Customer Reviews

Moleskine Plain Notebook Large

5 star:		(177)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've been journaling ever since I was a pimply-faced teenager, and now I'm 31. In that time, I've used all varieties of notebooks, and filled them all. I came across the Moleskine brand a few years ago, and now I won't use anything else. The large ruled notebook is sturdy, of excellent construction, holds I think 265 pages, and the pages will not fall out. This notebook is best for writers and diarists.

I wouldn't use this book for school because, first of all, it is expensive. Second of all, it's a bit of overkill. I doubt you'll take a class in which you'll have time to fill up this notebook. You'll be more organized in a class if you buy a simple lab book or composition book to take notes in for each class.

I know a lot of people who try to write in jounals. They buy them with the best intentions, write a couple of pages, and then seem to forget about them and eventually buy ANOTHER journal, in which they will write a few pages and forget about. The key is just to keep the SAME journal, to keep in it in the same safe place, and to write in it whenever you feel like it, even if months go by without you touching it. If someone buys you another journal, fill up the first one first, and then move on to the new one. You can learn from my experience and start with the best, which is Moleskine. Otherwise . . . do whatever you want. The main thing is just to have something to write in.

I've also used all variety of pens. My choice is the Pilot Precise V5. Every now and then you'll get a bum one, that you've just got to throw away because it's not writing smoothly or properly. But, for the most part, these are the best choice for journaling and writing. They are fine point. They last longer than gel ink. They require no pressure whatsoever to be placed on the tip, as ball-point pens do, and they don't smear.

Are these journals a Five, or a Three?

These journals are truly something special. With the nice, firm cover; lots of pages; a pocket; and elastic to keep them shut, they offer a ton of function for compulsive scribblers.

But...they demand a little flexibility from the journalist in return. They don't handle all inks well, and in particular they handle very few fountain pen inks without significant bleed-through.

So if one commits to a Moleskine journal, one commits to a pen/ink combination that won't bleed--opening up both sides of the paper--or one resigns oneself to wasting the back half of each page.

For those willing to do a little research, though, the pen/ink combinations are out there (fountain pen users should look up Noodler's Black; for Gel roller users, Pilot's G2 refills also work splendidly with Moleskine).

If you want a solid, utilitarian journal, it's tough to beat these, especially at a reasonable price--but the bleeding pages will require adjustments. It's up to you.

I've heard these books are wonderful. I take a lot of notes at my job. Having struggled with wire bound books (the bindings getting bent or snagging clothing) and being teased about being too old to use composition books, these notebooks are a joy to use. The attached ribbon bookmark and elastic band close have come in handy to use. The paper is smooth and a heavier weight than other notebooks. The paper is also a cream colored so there is no glare when writing in bright sunlight. The book is tough enough to be out on the job but professional looking enough for meetings. Love this book! I'm planning to buy more and have the covers laser-etched to give out as gifts.

Okay. I admit it. I fell for the hype. Not so much the company line ("this book used by famous artists, and writers" blah blah blah)... but the beautiful exterior, clean professional design, and... naively... assumed that for twelve bucks, I was getting something nice.

Well... yes and no.

They're "okay". Everything I thought was special about them is true. They really look like something a professional would use. They look like something you could proudly use to write in while your sipping a latte at Starbucks. They have a look that makes people ask you what you're writing in, and where you got it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver on the aspect that I took for granted. The paper.

I'd read some reviews that said the paper was cheap, and that it wasn't good for artists. I... equally naively... disregarded those opinions, because I couldn't believe that such a nice (and expensive) product would go cheap on the most important part of a notebook. The part you write/draw on.

I've tried gel pens, felt pens, ball-point pens, liquid ink pens... they all cause problems. Gel pens, and liquid ink pens smudge too much to be of any use (great for artists, eh?). Ball point pens are just cheap, ugly, and work poorly, and felt-tip pens look nice, and dry quickly enough, but bleed straight through to the other side, forcing you to only write on one side of each page. Certainly not what a journal writer, or novelist would prefer.

If there is a form of pen that writes on these things satisfactorily, I've honestly not found it.

I wanted to love the Moleskine. I love the story (I didn't believe the story about Picasso, Hemingway, or Chatwin, but it is a compelling one). I love the design. I love the binding. I love the elastic strap. I love the bookmark. I love everything about them except for the paper.

It'd be like buying a Ferrari, and finding out someone replaced the engine with that of a Pinto. It looks great. Its a conversation starter. You might impress some people. Yet in the end, it just isn't satisfying to use.

Honestly, the paper in a ninety nine cent composition book is better.

I'll be looking elsewhere from now on.

I can't decide whether I bought this notebook despite the hype or because of it. But I do know that when I have a Moleskine notebook with me, I actually write. That is reason enough for me to be a loyal customer. No more journals started, then abandoned, and no more ideas forgotten because I didn't write them down right away.
I suspect that it really is despite the hype that I love it. Here's why:
* As I said, I actually use it.
* Delightfully smooth paper.
* Nice thin lines.
* A variety of styles.
* Pocket in back keeps little things; in my case, it's often fortune cookie fortunes.
* Elastic keeps the paper clean.
* Holds up well in my pocket or bag.
* Did I mention the delightfully smooth paper, with the nice thin lines?
This is the first notebook that I've really been able to carry with me, and that makes all the difference as far as writing is concerned.

I became interested in the Moleskines from reading (all of) Bruce Chatwin's books. I use the small Cahiers (pocket notes, ever-ready for jotting and aide de memoire for everything); the large, plain notebooks - the perfect journal, cannot be beaten; and the extra-large, square-ruled Cahiers for working on guitar designs, design ideas, construction ideas, floor plans, mechanism sketches, etc., etc.: they are my design journals.

This large notebook opens flat, the binding doesn't break, the covers are tough without being too heavy (for carrying), the elastic closure and page marker are very handy, especially the elastic. The weight of the paper is nice and its quality is wonderful: absolutely uniform. The pages feel good in your hand; writing on them is smooth and even - effortless. The size is just right, enough pages but still very compact. (The cahiers are perfect for your pocket.) Very tough and well-made. Just a joy to use. The Moleskines are a bit more expensive than cheaper options; but they are well worth it -- for anything that you intend to retain for a long time (why else write a journal?)

The feel, the sense of perfection, the knowledge of picking up and using the PERFECT TOOL for the job are intangibles that quietly enrich life. (Not to mention the feeling of touching history.) It's like the the perfect chef's knife in the kitchen or a perfectly-balanced razor-sharp chisel effortlessly peeling away wood. They are beautifully, simply elegant in their perfection.

Perfect comes up a lot in this review. There it is!

I've used several of these, and the paper quality is very uneven in the way it reacts to fountain pen inks. One works just great: on the next the ink might feather badly, or bleed right through, especially when I use a thick nib.

If you're a ballpoint user, this notebook is great. If, like me, you prefer a fountain pen, I recommend Clairefontaine or Exacompta journals -- Clairefontaine even make one with unruled pages.

There's a lot of good to be said about the notebook, and Moleskine deserve credit for reviving this design which had nearly disappeared. The hard cover. . . the elastic band. . . the cloth bookmark. . . the ivory paper. . . the rounded corners. . . It's all good. I might quibble that the ruled lines are spaced a bit narrowly for my handwriting. It's good with a EF nib pen, and it fits a few more lines on each page, but it's a wee bit cramped compared with my normal handwriting.

What really ruins it for me is the paper quality. I've heard it varies from one batch to the next, and it sure seems like I got one of the bad ones. I found many combinations of fountain pens and ink are prone to ugly feathering and bleeding in it. With many of them it's impractical to write on both sides of the sheet, which basically cuts the notebook in half from what it should be. TO BE FAIR, I found I could tame it by choosing the right ink (Noodlers Black) and using a not-too-wet fountain pen. Indeed, I would be willing to take this extra effort to adapt to this notebook's quirks if there were no better alternatives out there.

Recently, though, other companies such as Quo Vadis and Rhodia have come up with their own moleskine-style notebooks featuring high-quality paper. They cost a bit more, but I figure this type of notebook is a premium product to begin with. In the future I'll give Moleskine a miss and spend a little more for a better notebook. (Being able to write with confidence on both sides of the page means I could actually come out ahead on cost too.)

Fits perfectly well in the backpocket. Good for jutting down itinerary, random thoughts, comments on place, reminders, even good quotes from a book or movie. Best also to paste small tickets, pics, clippings as well to remember the travels/days/places by.

Gives sense of accomplishment when youve filled-up the entire notebook.

Negative: not for signpen. writing will show on the opposite page. Expensive, a bit of price reduction can help.

[AMAZON should remove the "imitation leather" comment. "Moleskine" hard or softcover tag is enough.)

Simply a blank book. Cover is bound in leather (it looks like) is incredibly durable with thick, high quality paper, high quality binding, with a tasteful black elastic band for holding it shut and a somber dark violet marker ribbon attached.

This is perfect for a student, it fits in my pants pocket or a small pocket on my messenger bag perfectly! I have absolutely no doubt that if I don't abuse it, this Moleskine will be in good condition decades from now. These things are built to last.

The only minor issue I have is the marker ribbon tends to fray, it would seem. Not that much of an issue, I'll just run a hot glue gun over the end of the ribbon.

I would strongly recommend buying one if your looking for a place to put your thoughts, although if you journal more seriously then I do (I just like jotting down my thoughts occasionally) you may want to upgrade to the "Large" for ease of writing and to have more sheets. Journaling daily in this thing would be a pain. This is more sized for writing down thoughts as they strike you, not multi-page daily reflections. If you want to do that, get the larger size.

Again, I LOVE this thing!