Leuchtturm1917 Paper Review

This is a follow-up video to my Leuchtturm1917 Overview where I covered all of the sizes and formats of the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks. In this video, it's all about the paper. I write test the 80g and 100g Leuchtturm paper and compare it to a Moleskine ruled notebook and a Rhodia Webnotebook.
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Brian & Rachel Goulet started The Goulet Pen Company in 2009 and you can see the evolution of our mom and pop into a full-blown company through this channel. We run a dedicated online store with fountain pens, ink, paper, and other fine writing accessories. Our goal with this channel is to provide fountain pen fans at all levels of experience with comprehensive product reviews, round ups, and how-to videos to answer all the fountain pen questions you may have. Shop at www.gouletpens.com.
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[@StopFear]

For anyone who wants to discover a more exciting experience of writing in a notebook, I highly recommend trying to write in a notebook with unruled pages. Sometimes they are called blank or plain paper. You can experiment with your cursive writing much more by writing as small and as densely as possible or write large. Basically you can adjust based on mood. But with a ruled notebook you do not have that option. You also have much more freedom to create art that won’t be marred by the horizontal lines. Honestly, for me the lines in ruled notebooks feel like prison bars for the mind. Even if what I write is creatively bankrupt rambling at least it feels much more fun and more satisfying to write on plain paper.

[@Mynto12]

I personally love Leuchtturm notebooks, especially after using Moleskines for years before. The cover colors are fun, and paper quality is phenomenal for the price (though it's definitely not Clairefontaine levels of good). I'm surprised to read so many comments about bleed through. I started buying Leuchtturm in 2014 so maybe quality is better, but I suffer almost no bleed through with even wet, saturated inks whereas in Moleskines only one side of the paper would be usable with fountain pen writing. Even the ghosting has been minimal for me. Above all, wonderful review! So happy that Leuchtturm is getting more love in the notebook world.

[@RebeccaSmith77]

I love my Rhodia pocket webbie! I have six different notebook brands in front of me, at this very moment, and my Rhodia webbie is my favorite. I do not consider myself a paper or pen snob, but I had my webbie on my desk, had to jot something down real quick, and the feel and ease of writing blew my mind. I had been using Leuchtturm for my journals, but I did not care for the paper. I'm not really educated on paper differences, but for me, I can feel a real difference between the paper in the Leuchtturm and the paper in the Rhodia webbies. I'll be using Rhodia from now for everything, I think. I also love their dotpads. Your video was helpful. Thank you.

[@EastLancsJohn]

Enjoyable video Brian thank you. I've settled on L. 1917 after trying numerous notebooks. Paper quality is good but also the pages are numbered, there is a contents page, space for the date and stickers for archiving.

[@robt4550]

Lot’s of detail here. Great job!

[@thomashardison1140]

Could you do an update on Leuchturm paper? I felt a notebook recently that definitely is different than the version I bought around 2013.

[@Gouletpens]

It'll behave on most papers, actually, just not often in combination with an extremely wet writing pen like my flex pen here. Plus, I flexed it to really pour the ink on. Using it in a conventional fountain pen will yield far more favorable results. Noodler's also makes a non-lubricated version of the ink, too.

[@GirlGeekLovesStampin]

Outstanding review! Really helped me, I got the rhodia.

[@Gouletpens]

The main purpose for them is to keep the piston seals lubricated on piston-filling pens where you're not able to easily disassemble them. But since they also flow a little wetter than most inks as a consequence, most people end up using them to help dry writing pens write wetter. Using a lubricated ink in a wet writing pen will, as you may guess, write super wet!

[@GamerReivyn]

Yep, that's a great idea, especially for more affordable papers. Depending on the size of your notebook, you could also try using a sheet of blotter paper (available at $8 from the Goulet web store) behind the page, which is great because then you can use it as a book mark too, and it'll absorb excess ink when you close your notebook.

[@Gouletpens]

Well, the paper isn't going to be an end-all-be-all, and I knew that going into it with Leuchtturm. If you want the best paper, then Rhodia and Quo Vadis have the best paper I've used in a bound journal. But Leuchtturm is pretty good for the price and features, based on other notebooks I've used. It won't be for everyone though, certainly.

[@woodthrushcottage]

Helpful video. I'm off to stock up on my next journal and it's going to be another Leuchtturm1917.

[@Gouletpens]

Our web host rolled out a maintenance update and it caused our site to be down for a little bit. It's all back up and working fine now :)

[@ericroy1481]

I use Tomoe River...it's the best for inks, because I go heavy with my dip pens... 😉

[@MarkGardiner1976]

I love the Leuchtturm but the fact that the paper is only 80 gm means that I get massive bleed through even though I only use a medium nib. I can`t use it for my everyday journal therefore which is a shame because I love the Leuchtturm because of the contents table, page numbers etc.

[@sylvainplante3775]

Pretty good video. Thanks. Pretty impress.

[@TheRiz52]

I bought one last year and it does feather with the wetter pens. Don't know what weight the paper is, but Liberty's Elysium is what I use the most on it. The Ahab feathers like crazy.

[@sonvfave]

ok sorry I hit post b4 I edited ... With numbered thanks again BG for all the work you are doing M

[@InksAndQuirks]

Hi Brian, part of the reason that the Ahab feathers so much is that the nib tends to cut into the paper. Be it because the tines are unaligned or the flexing.

[@hans_am_ende]

I started using Leuchtturm1917 notebooks because my company gave me a master with a company logo for my birthday every year. The manufacturer is based in the neighboring town. I would never have thought of spending so much money on a notebook. Meanwhile, I also use medium versions as a bullet journal and diary.

[@Gouletpens]

Oh yeah, well the Ahab puts down a ton of ink, and unless you're using an ink that really resists feathering like Heart of Darkness or Noodler's Black, it's going to feather. Liberty's Elysium holds up pretty well, I was able to get it to bleed a bit, but in general it did well.

[@calflynn]

I bought one of these notebooks last year and used a medium nib with J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir, it feathered like crazy. However with a sharpie it was perfectly fine, with no bleed through or anything, this made no sense to me. Love the soft covered notebook and I really like the binding but with every fountain pen I've tried it just didn't seem to be able to handle it.

[@Gouletpens]

No, that doesn't have anything to do with it here, this pen didn't cut into the paper. It just puts a ton of ink down when you flex it, especially with a lubricated ink like this. Any flex pen would pretty much look like that.

[@trocha419]

In the printing industry we call it bleed through instead of ghosting. I like ghosting better and I’ll use that for now on

[@monyscell8352]

I've never tried any of the eel cactus inks from noodler's but have been wanting to try them, however, if they bleed on all the higher end papers too, what do they work on? And are they more lubricated than other lubricated inks from other ink companies? Thanks for the comparisons - much appreciated.

[@chasej7337]

Papyrus notebooks from Spain work awesome with every pen and ink that I've tried.

[@Gouletpens]

Chase Johnson Good to know. Thanks for sharing! -Margaret

[@JasentheHun]

Thanks. 👍

[@37dhw8]

Beautiful paper, just such a shame that, as I live in Australia, prices in anything (dare I say) 'niche' are astronomical. Unless you are buying a disposable bic ball-tip and a spi-rax notebook, your price is going to be ridiculous. Ordering from you, though your store is fantastic, is just not an option. Shipping rates for one bottle of Noodler's Ink (for the cheapest shipping option) is $20 AU. Also, this paper, drom the only place I know here that stocks it, is $26 (medium). That's $25.23US!!

[@salvadorcastio8095]

Hi, thanks for your informative video on Leuchttrum. Ii just discovered their brand and was happy be cause I though it was made Germany. This however proved to be false; when my journal arrived I discovered that they are designed in Germany and produced in Taiwan. I saw a video here on KZbin where it says that if you order a custom made book it will be manufactured in Germany. Do you know anything about this? Is there a way of getting Leuchttrum journals that are German made.?

[@jgalfano123]

I'm just getting into fountain pens, so I picked up a couple of the Pilot Varsity pens with medium nibs, and I've found with the Leuchtturm 1917 (I have the pocket size), there is quite a bit of bleedthrough similar to the Sharpie. I am planning on getting a Lamy Safari soon though, so hopefully the performance will be better.

[@WirlWind494]

Try Rhodia or Clairefontaine. I have some CF duo clothbound's and I've used a bunch of different pens on it. The only time it bleeds is when you put too much pressure or you leave a massive puddle of ink. Normal use (like with my own Safari) doesn't affect them.

[@PRJKTan12]

I'm using a Parker Sonnet with a Parker Blue ink cartridge and a Leuchtturm1917 pocket size notebook and I suffer no bleed-through or feathering whatsoever, there is MILD shadowing, however it's not bad at all. It is an amazing notebook of high quality.

[@dougbecker683]

I would agree with Thomas Hardison. I have one that I purchased in early 2018 and I have used a Sailor ProColor 500 transparent blue with a fine nib and Noodler's Midway Blue, Lamy Safari with a fine nib and Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses, a Conklen Duragraph with a fine nib and Noodler's Gruen Cactus (not the eel, would that make a difference?), and a Sailor ProColor 500 StarDust with a fine nib and Noodler's Air Corps Blue Black in this book and other than the ghosting, I have not had any bleed through at all. I have also noticed that in the review of the notebook you mentioned that the Medium Hardcover A5 books had perforated pages at the end and the two that I have purchased in 2018 do not have any perforated pages at all. Have they changed the books?? Maybe you could do an updated review of the books as well??

[@Gouletpens]

Were they sketchbooks from Leuchtturm or Some Lines a Day notebook? I know those don't have perforations. The other A5 hardcovers should. I believe the last 10-12 pages are perforated, but not the entire notebook. Were these purchased through us? - Colin

[@rv_96]

What happened to your website. It shows an error of some sort when I try to open it?

[@chantaldowling4342]

Do you think the Luechturmm would hold up to a TWSBI stub nib? Also will it show the sheen in like a J. Herbin 1670?

[@Gouletpens]

It won't bleedthrough, but it will most likely ghost on the back of the page, limiting what you have available in the notebook. It doesn't show off sheen that well, maybe try a GPC notebook as they feature Tomoe River paper that really shows off those sheening inks (www.gouletpens.com/goulet-notebooks/c/476). - Colin

[@viacheslavkrasin3119]

Modern notebooks is no more about paper density but rather about ingredients. I have a feelings that classy manufacturers has a tends to stick to wood based celulose which can pretty outdated approach to these one who adds some plastic like particles. Thet like a polietheline can prevent leaking ink trough the page but then we gatthing somethin another than papaer.

[@calflynn]

I was the 80g as far as I'm aware. This notebook is everything I could ask for except the paper is comparable to that in a moleskine which is a bit rubbish for fountain pens in my opinion, rollerballs it is

[@StopFear]

Does anybody know whether there is an ink that is made to have the color tone of red wine?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, if you're writing 'normal', it won't be nearly as bad as what I showed here. I was going for the 'torture' effect, and I did just that! Most pens won't get anywhere near that bad.

[@jeffpaige6149]

Why does the Green Cactus Eel want to feather so badly? Given that even the premium 90g Clairefontaine is not immune to this ink's feathery ways, do you consider this to be a usable ink?

[@Gouletpens]

+Jeff Paige It's a lubricated ink so it flows really generously. Using a finer nib can help tame it. -Brian Goulet

[@Gouletpens]

Was this with the newer 80g paper? Leuchtturm used to use 70g paper that wasn't as good with fountain pens, back before they changed over in 2010.

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, I mean it's not to say that the nib digging into the paper is a good thing...that will definitely not help out a bleeding situation. That goes for any scratchy nib, really, not just a flex pen, but flex pens are more likely to cause this just because you're naturally putting more pressure down when you're flexing than you would with normal writing.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

Any paper recommendations when you want to flex?

[@TheSpookyLibrarian]

I'm interested in writing in diaries with a glass dip pen. Could I use any journal, or should I use a journal with thick paper?

[@Gouletpens]

+Paloma Gasque Fountain pen friendly paper (in a journal) is going to hold up better with fountain pen ink, so I would recommend something with that :) -Margaret

[@InksAndQuirks]

Really? Good to know then. Thanks :)

[@mary_katie_9199]

Two questions, has the company ever thought about selling the gold or the silver Leuchtturms? And have you guys heard about Peter Pauper Press journals? I've found them to be quite good with my fountain pens.

[@Gouletpens]

Just saw those Leuchtturms a few days ago, they look pretty sharp. No plans on those or the Peter Pauper Press journals just yet. But it's great to know what types of products our audience is interested in. I've passed these along to our inventory team as recommendations. - Colin

[@mary_katie_9199]

Thank you , really didn't have to do it.

[@nocturne2029]

Mary Ruedin i love the peter pauper press! Their paper is beautifully smooth and plays very nicely with my fountain pens (with medium nibs!) and no ghosting! Bonus!

[@juergsteudler]

Is there any notepad without ghosting at all? I have tried so many and it is really annoying that seemingly nobody has solved this problem. I do not want to just use every second page!

[@jakublulek3261]

Staufen Premium 90g is very good and around 5 euros for A4/80 sheets. But they only do spiral-bound version and I cannot find A5 anymore.

[@travisbickford735]

hi what would you say is the best notebook for a great everyday journal. with fountain pens of course. the master looks nice but is it really worth the price difference.

[@Gouletpens]

The Leuchtturm A5 dot grids are really popular these days for bullet journaling if you're familiar. I have one and really like it, though you can't really use both sides of the page which can be a deal breaker. Clairefontaine is a good affordable option. Their side clothbound notebooks (www.gouletpens.com/clairefontaine-classic-side-clothbound-collection/c/73) could work as an everyday journal. - Colin

[@travisbickford735]

honestly looking at the habana. but not sure which is the better notebook

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah the Habana is a great option, it actually uses Clairefontaine Ivory paper in it, but it does only come in lined and blank, so if you were looking for dot grids, this wouldn't work. But other than that, it's a great option and has a very 'journal' look to it! - Colin

[@travisbickford735]

thats what i am looking for but also considered the leuchtturm1917

[@sonvfave]

I will be comparing hte LS 100 g master and a Clai Fountain.. I dont think I will do a video... but the LS 1917 is very pricy per page verses what I am seeing on Clair Fontain.. Any idea why? I do realize the LS 1917 are well designed wit hnumbered pages.. thoughts between these? I am seeing 2X the price per page fyi ? thanks again

[@Gouletpens]

+Matthew White the Clairefontaine paper is better...but it's not in a bound journal like the Leuchtturm so that's part of the price difference -Brian Goulet

[@sonvfave]

I understand, there are lots of CF products and it does get a bit complex... I love the current smaller CF I have though, which they did a much larger bound one.. thanks for the quick respose.. LS1917 has great features... but honestly the price is higher with poorer paper and thats a deal breaker unless I can find ink thats not going to bleed through.... Thank you greatly

[@ashcashcarter]

I would have loved the Rhodia but I don't like the name embossed on the front and the paper color is just ugly in my opinion. Leuchttrum it is!

[@Gouletpens]

That's fair. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to notebooks. It seems like Leuchtturm is definitely the favorite (especially amongst bullet journalers!) - Colin

[@Brandii141]

+Shwee Beez: How is the paper? I mean does it have a smooth writing surface?

[@paulinamacias2944]

I’m going with leuchtturm too! They are beautiful and looks like it get the job done for I need it :)

[@LauraJayne64]

Seems the ink showing through makes it hard to use the other side!

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, there's definitely some ghosting issues with Leuchtturm. If you use EF nibs, it can be OK, but anything broader is asking for trouble. - Colin

[@Eowyn77]

9:38 I disagree - IMNSHO if you consider yourself a papersnob, Gmund notebooks are the way to go. You should really try them :)

[@Eowyn77]

P.S. they might be especially interesting for you since their squared notebooks have a pattern which is very similar to Séyès lineature, only that the Gmund notebooks have only two lines between the main lines whereas Séyès lineature has three in-between lines. Both the paper and the lineature are really an absolute pleasure to write on. (Btw I don't work for them, just speaking as a fan and self-confessed papersnob.)

[@Gouletpens]

+Éowyn never heard of them, I'll have to investigate -Brian Goulet

[@Eowyn77]

+The Goulet Pen Company It's absolutely worth a try. They're a small company in south Germany, and they're making excellent papers.

[@brimerrydeath]

hairy monster, that'd funny!