Notebook Review: Rhodia vs Leuchtturm

A lot of new bullet journalists and notebook lovers want to know what notebooks are the best - well, there are many comparisons of the Moleskine and Leuchtturm 1917 so I thought I'd throw in my comparison of the Rhodia and Leuchtturm. Which is your favorite? What seals the deal for you?
Check out my review of the Rhodia Softcover here: • Notebook Review: Rhodi...
If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe!
--------------------------
Supplies featured:
Leuchtturm 1917: amzn.to/29ouAAV
Rhodia Webnotebook: amzn.to/29ySW9V
-------------------
Let's be friends!
Blog: www.prettyprintsandpaper.com
Facebook: prettyprintsandpaper
Twitter: PPrintsAndPaper
Periscope: www.periscope.tv/PrettyPrintsandPaper
--------------------
These are affiliate links in this post, meaning if you buy something I'll make a small commission at NO additional cost to you - to go back into supporting my work. Thanks for your support!

[@robp.7769]

Both are excellent choices. I've found that I prefer the Leuchtturm for journaling as it takes fountain pen ink well but the ink still dries relatively rapidly. One of the reasons you see so little show through on the Rhodia is that the paper is very ink resistant, meaning most of the inks sits on top of the page rather than absorbing into the paper fibers. That's great if you are looking for maximum ink color and low ghosting but the 30+ second dry times and the tendency of super saturated inks (like Noodler's) to smear makes jotting notes quickly/turning pages a no no unless you have a sheet of blotting paper.

[@maryriley6163]

I'm 70 years old and have given up things like base jumping and crocodile wrestling (just kidding) for pleasant pastimes like sitting by an open window journaling. I have been a Leuchtturm fan for some time. I just tried the orange Rhodia ruled notebook with my fountain pens and even my Pilot Mets with fine nibs glide over the Rhodia notebook paper like butter. On the Leuchtturm there was quit a bit of feedback with the fine nibs which I did not realize might be due in part to the Leuchtturm paper. I'm almost finished in the present Leuchtturm 1917 and will begin journaling in the Rhodia soon. As an artist I've always been a paper junkie and now I think I have found the journal of my dreams.

[@webarnesca]

One thing I seldom see mentioned is drying time. I have a Clairefontaine notebook (same paper as Rhodia) and a Leuchtturm right now. I seldom write in the Clairefontaine with a fountain pen because the ink gets transferred to the opposite page. For me, the show through is an acceptable trade off because I take quick notes throughout the day and don't want to wait thirty seconds or a minute before closing the book.

[@howtodrawandcolor1657]

i thought clairefontaine paper came only in regular white, the rhoda paper is cream

[@nicholasadams1283]

Yes. Dry time critical for me. Tomoe River, for example, takes an age. Not for me. On Leuchtturm, I write on one side only. I save the “back” for brief notes/post it comments on its facing page. Works well. Thank you!

[@blufaerie]

Lol @ "There I said it!" I'm still in my Moleskine, and halfway through! I've been eyeing the Rhodia because of the paper. This was a great review!

[@sparklefulpaladin]

Thank you for the great review! I'm glad I'm not the only one who wasn't impressed with Moleskine. Every pen I got ghosted badly on it and some of the sheets even fell out. For the Rhodia, my biggest concern would be how fast the ink dries, which is tricky as a left-handed fountain pen user.

[@HelenColebrook]

Thanks Jessica, great review. I have just moved to the Rhodia soft cover and love the choice of colours. By far the biggest selling point for me though was the quality of the paper, it feels like silk to write on, my pens glide beautifully and no ghosting on the other side. I tried some watercolour on the back pages and it does wrinkle the paper and show through a bit, but I expected that. I have a few pages left in my Leuchtturm, but think I will then be Rhodia all the way! Thanks again :)

[@lizvanwessem2055]

If you hate ghosting, you might want to look at the Nuua range - Bureau Direct do them as well. Bit more expensive, £25 range, but GSM is much higher, so better if you're working with arty stuff (which I don't really do). But thanks for the comparison, I have a big A4 sheet of Rhodia dot grid that I love, and have been dithering over the two for a while but I love the page numbering of the LT, and I think I'm going to stick with the LT for that reason (ghosting doesn't bother me too much). thanks!!

[@jungroe94]

Thanks for the informative review. I found it very helpful with the detail you provided about each notebook for comparison.

[@robing7517]

I absolutely adore the Rhodia paper but I like the setup of the LT1917 better. So I'll stick with my LT1917 for now. Thanks for doing this video!!

[@winterrain1947]

I'm wondering how these hold up with the ghosting after a few years.

[@solascripturamjc9681]

I totally get it- the C Fontaine paper is so smooth and creamy soft. All of the details you included about what a person is looking for, etc was very helpful. Thank you for the video review. Think your cat should make a cameo in the next one. :)

[@invitalres]

introduce your cat! I care a great deal what she thinks of the notebooks!

[@fyeahitsnagi]

Thanks for the video! I'm trying to get back into journaling and I didn't know there are more options out there than what I see on my local stores. Ghosting is a deal breaker for me so with this video I now have my answer which has less of it!

[@ritamcgregor9103]

Besides Rhodia, I love Quo Vadis Habanas for good quality paper. The Habana a little larger, lies flat. comes in some colors, but is a little more expensive. Funny, I only use fountain pens in those for my daily writing journaling. I love the Leuchtturm for my un-glamorized, practical, simple bullet, but have only used Frixion erasable pens in my bullet (because I make plenty of mistakes, like to color code, and also need to be able to move things around). Now you make me want to see how they are with my fountain pens. :)

[@simplyparticular]

Quo Vadis' Habana line also uses Clairefontaine paper, but the darker ivory not the white. I don't think they offer the options like other brands (only lined and blank - no grid or dot grid), but similar features like the elastic band, colored covers, bookmark, etc. I've got two of the A6i size - they're cute. I'm a sucker for the cute pocket journals.

[@ritamcgregor9103]

What I love about the Quo Vadis Habana is that I am using it for writing and it has a thinner line width than a lot of them do (which I prefer) so I can buy the lined and not have to buy blank and use a writing guide. And I can use just about any fountain pen and ink combination so far without any bleed through and not bad shadowing at all--but, in full disclosure, I do prefer fine nibs. :) Clairefontaine paper is really good like Rhodia.

[@charlottek8166]

I'm looking around for my first bullet journal and wasn't really sure what to buy, but this review helped me a lot! I realized you mentioned ghosting with a fountain pen for the leuchtturm, but I won't be using one. I'll probably be using a normal G2 pen or ballpoint pen. Does it do the same for those pens too?

[@MamaTomasu]

unrelated: my cat's name was Toby, too :D

[@gemmaf_]

I have a gridded Peter Pauper Press essentials which I love. Great quality paper and reasonable price. Think it has a similar number of pages as the leuchtturm and it's pages are fairly white. Saying that I have a Rhodia, 2 Leuchtturms and another PPP in my next journal stash :-p

[@pgc-68]

Great review. Very helpful. Thank you.

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

So glad this was helpful!!

[@cindylee5593]

What India Ink do you use; it looks really beautiful in your journal?

[@darleneurso5928]

Great comparison. Thank you.

[@annastrikovski6284]

I had the same problem with my leuchtturm!! I ditched it and I went straight to a moleskin and I had the same problem. I began to think that it was my pens. At the time I was using steatdler fineliners but now I use Stabilo pens. The stabilo pens are so much better!!

[@StudioBAS]

I've never seen the hardbound Rhodia notebook! I really like their paper, is it the same as the other dot grid pads? I really like the Rhodia dot grid paper with the flip back cover!

[@CalmVibesVee]

Jessica // Pretty Prints & Paper thanks for the Rhoda review. Definitely interested. What seals the deal for me? Price, no ghosting, light dot grid. I have a $6 notebook from Walmart that I like because of no ghosting (thick paper) but no dot grid. So I'm gonna check this out. Again thank you, keep smiling & writing positive words. : )

[@metamod.1880]

Does the Rhodia notebook have a back pocket?

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

Wow I need to turn on emails for comments! Yes, they do!

[@PandoraBear357]

Have you tried Archer and Olive? It has 160 gsm paper. I think Leuchtturm 1917 is best for people who don't use a lot of different mediums and don't do a ton doodles and drawings with various types of inks. It also does better with water based brush pens like Tombows than anything water-fast which is great for some but not all of us. I like to use alcohol based markers and permanent pigment inks, because I like not worrying about colors bleeding if my pages get wet(accidental water spillage, sudden rain, wanting to lay another color over the top of a color wash without everything blending together), and learned quickly those types of inks tend to bleed through with the Leuchtturm paper. So far my Archer and Olive is my favorite. The paper is thick and sturdy enough to handle more permanent inks and more washes of color without ghosting or bleed through.

[@bubsbubsoohlalaa]

hi!!! i actually went to search about archer and olive which you recommended and i really love their designs!! but there aren't much reviews about it so i was just wondering whether have you used it before and if you do, can you share whether is archer and olive notebooks good for watercolours and markers etc. like with regards to ghosting or bleed through?? and also are the pages fairly white too?? (: would really appreciate it alot!!!

[@howtodrawandcolor1657]

i like the moleskin but i also use other notebooks in my channel

[@Evzen.]

I’m using a Moleskine for journaling right now, and I like it, but the pen ghosts so much. I might get a Rhodesia instead. Thank you for making this video😊

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

Rhodia is LIFE CHANGING.

[@MichaelRozie]

Rhodia is better for fountain pens. Though I wish they used the same papier they have in the pads You should try Oxford paper it is great

[@ShayGatti]

My leuchtturm ghosts badly as well...hence why I'm looking for a different brand 😝

[@carloscovarrubias]

How much is this Rodia note book USD? Does it scan well or photo well for bed scanner or Evernote?. I just got my iPad pad and I am exploring Rodia type notebooks - great review

[@TheBlackMartyMcFly]

Is your rhodea grid? I can't find one with blank pages

[@calypsopiter]

It's incredible how much leuchtturm1917 ghosts to another side. And people praise it do much, intetesting. BTW 7:23 the header 😁

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

honestly the classic Leuchtturm is hard for me to understand LOL some people really love the ghosting though!

[@kax38]

How do both go about with Schmidt Easy flow 9000 M ink? Has anyone tried? :)

[@sianups2]

So helpful! Thank you :)

[@dennbauer]

Which one had the darker dots?

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

Great question - I'd say LT's have a SLIGHTLY lighter dot, but not by much!

[@Halliebear3]

what is ghosting?

[@hpwan2]

I click "like" button after I heard you said you don't like Moleskine..

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

UM why arent MORE people talking about that!!!

[@hpwan2]

@@PrettyPrintsPaper I bought one Moleskine, never gonna buy another - very fountain-unfriendly... I guess Moleskine is more for pencils..

[@claraabelha]

I still loving Moleskine 😂

[@Kavelinox]

I was very disappointed by the Rhodia. The Rhodia has very badly aged. He lost pieces. I made a video if you want to watch.

[@PrettyPrintsPaper]

Interesting, what do you mean by badly aged?

[@bricewillmann9809]

Pretty Prints & Paper I mean that after two years, it's as if the notebook was already 20 years old 😕