check that if you are in a store BUT like you pointed out, the paper in these is also a little darker/“creamer” in my experience if you hold them directly next to another Moleskine notebook. I have found this is pretty consistent for all styles (lined, dated, blank, grid etc), with the exception of the limited edition ones. I will keep an eye out to see if the ‘made in Vietnam’ / ‘made in China’ thing is also consistent! That would be much easier than awkwardly staring at them in store to see if one is slightly darker than another lol

[@C7557]

Too bad I don't have a fountain pen as I bought one of the 2024 planners for $5 and it has the blue sticker. I was a bit surprised as I had never seen anything but yellow. I tossed the wrapper and it is gone so I can't look to see where it was made.

[@yngrideilis2696]

I had the same experience. The ones with the blue quality control stickers have great paper. Super smooth and great with mixed media.I was lucky enough the find a unicorn with blank paper.

[@suruboogies]

I lucked out and got a blue one this last order

[@AllTheArtsy]

this is very bad business. poor quality control. no consistency. why support a product like that

[@niceandgloomy]

I have tried the Vietnam/China thing, both bad paper, unfortunately. The search continues.

[@C7557]

OMG aren't we all a bunch of paper geeks!!! Love to you all!!!

[@karmenjohnson6078]

Yes!!! Isn’t it great?!? I don’t feel as lonely in the world anymore. 😅😊

[@ringaroundtherosieposie]

For those who do lots of art journaling in composition notebooks, it's also the preference to buy the ones made in Vietnam! The paper is such good quality for mixed media! Great find!

[@krystal37276]

How do you know you are getting one from Vietnam if you're buying on amazon?

[@pameehanson3866]

That was my thought when sharing I see other positive comments about paper quality from Vietnam gets better reviews 😮

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yes, you're right! In my experience, the ones from Walgreens and CVS (Vietnam made) work really work with fp and gel inks!

[@krystal37276]

@@SeaweedKisses they sell Moleskine at cvs and Walgreens?! I’ve never known this!

[@SeaweedKisses]

@@krystal37276 no, I was referring to composition notebooks. Sorry for the confusion 😅

[@idrisgrey]

I was literally on Amazon looking at Moleskines when you made your original video. I got a softcover a5 2024 daily calendar ($3.82 USD), a hardcover a5 2023-2024 18-month daily calendar ($5.32), and a pocket hardcover 2024 daily calendar ($2.99) for less than $13 total. That's a steal, no matter what the quality's like (I don'tuse fountain pens in these; I have sketchbooks for that). I've loved these notebooks forever but could only rarely justify the cost of them. This sale has been a gamechanger for me. ETA: I received one notebook made in Turkey, one made in China, and one made in Vietnam 😂

[@wg3951]

Word, can’t find a regular journal that cheap anymore.

[@abbylynn8872]

All around the world❤❤❤

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yeees!! This sale really was everything!! I'm a little shy to admit that I may have added in a few more into the cart after this video. SO happy you were able to catch this clearance sale as well!

[@marcusm359]

I don’t want to be too negative, but Moleskine paper has a reputation for being inconsistent. It’s extremely possible this one you have is good and that you’ll buy another in a year and it’s different paper

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yes, the inconsistency is very unfortunate.😔That's why I made sure to stock up on these 12mo daily versions! The discounted sale certainly helped!

[@lordofgraphite]

Famously why Neil gaiman moved to leuchtturm

[@madametj]

That's what the whole video is about lol

[@pithygrapefruit]

@@madametj Probably commented based on the thumbnail.

[@jennifernovara7452]

You crack me up! I love your enthusiasm ❤️

[@SeaweedKisses]

Hahaha! Thank you. I knew if I didn't get this "discovery" out, I would've been tossing and turning all night. This is the only place where my enthusiasm for notebooks, pens, & stationery is totally understood and felt.😂

[@mychampainlife]

I have 2 Moleskine expanded. I never understood what people were complaining about. The paper is great! Now after watching this video, I unwrapped my 3rd Moleskine, and I'm shocked at the difference. My goodness! I guess I won't be using a fountain pen in that one....!!

[@SeaweedKisses]

Oh wow! It seems that the Moleskine notebooks are very inconsistent with their quality, which is unfortunate, especially given how expensive they market these for.😔😔

[@pameehanson3866]

Totally understand the paper nerd in some of us❤ I loved your complete breakdown of the Moleskine notebooks, I didn’t care if the paper quality was less than other brands, because they made larger notebook. You got me hooked on extended and you can find them on sale at different places but now we know what to look for ❤❤❤.

[@bizzybmama]

I was so invested in this that I went and ordered two more while watching! You can't beat these prices!

[@noblebutterfly47]

Yesssss! I received my pocket one the other day and takes all my fountain pens so AMAZINGLY! I just ordered 3 more of the large size! So perfect for an art journal, common place book or a sketchbook! Thank you, Michelle for your recommendation!!!!❤

[@NotesFromPastAmy]

I don't remember where I first saw the sale for amazon moleskin planners advertised, but they only mentioned the pocket size. I ordered 3 in the daily hardback version. After seeing your video, I went over and ordered 5 of the large version. The large ones haven't arrived yet, but I love the layout! My pocket size books were all made in Vietnam, have bright yellow stickers, and work beautifully with fountain pens. It's my first experience with moleskin. I can't believe it has been such a pleasant and affordable experience (under $25 for everything)!

[@SeaweedKisses]

SO happy you were able to take advantage of this clearance sale as well!

[@georgemitchell1980]

Received mine today from your Amazon link. Amazing paper! Even handles Ohto rollerball refill which previously bled through all other papers, including Tomoe River and Leuchtturm. Thanks for the link!

[@SeaweedKisses]

@@georgemitchell1980 happy to hear that the paper holds up! 😀

[@christinemcgregor9970]

Thank goodness for you guys! I can share my love of all things notebooks and pens. I purchased 2 of the daily diaries hardcover and 2 of the pocket weeklies hardcover. All the control tags were blue and they were all made in China. I did the fountain pen test and it does not bleed through like the other blank moleskin pocket notebook I got recently full price with a yellow tag. Nothing I love than a good bargain. Great find. Thanks!

[@Wholelatteplans]

I have gotten 4 fountain pen friendly notebooks from this Amazon clearance! All of them have the blue or dark yellow QC sticker. The dark yellow sticker def is fp friendly but feels drier to write on, whereas the blue is also fp friendly but feels very smooth and wet to write on! I am totally a stationery nerd and notice these little things too lol

[@melissasnyder5268]

@@Wholelatteplans do you have a link for where you ordered?

[@SeaweedKisses]

@@melissasnyder5268 I used this link for the fp friendly cover- amzn.to/3TfMz0m

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yes! You’re right! I went back and felt the two papers, and the yellow does feel a bit “drier.” The blue sticker one is smoother. Great observation! Happy to see you were able to benefit from the amazing clearance deal as well!❤

[@kat-yd6je]

Do you know what the red sticker means? I got one recently with a red one but I haven’t done a pen test on it yet..

[@Wholelatteplans]

@@kat-yd6je I haven’t gotten one with a red yet so I am not sure 💕💕💕

[@tinuvielsmiles4886]

Inspired by you I purchased an expanded notebook directly on the moleskine website a little while ago and after I watched your video today I unwrapped it and did a pen test because I was curious. I used fountain pens from fine and more on the dry side to broad and VERY wet ink and I was so surprised to see that there was no bleed through whatsoever! Not even ghosting! I'm so thrilled and over the moon! 🥰

[@melodyflurry]

Girl yes!!! 😃 Thank you for sharing this, I stocked up! I’m just as excited as you are about this.

[@c.a.FlemingAK]

I ordered three expanded moleskine notebooks from amazon, two are giving -forestry and thicker spine- so I tested those, Unicorns!!! they passed with every ink I threw at them! the other one says -sources and is thinner on spine- Im not even gonna open it, just going to return it. thank you for your work Sherlock. oh, and its my first moleskine expanded and the first time trying the brand again after 7 years....

[@SeaweedKisses]

oh my gosh!! so happy the Moleskine "test" worked for you!! May you enjoy your new notebook, especially now that it works great with all your inks! That's the best feeling 🙌🩷

[@metvmorqhoses]

I've always been so confused watching your videos, because I've used Moleskines all my life with fountain pens (in particular the classic expanded) and none of them ever had the bleed-through issues. I live in Italy, so I was starting to suspect you guys were getting the cheaper quality ones? And now thanks to you I discovered they are made in so many different places with many different qualities?? Absolutely wild.

[@AngieLiTV]

The backstory build up was much appreciated I just found your channel and I love all the enthusiasm

[@aimeehardy258]

Yay! I bought a large 2024 soft cover and got a unicorn, too! So exciting when that happens! 🙌

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yaaayy!! So happy you got one!

[@ShanShan-sz8bo]

Thank you sooo much for this video! I bought the large hardcover daily planner for just $3.66!!! Such a good deal! And my fountain pens are not bleeding through the paper. When I did some drawing and went over the same spot, there was a tiny bit of bleed through. But it’s my first Moleskin and I’m loving it!

[@HumphreyYogurt-h7f]

Okay after some research regardless of hard or softcover, I received 7 from Vietnam and all had darker yellow with varies symbols on the quality sticker. The ones from Vietnam seems to take fountain pen ink better than the others that were made from China which were about 7 as well. All from China had the blue and same exact symbol on the blue sticker. The ones made from china still took fountain pen but had slight very slight bleed through for the more very saturated inks like (Writer's Blood). All are mix with pocket and large so I feel that doesn't make a difference. I think it is honestly means ones from Vietnam are the absolute best quality. Also i think the color of the quality control sticker is from where it was made the symbols are still unknown. Blue = made in china, darker yellow = made in Vietnam, Orange = Turkey. Those are only ones I received so far. 😂 Can you tell I was invested in this. 😂

[@hannahclark8313]

The BLUE quality control stickers are the best! And I always stick the quality control sticker to the back page of the notebook to keep track of it for future reference. Once I got a red sticker. it was the worst paper ever!

[@moniquemarieify]

thank you for posting this video, i just ordered 7 of those notebooks you were talking about! i don't have specific plans for all of them but i do a lot of writing and want to be more creative so i am sure i will find use for them but yes paper is very important for bot of those activities. Stationery in general is very important for the people who get it. i recently gave my mom a page from one of my Filofax planners and she noticed right away how smooth it was and said she didn't want to fold t because it was so nice lol. it is important to enjoy our everyday items

[@christaalbrecht67]

After watching your last video, I ordered a soft-cover 2024 daily notebook that cost $5. When I received the notebook, I immediately did the fountain pen test, and the ink does NOT bleed through, just as you say here. My notebook is made in China. I am so happy to have bought this notebook because I have always loved the Moleskine binding and feel of the notebooks, and how I have one that takes fountain pens. Thank you so much for your fun and helpful videos!!

[@619to253]

Did I just jump on Amazon and buy the A5 for $5 12 month and $10 18 month...this will be perfect for work. No blank was available. Thank you. You saved me $$$$ Rachelle in Seattle

[@cheesim]

Thanks for sharing! I am getting the 12-month soft and hardcover! My 18-month hardcover was made in Turkey and has orange stripes stickers. It can handle fountain pen ghosting but mostly does not bleed through. I have a 2024 weekly with a light blue sticker that also works well with a fountain pen. The light yellow sticker ones are not fountain pen friendly 😅

[@JustScribble]

This is what I’ve heard. The different distribution sites dictate the quality.

[@SeaweedKisses]

You're welcome! Yes, it was your comment I saw and was referring to. Thank you for sharing. Being that these 12mo Daily notebooks are on clearance for $5, I took another plunge and ordered more now that I experienced the "fountain pen friendliness" myself. It feels like a dream! haha!

[@cheesim]

​@SeaweedKisses I ordered one softcover and two hardcover since the hardcover is only $3.62 today 😂 I don't mind the past dates top. I usually do collages with stickers and can easily cover up the dates anyway 😆 maybe we all buy something and we will finally figure out what's going on with Moleskine 🤣 This starts to feels like a science project lol. I also recently found a bamboo paper notebook from Five Below and it is exceptional with fountain pens if anyone is interested. 😊

[@valentinasrr]

so glad I've found your comment. yesterday I bought a 12-month soft cover made in turkey with the same orange sticker and I'm not can't figure out if I like the paper or not. I'm used to the notebooks with a yellow sticker ( no gel ink friendly - I don't use fountain pen but I can't stand too much ghosting and bleed through). The paper of the made in Turkey notebook is less smooth.

[@cheesim]

@@valentinasrr@valentinasrr My Made in Turkey Moleskine is 18 months daily. I don't notice the smoothness difference. My 12 months daily is made in China 😅

[@carolguthmann6646]

Thank you, I ordered some right away. Love to practice my art in them

[@raigne86]

On the FP forums we've known about the vietnam (also brazil) thing for years in the context of cheap composition notebooks from walmart and dollar tree. They are FP friendly if the paper is made there. It's good to know it's not specific to composition books.

[@HumphreyYogurt-h7f]

Okay I think you are right, not part of that forum but I just posted a comment stating my finding from the ones made in Vietnam vs made in China. The ones made in Vietnam were best quality and even showed some of the fountain pen ink quality such as sheening (on some inks) and glitter from another inks that I had tested.

[@raigne86]

@@HumphreyYogurt-h7f It comes up whenever someone's looking for cheap options for school and it's not one specific forum. There's a couple dedicated ones and the subreddit. Those composition books and the HP premium 32# copy paper. Logically I should have realized it'd apply to any situation like this, where a company is making the same notebook in multiple locations, since it's obviously something about Vietnamese and brazillian paper and not the design of the composition book itself. I've had people make jokes about it being rainforest wood, but the ones at Walmart, at least the last time I bought them, were FSC certified.

[@HumphreyYogurt-h7f]

@@raigne86 This is really some good information to know. Thanks a lot, I will keep in mind when purchased from stores.

[@vikicarter2735]

I was actually going to come back to the video you posted about the clearance, and thank you! I ordered several of the 12 month for Journaling and the first one I tried has the good paper! I am loving it! I haven't opened or tested the others I got yet, but at least the current one is a unicorn. I am so happy to get to use all my nice fall fountain pen inks. I didn't check where it was from but it does have the yellow quality sticker. Who knows? It feels like winning the lottery though!

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yes! So happy for you. It does feel like winning the lottery, doesn't it! haha!

[@solarydays]

correct me if I'm wrong but I as far as I know moleskine has several manufacturers producing different paper quality for the exact same type of notebook, which they mark with a little sticker, but you don't get to control which one you receive when you order

[@suzistinydesk]

My gosh. I just got one for 3 dollars on amazon. The days and dates can totally be whited out. Im excited.. never really tried molskine before mainly because of the pricetag… i love fountain pens but i also love my gel pens, cant wait to try and let you know how i like it. Thank you for sharing im so glad you did this video❤❤

[@angiepayne6104]

I love that darker ink! I would notice it right away. Plus I like the bluish/white paper better as well!

[@itssammierose]

This is the video ive been looking for, for a long time 😂😂😂

[@ZPD-doo-DAH]

Michelle, THANK YOU for always sharing your findings with all of us. You're always looking out for bargains and then sharing that information with your viewers. How does light watercolor washes hold up in these 2024 notebooks?

[@SeaweedKisses]

@@ZPD-doo-DAH when I try the watercolors, I’ll let you know

[@ThePancakes007]

Thank you for your great detective skills! I just went and checked mine and…Same for me 😊 One unicorn made in china and one 18 month daily dud from Ecuador. The deep embossing and creamy paper unicorn also has the blue sticker. I’m thinking of going to Barnes & noble and comparing them to find a 2025 unicorn. Michelle I think you cracked the moleskine code 😄😄

[@gabrielaapilado4633]

I have two Moleskines with blue stickers, and I bought them on Amazon thanks to your previous video.

[@SeaweedKisses]

👉👉 For anyone new here, I want to clarify that I still enjoy using the Moleskine EXPANDED 400-page notebooks, even though they're not the best for fountain pen inks. As I often mention in my Moleskine videos, my creative practice mainly involves ballpoint and gel pens, which work great on this paper. I keep buying these notebooks (usually snagging them on sale from Amazon for $15-$20 instead of the $38 retail price) because I genuinely enjoy using them. This mini-series came about unexpectedly when I noticed that my latest Moleskine order performed differently from what I'd experienced in recent years. While I'm aware of other popular options like Tomoe River paper, it's just not my personal preference. For those curious about alternatives, check out my 'Better Than a Moleskine' video here, kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4ute62knJyNkJI , where I share the other notebooks I love using alongside my Moleskines.

[@BevBee]

I love this and I love your excitement!!!!

[@d5d]

I love how you have to tell us how you realized some moleskine paper are good for fountain pens, I do that too! (I'll tell my friends, I finally go the shirt, but they have to know how I finally found it!) But also thank you thank you for sharing what your story(that some moleskine are fountain pen friendly) is about first before telling us how you came about that. My Adhd traits will get impatient with finding out what's the unicorn! I am the type to know the ending to a story but will since be curious when how it came to be.

[@yesimthatlisa]

Great video! Us paper nerds love you for sharing this!❤ and, my favorite twsbi nib is a stub nib 🖋

[@SeaweedKisses]

Thank you! Yes, us paper nerd need to stick together and unite! hahaha!

[@illustratedjournal]

I got the Sapphire Blue soft cover Daily Diary on discount ($3.62) as you suggested! I threw out the wrapper already. But it has the blue quality control sticker so most likely from China. No bleed through, no feathering, no ghosting. I love the feel of the covers of these soft covered Moles. I bought the 2019 & 2020 and loved them. Then in 2021 - 2024 I bought the Standard Diary ( SD389-13). But now I want to re-purpose the 2024 for 2025. 'Oh the webs we weave.' (Anyone want to buy my $30 red 2025 Standard Diary?) One interesting thing I've noticed between the 2019/2020 and the 2024 is that the 2024 has the year debossed on the cover. A nice touch.

[@heathersheartco]

You had me at “works perfectly with fountain pen ink” ✍🏼 😃🙌🏼❤️

[@managingmarlys]

I bought 12 a few days ago after watching your video, then went right back and orde 3 more. Today, I ordered another 3

[@magnolia_melody]

OMG I was going nuts for the first 10 minutes thinking please hurry so I can buy! LOL

[@HumphreyYogurt-h7f]

I totally jumped to the end to see the fountain pen test then went back to watch from beginning. 😂

[@kimberlycook5860]

Interestingly, I bought the daily large size and the daily pocket. The pocket one bleeds through with fountain pen but the large size daily doesn’t! My quality control tag is blue and I threw out the wrapper so I don’t know where it came from. I’m thrilled!

[@shesquints]

I ordered the hardcover last night and just got it. I pen tested it right away and it's holding up better than my Hobonichi! I can't believe it! No fathering, no bleeding and barely any ghosting. The thin paper will always ghost a little bit which I love. I disliked Molekine so much and I'll be using every page of this one.

[@shesquints]

Mine says Manufactured in Vietnam with the bright yellow quality control sticker.

[@abbaschild2499]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I just ordered the mytle green. I also have Ancient Copper ink waiting in the wings.

[@DeniPlans]

Brought 8 in all sizes and styles 🎉😂

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yaaaayy!! Best deal of the year, right!

[@Ashleydesk]

They were out of stock 😅 so I got the hard cover. You inspire me to journal more lol an I do it every day already. Lol

[@SeaweedKisses]

they're still in stock. This is the link I used for the softcover: amzn.to/3Zv4wMz

[@jacquelinedavila-alicea7545]

Thank you for sharing. I ordered a couple. They were selling the expanded version ruled lines. It was a better deal obtaining the 2024 daily planner. I can update the date info. I got four for the price of one notebook. Yay!!

[@tortagialla]

Love your enthusiasm! Totally my kind of nerdy stationery thing 😊

[@gangwarilydrummond]

I’m so glad you posted this! I almost bought one after your last video, but figured I’d just get pissed off at the paper as usual. But I’m going to try for a unicorn!

[@DorcusT]

Yes since you announced the sale I’ve order a good number of notebooks. And all of the ones I’ve gotten made in China can handle fountain pens well! Only the two that were made in Turkey did not. But those were 18 month books so I’m curious to see if that’s an 18 month book issue. But I did try my heart of darkness inks in my made in China and some had faint bleed through and some not at all! Which is fine since I prefer to use the heart of darkness only on my heavier weight paper because it’s the only black that doesn’t look faint on it lol thanks for sharing all your moleskine adventures with us!

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yes, the bleed-through could be a 18 month thing. The Daily 12 month versions seem to be the winners.

[@YellowSunStar]

I was influenced by your video. I´m keeping my fingers crossed and wishing for a good outcome, whilst I just ordered 18 months daily 24-25 diary. In case I will end up with the short stick, I also ordered Pilot G-2 refills... I was thinking of using the notebook, starting from beginning as an omni-journal for the rest of the year, and perhaps whilst I will meet with the proper dates, I will continue using it as it was originally intended- or then I will just happily continue with my whims. I shall see when I will get there. Looking forward finding out how it will turn out. I really wouldn´t mind rekindling my Moleskine love- that has been dormant as of late. Wishing you & your audience a lovely Fall and the rest of this year, Seaweed Kisses!

[@1973sonvis]

I use a lot of Moleskines. Sometimes bleedthrough, somtimes not. I really don’t care. Its notebooks after all. Keep up the good work on this channel! 😊👍🏻

[@baumhausization]

I made the same experience: the planner‘s paper did not work with fountain pens, the notebook‘s paper did very well!🎉

[@managingmarlys]

OmGosh I am gonna go and check all of my quality control labels

[@constancec.7177]

The 18 month and the 12 month pocket were not fp friendly for me and they both had the pale yellow sticker. Happy to use those for work. The large 12 month hard cover and soft cover both had blue stickers and both WERE fp friendly too! I ordered a couple more hoping for more good ones!

[@Fallingforpaper]

I ordered two 12 months daily and what I notice is that there is a small label inside with different Colors, one was yellow and the other was blue, the blue one was amazing paper and the yellow really bad like dry paper. I don’t know maybe that tells something but I just love how the notebook feels on my hands and I enjoy so much writing on it ☺️❤️

[@shethewriter]

I LOVE when I find one with the good paper! I wish they were more consistent :(

[@jessicasblack]

I am 100% convinced that the blue quality control stickers are the only ones that are fp friendly.

[@stephaniek.6083]

I have two dotted ones here, they have an orange sticker and they are also suitable for fountain pens

[@Cajungirl1990]

I order two 2024 daily planners on Amazon and the two I got came from Milano,Italia and they are fountain friendly!!! 😊

[@karmenjohnson6078]

Thank you for testing these out!!! All of mine are from China with the blue sticker. I tried a marker test and it passed! But I will stick to gel pens. :)

[@lula1908]

I love you💛 thank you for sharing.

[@SeaweedKisses]

Of course! Thank you for watching!

[@lauraholleman3560]

So I found a hardcover that’s rough your link for $3.37. If it works with my fountain pens that’s great. If not, that’s a great price for a well-bound book of that size. I can’t explain why I love moleskine notebooks. Maybe because it was my first nice quality notebook (nice quality in my opinion). I do use Leuchtturm notebooks as well. But I’ll always love my moleskines. Thanks so much for the links! I’m going to resist the urge to stock up at that price but it’s very tempting.

[@stacy3781]

That's amazing! It's a great day when our fountain pens work on our favourite papers. I love Moleskine. I think you may be right, the blank/plain versions just don't work. I use the dotted one and it works well with my fountain pen. Keep in mind that I use Sailor (MF nib) with Sailor ink. I love it! 😄A wetter nib might not work.

[@SeaweedKisses]

Yay! So happy to know that there are still other Moleskine lovers out here.😂🩷 Yes, that seems to be the case. The blank versions are definitely the thinnest paper out of the versions, I noticed.

[@_randisullivan_]

Thank you for posting this video! :) I love your in depth video’s like these.

[@lynnfenton1841]

I love mine. I do think the paper is a tad different. But not a deal breaker for me.

[@silviagrau8795]

Hi! I just subscribed to your channel some months ago. I would like to share my experience so far with Moleskine and a couple of ideas. If you have a WRMK Fuse, you might want to give a try to heat foil and use it to decorate the covers or pages. Looks cool with the wide tips. On the 18 month daily, Platinum 3776 Century with platinum ink (F nib) or Platinum Preppy don’t bleed through, but given the inconsistency of Moleskine paper… other ink/fountain pen combos have failed in my case, so it might be worth the try. Another idea could be to use the calendar just as an index, colour coding the ideas (painting the date that corresponds to book entries with a red marker, for example, so that you know that red dots mark pages related to books). Please forgive any grammar mistakes, as English is not my mother tongue. I hope this long comment is useful. Love your channel and your journaling free style, so out of social media cute and impossible to do regular posts. Greetings from Europe!

[@hannahbersee8817]

love your videos! do you have suggestions of pens/inks that do well on cheap cheap composition notebook paper? or like the michaels brand cute notebooks? i want to get into fountain pens but i have so many cheap notebooks that i don't know where to start!

[@VeganOrganizer]

This is incredible!! Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉

[@ghostyplans]

I got a pocket and large when you first posted! The paper is very different between the two, but I’m okay with that! I don’t mind the paper either way, I meet the notebook where it is. The large softcover is VERY FP friendly, but the pocket is NOT. I covered the monthlies up with a Template of lined paper found on their website.

[@emilyinwhite]

I bought six more. Not looking for a 🦄, just love having a shelf full of notebooks on the cheap.

[@karmenjohnson6078]

Nooo I got some with the blue sticker! Now I need to go back and check to see if I have any unicorns. It's like a birthday! LOL

[@knutvonheim3838]

I use Moleskine paper. You will likely find that the “good paper” is yellower than the others. You may also find that plain paper is better than any printed and further processed pages. I always look at the sides and compare them through the plastic wrapping while at the stationary store. 8 out of 10 times I get it right :) One more thing. The expanded large plain is the one I have the most “luck” with

[@itssammierose]

Did you end up buying other colors or just black? Because i see the black is more expensive now. I dont like red but they are $3 so i will either paint over it or something.

[@ChocolatePurples]

I see today the prices jumped back up

[@Azstaria]

You could put those quality control stickers on the front covers of their respective planner/journal then you wouldn’t have to worry about getting them mixed up (since you cover the fronts with stickers anyways) !

[@SeaweedKisses]

Now that's a great idea!! Thank you!!

[@miguelanaya95658]

If you want to use a fountain pen in Moleskine notebooks use Iron Gall inks or Pigment-based inks. Normal dye-based inks penetrate too deeply into the paper. Iron gall and pigment inks work on the surface rather soak through.

[@carolineh8141]

Why!!!! Why did I click on this?!?! Yes, I bought three notebooks because of it...

[@carolineh8141]

girl, I got them for less than $4 too!!!

[@Trecester]

I got mine for $3.50 and this paper loves my fountain pen. Also, it’s made in China. So, it maybe luck of the draw because I have had others and the bleed through is awful. Thanks for letting us know.

[@claudiameier666]

5h3 best paper is that canary yellow newsprint style. its awesome

[@longdaysjournal]

All of your recommendations have proven too much of a temptation for me to resist! So, now that I have MULTIPLE notebooks would you give some more in depth suggestions on for which different purposes each might serve best when you want to utilize more than one (or 2 or 3 LOL )at a time…

[@blueparrish]

adding to the statistics, my 2024 12 month moleskine daily large that i got for $4 was an AMAZING unicorn. literally zero bleed through with ANY of my pens. it was also made in vietnam! it didnt come with a quality control sticker though, so i cant help with that D:

[@bethanypoore1133]

So glad you found a unicorn, and especially for a good deal! Hope you get some more of them!🤩 I wonder if the process of printing lines, dots, or grids coats or seals the paper differently, so that it bleeds less than the plain paper?

[@managingmarlys]

Lol, I saw the difference right away. I thought it was the light, and then you said there was a difference

[@moripaperstudio]

Sadly none on sale in the UK Amazon, however I know TK Maxx sells Moleskine often at bargain prices in-store (in the UK at least)

[@sarahcobb]

They were a few weeks ago - keep looking!

[@lindaevans8804]

I love love my Molekine ❤

[@PorschaWrites]

I had one of those fountain pen friendly ones, once and I didn't finish filling it up because I wanted to reserve some paper in case I wanted to play with fountain pens in there, although we know I don't typically use fountain pens in moleskines anyway.

[@mike_qbik]

Weekly pocket/large is terrible, but daily calendars looks like hold up well, but I am very sceptical on all other versions.

[@vrixphillips]

i know moleskine has a certain je ne sais quoi, but have you tried Tomoe River Paper? truly amazing :O super thin and always great with marker or fountain pen!

[@vrixphillips]

oop a hobo-mention! my b, you're a pro lol

[@amyhaisten]

I was just looking at the 2025 version on Amazon and noticed that someone had commented that the paper is not the same for 2025. She had been using fountain pens in her 2024, but her swatches in the 2025 shows bleed through.

[@MaryJean312]

Can you post a link to these products? I can only find the large size but want the big chunky pocket size. Please and thank you 😊

[@SeaweedKisses]

they are linked below in the video description area. A lot of the pocket versions have sold, but here's a link with a 2024 daily still being 50% off: amzn.to/3Tn4sKD

[@619to253]

Hi everyone. I just got mine from Amazon. The 2024 soft green cover 12 month A5 for $5 with blue quality control sticker. OK for fountain pens. The 18 month black soft cover 23/24 orange quality control. Not fountain pen friendly.

[@tarabooartarmy3654]

I was hoping you were gonna say they finally made one with textured paper. I’m not a fan of smooth paper so I hate Moleskine.

[@reinathen9731]

I have a pink qc sticker from one of my past moleskin planner

[@ThePaperExhibition]

I bought a unicorn 2024, and bought a 2025 that was a dud. I noticed the difference in paper color as well. All the differences you note, I have between the unicorn and the dud. I want a 2025 unicorn so bad because I love the notebook and I love my fountain pen! Was thinking about ordering a few on Amazon, not opening it but just looking at the color of the paper, and then returning if it doesn’t match the unicorn I have.

[@SeaweedKisses]

Perhaps you could just white-out the 2024 date and use for 2025 should you not find a unicorn version. Wishing you luck!