Paper Comparison: Rhodia, Leuchtturm, Moleskine

Today I’m expanding my testing of paper with Baystate Blue and Diamine Syrah, with various types of paper. So far I’ve been looking solely at 1.1 mm stub nibs. I’m going to go to a medium nib too, before long. But first, let’s see how the fat, gushing nibs do with the various types of paper!
If you enjoy my videos and would like to support the channel, please join my Patreon project at / mj150520 - you’ll also find more films and blogs about writing, about my work, even about my dogs!
Don't forget: please like, subscribe and share! And if you have your own specific ideas for videos, do please leave them in the comments section below, or message me on one of the links. I'm often on Twitter and the other social media, so you should be able to track me down!
To find out more about me and my books, look at: www.michaeljecks.co.uk
To email me with any comments, or if you want advice, go to www.michaeljecks.co.uk/contact...
Follow me on Twitter: / michaeljecks
On FaceBook: / michael.jecks.author
My blog at: writerlywitterings.com
For photos of Dartmoor and things going on, check Pinterest: / michaeljecks or Instagram: / michaeljecks
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/michael...
Disclaimer - I have not been paid or rewarded for making this video!
Cheers for now!
Mike

[@jonathanhuttmann2216]

I am a german native and you managed to pronounce "Leuchtturm" better than i could ever do it. Thanks for the great video!

[@writerlywitterings]

You're very welcome! And as a Brit, I can guarantee that you can speak English a lot better than most of the population of my country!

[@SirMopy]

I‘m German and impressed, too.

[@bransonharlem9462]

i know Im randomly asking but does someone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost the password. I would appreciate any help you can give me!

[@alonsobentley3351]

@Branson Harlem instablaster =)

[@bransonharlem9462]

@Alonso Bentley Thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@Richard_Barnes]

2020 isolation re-watch video 😀👍🏻 I just dug out my #18 Rhodia pad. I haven’t used this for years, wow. Reminds me how much I used to like the Rhodia paper before I found the pleasure of Tomoe River. Then I never looked back. lol. Thx again Mike 👍🏻

[@writerlywitterings]

Isolation repeats now, is it? I've always loved Rhodia (and even Moleskine) wonderful when using pencils, but since becoming a real fountain pen freak, I can't use them. All they'll be used for in future is for sketching, I think. Although the new "professional" A4 Moleskine's have paper that is as good as any with fountain pens. It's a shame they don't put that paper into the other notebooks!

[@JBFire97]

Never had much success with Moleskine, so haven’t bought any for a long time. May be their newest iterations are worth a look. Thanks for the review as always.

[@writerlywitterings]

I've certainly found this latest, large sized professional version to be a lot better. All my old ones were very disappointing.

[@lynnettejalufka2682]

Good luck with your talks. I wish I go on the tour to hear them.

[@writerlywitterings]

I wish I could go on tours more often to talk! It's a very expensive way to sell books, sadly, and publishers just don't put the money in for their authors!

[@thealchemyst6188]

Thank you for this video

[@writerlywitterings]

Cheers!

[@martinmcconigley5583]

Fascinating and helpful as always. In case you or your learned viewers are interested I’ve recently tried some notepads from a company called Dingbats. I only use medium nibs and standard inks, but have found them wonderful. They are lovely to look at and handle. An eco friendly company as well which must only be a good thing!

[@writerlywitterings]

That's really interesting. I've never heard of them - I'll have to look them up. Thanks, Martin. Appreciate the pointer!

[@annettemchattie1881]

Ding Bats is my go to notebook and they do plain books too, great for sketching.

[@amicamiabella]

Thank you for another great review! It's interesting to see how much the paper differs within the same brand. Although i like Rhodia as a brand some of their paper is too smooth for my liking. For quite some time i turned away from Leuchtturm until i noticed that their A4+ (Master) notebooks have 100 gsm paper and i like this paper a lot! It's smooth but not as smooth as Rhodia or Clairfontaine. I will also give Moleskine another chance: the PRO planner has some great features and the paper seems to be quite nice.

[@writerlywitterings]

I'll be looking at other notepads in the next few weeks, but I have to admit that the new Professional Moleskine paper is infinitely better than my old ones. Thanks for the comments, Anja - especially that you like the videos!

[@jasonmillar2953]

The syrah ink is named after a famous French grape variety used to make Hermitage since Roman times. It’s pronounced like ‘sirrah’. Love the ink reviews - keep them coming!

[@writerlywitterings]

Ah, I've heard that pronounced in several ways - yours, as "See-ah-rah" etc. I just pick a pronunciation generally and go with it! Thanks for the comment, though, Jason!

[@christinearmington]

😂😂 Que sera Syrah! 🎉

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I agree with you on the moleskine. I no longer use these wth fountain pens. Ballpoints only now.

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes. It's a huge shame. I would have thought they'd have improved their paper over time to compete with Clairefontaine and Tomoe River offerings, but clearly they still sell enough not to worry!

[@AyshBanaysh]

Found this as I'm in a debate which to get, but I just wanted to stop and say I love your personality!

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks, Aysh.

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks, Aysh - I like yours too! Which will you get, though? I'd recommend Leuchtturm because of their design, build quality, page numbering and chapters page. If you want a dot grid, they do their own Bullet Journal version, which gives you more potential for sketching out ideas, rather than just lines. Best of luck.

[@AyshBanaysh]

@@writerlywitterings I actually ended up getting a Rhodia Goalbook (with the white paper rather than ivory). The quality is really nice. It’s smooth and there’s no bleed/ghosting, but it’s also got dot grid for bullet journalling but they’ve got a future log at the front. It’s soft cover but not like most, it feels SO good and still packs 250 pages or so like a hardcover I only ordered it on a whim on Amazon but ended up feeling like the smooth paper was worth it for me. I’ve kept the Leuchtturm to give it a try if I’m ever in a pinch, but I think Rhodia might have stolen my heart with their softcovers (I’ve previously avoided trying them because I can’t stand the colour orange)

[@writerlywitterings]

@@AyshBanaysh I like the Rhodias too, and the softcovers were my go-to notebooks with plain pages for some years, because I could sketch as well as making notes. Sadly I've found that the paper quality dropped off (this is ten years ago) and migrated to Leuchtturm - but I think the Rhodia paper has improved a great deal now. Thanks for the comments, Aysh, and all best wishes!

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Laughing! As I drink my tea and watch I suddenly saw my Denby Azure mug on your desk! Mine is just away and to the right of the keyboard just as yours is. Mine is dreadfully empty. Totally weird! Just flagging up pads using Optik paper. Oxford 'My Notebook' and Red n Black. They tend to get forgotten given the dominance of American discussion on the English Language Web. Stunningly good paper, 90gsm and silky smooth at a good price. The other one often forgotten is Stationary Island. They don't do wire bound pads unfortunately, but I have a fully bound pad and the paper is astonishingly good at an extraordinarily low price. As good as if not better than Clairefontain IMO. Remember Rhodia was bought out by Calirefontain. It might explain the difference in the performance of those two Rhodia pads. Thank you for another pleasurable and stylish video. Cheers.

[@writerlywitterings]

Cheers, Kevin. I do like my Denby mugs! I haven't heard of Stationary Island. I'll have to check that out. I have to admit the best cheap paper I've found in recent years was Office Depot's 70 gsm notepads, which was fabulous. It's amazing how good some really cheap papers can be - and equally astonishing how incredibly poor some others can be!

[@SUSSDUE]

Am I mistaken or are you calling the Moleskine notebooks Rhodia in the video? Around 11:40 Thanks for the comparison. My old moleskins, from 1997 are really good w fountain pens, but as the brand got a hype they changed the paper ( cheaper and faster to make I suppose) and it became much worse. I am sad since I really loved them. Now it is either Leuchtturm or Tomoe River or a Swedish quality paper I use for fountain pens .Sadly quite a lot of my pens bleed in the Rhoda webnotebook.

[@writerlywitterings]

Ach! You're absolutely right. Whoops! Yes, that was the two Moleskine books, not the Rhodia. And yes, I have the same problem with Rhodia. I think one issue is, though, that all the paper companies keep changing their recipes! The Japanese and German manufacturers seem a lot more reliable. I'm happy to trust Tomoe or Leuchtturm before a French or standard English firm, sadly!

[@Robutube1]

Thanks Charlotta - I wasn't going mad :-). I get no pleasure from commenting thus on a YTuber whose work I really enjoy, but this one should be either re-done, over dubbed or deleted. If you read this Michael - I'm sorry, but in the hope you see this as comment as constructive , the post is a bit too error laden in the Rhodia/Moleskine mix up department for the viewer and it therefore detracts from your other ones.

[@tomcatkzn]

First time seeing any of your videos, and the errors are really glaring. It did detract mightily from your credibility. I've kind of written you off as unreliable since you've made no attempt to correct the errors. Doesnt make us, the audience, feel very important. Oh dear.

[@simonmichaeltanner]

Very interesting. I went through the whole gamut myself - Moleskine, Clairefontaine, Leuchtturm and Rhodia -, but none of them ever satisfied me completely. Then I discovered The Author notebook by GLP creations, which uses Tomoe River 68 gsm paper (not the 56 gsm which you find in other notebooks sometimes). Not only do I like the colour of the paper, which is not quite as yellow as Leuchtturm, my previous favourite, but it seems to handle any ink or width of nib you throw at it. No feathering or bleedthrough at all. And best of all, perhaps, it shows off inks beautifully. If they have any shading or sheen at all in them, this paper brings it out to the full, and the colours also seem more vibrant than on other papers. The notebooks are also very attractive. Highly recommended; I personally now use nothing else. Be interesting to see how they cope with that thuggish Bay State Blue, whose reputation has always put me off ....

[@writerlywitterings]

I would personally advise that you don't try Baystate Blue. It's vicious on pens, and it'll never be inked in my Visconti! That's very interesting, however, about The Author notebooks. I have a pair of Nanamipaper Company notebook, which I'm intending to test before long - I was given one of the "Cafe" and one of the "Writer" versions. I do love the Tomoe River 68 gsm - it was that paper in my Goulet cahier that I used for my ink comparisons in recent videos. Lovely paper! Thanks for the comment, Simon. Appreciate the thoughts.

[@simonmichaeltanner]

@@writerlywitterings thanks for the warning - it clearly lives up to its reputation. Great videos, by the way, always look forward to them

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks for that, Simon! Really good to hear from people who enjoy them - so often, making a video is like writing a book - you do the work, and send it off, and never really hear from anyone as to whether they liked it or not!

[@maccaj6565]

I love Bay State Blue for applications where I want my notes to be both bright and a little resistant to the occasional spill - so recipes, for example, or a shopping list. I recommend trying it if you're curious, but do so in a 99 cent/pence jinhao shark pen from ebay or similar - they're fairly sturdy, come with a converter, tend to have reliable nibs, and they're cheap enough that you can afford to keep that one pen dedicated to BSB exclusively. I wouldn't let BSB near my $20 Diplomat Magnum, never mind my Lamy 2000... crazy inks go in cheap-but-reliable pens that will cost me $2 or less to replace, if and when I'm inclined to bother. Completely agreed on The Author notebook - I've got three, each for a different writing project.

[@Richard_Barnes]

Simon Tanner, I discovered Tomoe River before the GLP Author books were out, however my point is the same as yours. I.E. once you write on it, there is no going back to much else really, especially for us fountain pen users 😀👍🏻

[@bobanderson7313]

To include all letters of the alphabet, you need to write "jumps" rather than "jumped". An added bonus is that you'll save a bottle of ink every 200 years or so.

[@writerlywitterings]

Haha! True enough, but I don't think I am that worried about using every single letter of the alphabet!

[@Richard_Barnes]

Bob, 😂😂 brilliant

[@mellow-jello]

Thanks for the paper comparisons. It appears the paper companies are pandering to professionals and their notebooks to provide the best paper quality for their fountain pens, much less for their other affordable products for pen enthusiasts.

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes, I think you're right in some cases. But then again, some really cheap paper firms (Silvine in the UK, Rhodia notebooks and others) do produce very reasonably priced paper which is very good. Another example is Office Depot with their 70 gsm paper pads, which I've always found really good.

[@stumbling]

Everything became "Rhodia" about halfway through the video for some reason but we know what you meant. Thanks.

[@writerlywitterings]

It's what happens to old farts like me. One word gets lodged and won't budge ... Sorry!

So far, the best paper I have is the one in my notebooks bought from V&A collections. They have hard covers and really nice smooth thick paper. It doesn't show through or bleed or anything. Ink sits nicely and dry reasonably fast. I'm quite happy with them. Sadly I don't know who really makes the paper or what's their weight or anything. Just that they come from V&A and Museums & Galleries UK. They're notebooks tho, they're not loose sheets.

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks for sharing! I'll have to take a look at them.

[@MichaelSkaggs87]

Hi Michael -- thanks for this, just discovered your ink and paper videos last night. Do you have an idea of what the Rhodia that you liked, the blank one around 7:20? I can't seem to filter down to them on the online retailers -- everything seems to have the elastic, fewer pages, etc. Any advice greatly appreciated.

[@writerlywitterings]

Hi, Michael, Well, I can only apologise. I can't find them now either. They were soft-cover, with no bookmark or closure (no elastic that goes round the whole book to keep it shut), and had about 192 pages. From a bit of a hunt for the last half hour, it would seem they aren't available any more. Sorry about that!

[@MichaelSkaggs87]

@@writerlywitterings Hey, thanks for a quick reply! So it goes with these things. The interesting part here is the difference between Rhodia papers you noted, including 2 that were both 80 gsm, and one of which performed far better. Now that I have recently purged some of my pen and paper surplus there is room for additions with which to experiment...

[@evybrowning]

Very interesting - mixed feelings about Moleskines, I have a sketch book which I've resorted to gluing my artwork into as a record of progress, it's coated so doesn't take water, doesn't like graphite & DETESTS Copics!!

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks for that, Evelyn. Yes. it's really hard to find a decent notebook that works with fountain pens and Copies! I think Clairefontaine paper is very robust and should cope - but it's guessing, really!

[@RovexHD]

Oxford’s optik paper doesn’t bleed through, I’m using a rollerball pen and the smoothness beats any other notebook I’ve tried.

[@writerlywitterings]

I have reviewed it elsewhere, and found Optik very good for all my fountain pens, from memory. Thanks for that!

[@RovexHD]

@@writerlywitterings Clairefontaine. Can easily vouch for them also.

[@bushcrafty7274]

I'm using a kenji notebook A7 cost £2. Works really well. No bleed or feathering, very faint shadow. Just the covers are Japanese inspired cartoonist.

[@writerlywitterings]

That sounds interesting. I'll have to look them up. Thanks!

[@helenj8471]

Those talks sound fascinating, are they going to be made available online for those of us 'oop north' that can't get to them?

[@writerlywitterings]

I'm really sorry, Helen - they are for the people coming to enjoy a week's tour around crime writers' locations around Devon, Cotswolds and London, and not recorded, I'm afraid. However, if you have a library, it may be worth asking them if they would invite me up to give a talk somewhat closer to you?

[@jcookie9448]

Thank you for doing these tests! That's super informative. I have recently been eyeing the Leuchttrum A4+ Master notebook. Its supposed to have 100gsm paper (instead of 80g). Have you tried it? A4 is definitely not for everyone, but I'm sure it would be an "experience" if anything. The reviews are mixed. Some say it performs worse than the 80g, and others claim it's better.

[@writerlywitterings]

First, many thanks for the compliments - they're really appreciated. As for the Leuchtturm A4, I'm afraid I haven't seen one of these yet. I personally love the brand in A5. The paper I find generally very good, I love the page numbering and the format of the book with chapters etc. However, having said that, If I was going to a larger format, I would very strongly recommend the Odyssey B5 notebook. I find it's slightly more convenient than A4 (even though it is very similar in size - it's just a little smaller, about 18x26cm, which makes it more portable in my bags). My version has two ribbon bookmarks, page numbering and the pages open nicely flat. If you're interested, you can see my review here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJ69moyiZ9Rpn8k Hope that helps!

[@jcookie9448]

@@writerlywitterings thank you so much! I have to try it. I'm new here but I love the format of your videos. I've so much trust issues when it comes to the gsm. Both for journaling and watercolor (any wet medium really). Regarding watercolor, I've 80gsm notebook paper that performs better than my 250gsm watercolor paper. Same when it comes to bleed through. I have to do some in-depth research at some point. I have never tried Tomoe river paper and look forward to try it (or the newer paper by "american company"), thank you for the recommendation!

[@writerlywitterings]

@@jcookie9448 My pleasure - and you will enjoy Tomoe River, but try the 68 gsm first. For my purposes it's rather better, because the 52gsm is so thin that it crinkles with a wet nib. It does dry out flat later, but the 68 feels better to me (personal taste!) and it is light enough for most uses.

[@chrischurm8821]

I do not understand the point of the Noodlers ink , if it is so dificult to use on most paper.

[@writerlywitterings]

My issue too. As well as the danger of getting it on clothes and ruining them!

[@fyfesandy3491]

I enjoy your channel a lot. With NaNoWriMo coming up - is there any advice you might shre with folk planning on taking the challenge? In addition, you tell us about other author's books, but which one of your books is the best "start here" for readers who have not come across your work your work before?

[@writerlywitterings]

I'll be planning my own book for November, and the simple approach is, make a list of the storylines you want in it. I'll be writing a crime novel, so I'll start with the characters, deciding who's going to die, and how, and then all the worst things that could happen to the characters in the story and putting them down in a timeline so that I always know where this story is going to go. And it won't, because that's the nature of writing. The characters will take over and make a mockery of my plot, but as least I can start out with a good idea of the flow, and that will make starting much easier. My books? Phew. I'd say Mad Monk of Gidleigh or Death Ship of Dartmouth would both be very good start points for crime that involves a bit more of a story and some humour! Many thanks, and I hope you enjoy the books - order from a bookshop, don't forget! Don't buy second hand. That just hurts a writer's sensibilities!

[@fyfesandy3491]

@@writerlywitterings Thank you for the reply. I bought a (new) copy of Death Ship of Dartmouth to read. I used th enew Paperblanks Flexis journal for NaNoWriMo. The Maxi was big enough to accommodate 50,000 words, and the paper is fountain pen friendly too.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Have you tried Australian roses? Gorgeous ink!

[@writerlywitterings]

No, I've never even heard of it! Who makes it?

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

writerlywitterings I’ve just been looking at the bottle and my old eyes can’t really make it out. Looks like Black Swan? It’s a gorgeous deep red/pink. Can’t really describe it, but it is a deep and rich color that is more on the pink side but it is dark enough to appeal to men as well as women;)

[@kandywestmoreland5164]

It’s by Noodler’s. It’s a shading ink for flex nibs. It’s so beautiful. Black Swan, Australian Roses. A very wet ink.

[@mellow-jello]

On the comments on Moleskine, their change to China operations, perhaps market share in China favours pens from Asia that tend towards fine, and extra fine, fountain pens, which perform fair on lower quality paper. Market-driven forces impact on fountain pens, not a new story, I guess.

[@writerlywitterings]

I would say you could be right, but then again the newest "professional" notebooks from Rhodia which I've recently got have been superb. It's the older notebooks from pre-Chinese ownership that were worst.

[@person8203]

bugs me why there isn't a notebook with slightly thicker paper that cuts most shadowing

[@writerlywitterings]

There are some - I'd thoroughly recommend William Hannah notebooks. I've reviewed one here on my channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poC2k2iigK6Zoas Very heavy, 120 gsm (I think) paper, and an absolute joy to writer on. No feathering, no bleed through and no shadowing whatsoever (so far). I can highly recommend the paper, and the pad covers are fabulous.

[@marka.200]

Side note: if you are ever worried about waterproof ink, be aware most premium paper like Tomoe and Rhodia has a coating that prevents the waterproof ink from staying truly waterproof. My information says Leuchtturn is the only major brand that's considered premium fountain pen paper that will respect the waterproof nature of the ink. That's not to say it's waterproof paper, I haven't tested it myself yet.

[@writerlywitterings]

Sadly, I can vouch for Midori Traveller's Notebook paper inserts, having managed to leave mine in a tent on a very rainy day, when a sudden gust uprooted my tent completely, so that everything inside was drenched. Including my Midori! It survived, although three pages were utterly illegible (non-waterproof ink). I think the moral of the tale is, assume all ink is fine unless you drop your notepad into a tub of water, in which case things may go wrong... or learn to use a pencil!

[@simonmichaeltanner]

Good point, although I find the coating on rhodia can be very unforgiving on certain pens, whereas tomoe seems to bring out the best in both nibs and inks. Must admit, the waterproof credentials of ink/paper don't influence me much. Maybe because I don't get much risk of rain-soaked notebooks in Sicily!

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes, I find a lot of Rhodia to be really unforgiving. It's that smooth coating, almost like glossy magazine paper. Ideal, I suppose for pencils and biros, but not really for fountain pens.

[@marka.200]

@@writerlywitterings I only have experience with the black cover Rhodia Dotpad in A5, supposed to be the same paper as other Rhodia but as you've demonstrated not all Rhodia paper is created equal. I'm happy with my Dotpad because I use it as a sort of scratch paper for tuning nibs and starting up pens that have been sitting too long, etc. But I've never quite understood the love affair so many fountain pen "enthusiasts" have with Rhodia. Mnemosyne is much better for less money, and I am guessing Leuchtturn is too (I'm trying some of that next). Though Tomoe River has some of the same coated paper issues as Rhodia, I find it is well worth it for all the other qualities (inks look and feel fantastic, the paper feels fantastic, etc.) but it's so darn expensive here in the States and seems limited in the choices on offer.

[@marka.200]

@@simonmichaeltanner Exactly so - how often are you sitting in the rain or on the deck of a ship in rough weather writing with your fountain pen? They make special paper and pens/pencils for that anyway. However, something that happens to me now and then that I didn't think about is when a pen malfunctions and blobs excess ink and I go to clean it up, and guess what? The ink is mostly water and removes anything I've written that it touched when I cleaned it up. Also, humidity dripping from my drink glass or maybe I just sat down after washing my hands and didn't notice I missed a spot. Not saying it's a big deal but sometimes I like the extra "security" of knowing I am writing with archival ink on paper that will keep what I wrote intact anything short of a fire.

[@thirdrockjul2224]

👍

[@writerlywitterings]

Sorry to take so long to respond - ill health and deadlines!

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I can’t find you on Twitter. It says your account has been suspended:(

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Nevermind! Spelled your name wrong! Silly me;)

[@writerlywitterings]

It's a very common thing with my name!

[@She-wolf3636]

I have five Noodler's inks and will probably buy more, but I'm terrified of the Baystate inks. LOL . No thanks.

[@writerlywitterings]

You aren't alone!

[@Richard_Barnes]

I hate Moleskine unless you are a biro lover. The paper is absolutely rubbish for any other writing method. Thx for the video 🙂👍🏻

[@writerlywitterings]

Absolutely right, Richard!

[@vicvic553]

what is your accent, kind of RP?

[@writerlywitterings]

My accent? Just ordinary English to mid-atlantic, I guess. Why?

[@vicvic553]

@@writerlywitterings I was just wondering, because it sounds so British for me, but is, in my opinion, clear to understand. I have heard some North British accent and they are nice, but hard to get..

[@richardlees5303]

you make Tim Burton look like an amateur. Well done.

[@writerlywitterings]

Now you're over-flattering me. Keep it up!

[@jam4441]

I think you got confused towards the end of this video and started calling Moleskine notebooks Rhodia notebooks. A little bit confusing.

[@writerlywitterings]

Sorry if that's the case - I'll have to review the video. Thanks for letting me know!

[@marka.200]

I think Moleskine is so popular because it's very high quality for everything EXCEPT fountain pens (not sure why I hear people pronounce it "mole-uh-SKEEN-uh", it bothers me I can't seem to learn the correct way, like Tomoe which is either "toe-moe" or "toe-MOE-ee" depending on who you ask). I did some water tests and it's actually very robust even if you get it soaking wet. But, yeah, awful for 98% of the fountain pen inks I've tried with Moleskine paper.

[@fyfesandy3491]

I find Moleskine works very well with "simple" fountain pen inks. Platinum blue or black, Parker Quink, Pelikan 4001 and MB mysterious black goes down well and does not feather quite so much, or bleed (much). Wetter inks - such as Waterman and Lamy instantly feathers or bleeds - and with Diamine it depends upon the colour. If folk want a journal to use a wide range of inks, then Moleskine is not great - but it is possible to use Moleskines with FP ink, as long as you restrict the range.

[@writerlywitterings]

For some reason KZbin has lost my reply to this, Mark, sorry! Yes, I think Moleskine is probably easier as "moleskin" - which is what I usually call it - but every now and then I get concerned I'm using the wrong pronunciation, and it always happens on film! Actually I've had problems even with a Moleskine pocket (A6 or so) sketchbook, which has lovely strong paper, but which I cannot use watercolour, because the water just runs straight off it, so the opposite to what is needed, and the opposite of the standard papers they use!

[@writerlywitterings]

Hmm. I have tried a lot of different inks in mine - not Diamine alone, by any means - and I've had consistent issues with all of them. However, it depends (I think) on the specific batch of paper used in your notebook, as well as the quality of ink, size of nib, etc. But I would always tend towards almost anything other than Moleskine now!

[@plan4life]

Jumps not jumped 😉

[@writerlywitterings]

Thanks!

[@TJAskren]

Kept saying Rhodia when reviewing Moleskine. Distracting and confusing.

[@writerlywitterings]

Sorry to hear that. No one else commented.

[@garylott4732]

Jumps rather than jumped....

[@writerlywitterings]

Nah, I prefer writing in the past tense!

[@garylott4732]

@@writerlywitterings LOL

[@richardlees5303]

and to add to your disappointment, Moleskine is no longer European but owned and produced in another part of the world.

[@writerlywitterings]

I had heard that, but where?

[@richardlees5303]

@@writerlywitterings China including ownership sadly. (No racism...just the fact)

[@writerlywitterings]

@@richardlees5303 Ugh. That is really sad - but all too consistent with everything else manufactured nowadays.

[@lenorebreen3394]

You are saying Rhodia when you should say Moleskin

[@writerlywitterings]

Sorry to take so long to respond - ill health and deadlines! Oops - didn't see where that was when I just looked but thanks.

[@TheMarioMan247]

For anyone seeing this, it's at the 9:58 mark.