Customer Reviews

Moleskine Ruled Notebook Pocket

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Moleskine Ruled Notebook
In the course of my working life I spent several years as a computer tech, and have consequently learned a healthy caution regarding the frailty of electronic devices. The Pocket Moleskine has been the most reliable PDA I've tried. Compact enough to fit in any pants pocket, the covers are stiff enough to provide a firm, stable writing surface even when standing and yet still pliable enough to be comfortable even in a back pocket. A previous reviewer said he expected a notebook "the size of a DVD case". Two points in response: how many DVD-case-sized pockets do you have, and why didn't you order the larger Moleskine? He also complained that he could only get one sentence on a page in his Moleskine. my own handwriting is of a normal size, and a quick check of my most-recently filled Moleskine shows an average of 130 words to the page.
The Moleskine is filled with good, smooth acid-free paper that can take a wide variety of inks without smearing, discoloring, or bleeding through. The expanding pocket is well-secured and can hold a surprising quantity of loose notes, receipts, business cards, etc. The books themselves are well constructed and durable; mine are exposed to hot, humid conditions and hold up to daily carry and use.
The other reviewer pointed out the price: certainly these are not 79-cent Office Max specials, but for the serious writer, or a person who must record important information through the course of a day and retain it legibly for more than a week, the price is worth it. One hint to extend the capacity of your Moleskine: use the bound pages for things you want to permanently record, and keep Post-It notes inside the covers to jot down quick memoranda. I use the Post-Its for such things as the titles of books or movies I want to research. (Think of the Post-Its as expandable memory for your PDA!)

Don't let the name fool you: this is the pocket-sized Moleskine, which is about 5.5 by 3.5 inches. If you're looking for something bigger, the "large" Moleskine, at approximately 8 by 5 inches, might be the one you want. (Updated 09/29/09: The item title now has the word "pocket" in it, so I'm thinking/hoping that the misunderstandings are pretty much over with.)

I currently own three of these pocket notebooks, having gotten my first one back in early 2005. Now don't get me wrong -- I adore Moleskines, but there are some things you should be aware of. The paper, for one, isn't that thick. I love it and I love the texture (and the color), but be warned that it might not take very well to certain pens, especially ones that have more liquidy ink, such as fountain pens.

The binding on two of mine have also become loose, with moderate use over a decent period of time. I usually write in pencil, so the bleeding through the paper is not an issue for me. This Moleskine would certainly get a 5/5 from me if the binding could just hold up. Instead, the threads are loose, and my pages are coming out. Maybe I got some defective ones -- I don't know. But I bought them separately and at different times. I can't tell you much more than that, so you decide for yourself.

I first encountered Moleskine notebooks in a bookstore in London this spring, and what lodged in my memory was their marketing claim to be "the legendary notebook of Hemingway," et cetera. I have since learned from various sources that those claims may be a touch exaggerated. But now that I own one myself and am starting to make daily use of it, I'm beginning to see, at least, why Moleskine notebooks have so many fans.

For more than ten years, I've used a calendar/day planner/all-your-information-in-one-place system that isn't just a notebook but has an entire philosophy about how you're supposed to live your life tied into it. I never bought into that aspect of the company, but have grown used to having one reference containing all that stuff between two covers, and with a place for a pen besides. Going from that to a Moleskine, with its one small pocket in the back and no place to put a writing instrument, is definitely a switch. It's the part of the change I'm least sure about. On the other hand, the Moleskine definitely wins for portability, ease of use, style, and handiness-to-have-around in case of brainstorms.

So I'm still not completely sold that this is the best of all possible notebooks. But it's definitely a good one, and I do appreciate both the attractiveness of the design and the quality of the construction. Sure, you can get a serviceable notebook for about a tenth of the price, and a whole "lifestyle system," updated annually, for quite a bit more. It's all a matter of taste, and my taste is starting to run in this direction.

I beat the hell out of everything I own. My PDA which this has partially replaced has an aluminum hardshell case and a metal body. I have broken just every watch I have ever owned (and I have/had a few excellent watches). I am naturally hard on things due to my focus on life not on my gear. This little notebook has kept itself together so far, while looking very hip.

I am a software engineer/project manager and am cognisant of my technological options, this is just faster, lighter and thinner than my PDA for scribbling notes. I am never without it in the office.

The back folio pocket and the elastic strap looked dumb when I first bought it. However, I use the folio pocket for receipts to be reimmbursed (better than leaving them in a pocket to be washed or thrown out)and the elastic strap serves double duty as a second bookmark and to keep the notebook together (keeping it closed helps it survive).

I like the construction and archival quality of the book. My notes look more like those of a disorganized madman than a manager (I am starting to wonder if they are synonomous) but if I ever have to refer back to them I can be assured that they will be there for a long time.

It only received 4 stars because they are [...] a piece and at my current scrawling rate, I will probably need about 4 or 5 a year. Just get your company to pay for it if you can, because they are notebooks that you can rely on to be there for a long while.

Lastly: For the person who likes their Montblanc notebook with tear out pages, they are partially missing the point. These books are for archiving and keeping records (of questionable usefulness in my case) not for making quick throw away notes. I also highly doubt that their notebook is as thin as one of these is either. Each have their own place.

I have always scoured the blank journals, diaries, notebooks, etc. for just the "right one", and after many that did suffice very well for their purpose -- I never leave home without my Moleskine. My Palm Pilot has been completely relegated to being nothing more than an electronic pocket map if I am traveling to some new place. Once again, all of my "data" is handwritten. These little notebooks each in their turn have been my "portable brain", and you really have to make a keen effort to fill them up because the pages go on and on. Grocery lists, phone numbers, addresses, mid-transit reminders of what I need to journal when I return home, journal entries when I am traveling, ISBN's of books to put on my wish list, business cards in the back pocket, etc. Less than a month after I purchased my first pocket Moleskine, I purchased a large one to replace my daily journal.

Don't let the smooth cover fool you. These little buggers can handle a serious beating. Mine get thrown in my purse, in coat pockets, jammed in my laptop case, tossed around the car, and plenty else without getting damaged. One sturdy little elastic strap keeps it all in good order and the pages are stitched rather than glued, so you have to consciously tear them out because they'll never fall out on their own.

Retire your PDA. Buy a Moleskine. (or three)

Dear Artist friend or business person,

It's been nearly 4 years 8 months since I stumbled across these neatly packaged notebooks by Moleskine.

The ruled ones are great for journaling in especially if you are a hands-on person that still loves the idea of preserving the past in a manual way. You know I mean with out using a computer. Or computerized hand held technology or a digital recording device.

Don't get me wrong I have devices like this but somedays you just want to go back. Back to the times when life was simple and things moved slower...you know Old School technology i.e., (pencil/pen and paper). If you're into doing that and prefer keeping track of the notes you take at seminars or notes you take of your daily life then this is a great little book for you. Why? Because great ideas should be protected.

The truth is that I have purchased quite a few of these as I try to keep the pace of journaling everyday. The reason why I enjoy putting my notes in this book is because they're not bulky or hard to carry. I also love the elegantly classic construction because they're really put together well.

They really are well constructed:


EXTERIOR---

Smooth-Elegantly Black leather like exterior

Durable-against spills or rain (but this should not be abused)


INTERIOR---

High-quality paper (great for archival purposes and storage)



Binding and pages are well put together. I have not lost one single page due to the spine breaking and pages falling out. The ones I have are not glued into the spine.

So if journaling were an Olympic event and I was one of the judges I'd give Moleskine Ruled Notebooks a "Gold Medal" for all the great notebooks they've put together because the construct is superior. By the way Hemingway used them a lot and if a great writer like Hemingway used them who am I to argue. They were good enough for storing his great written works. So I've given up putting my ideas on writing pads or sticky notes. Remember everything is not for everybody...especially the best stuff. Most people find out about it when it's to late. I'm trying to share with you an insiders secret.

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE

I bought the 3.5 x 5.5 ruled pocket version. By my standards, the best notebook I've ever used. The perfect size for my jacket or pocket. Acid free paper for long-term archival storage of my notes. Good to use an acid free ink for even longer storage (gel ink pens do not work well with the Moleskine's paper though). Looks professional, and I get a lot of nice comments about it. Much easier to use than turning on my PDA and slowly typing in notes with my thumbs. I also really like the fact that it will open completely flat on a table for easier note writing and reading. When this one is full, I plan to buy another. Price is higher than most, but with this Moleskine, you pay for the quality.

I have just one thing to say about my Moleskine nootbook that isn't praise. It's really not as durable as it seems. The spine of the book has a tendency to separate from the pages, right where the cover and the first page are glued together. Don't carry 'em in your pockets or they will be destroyed.

It seems everyone still needs the occasional little booklet to scribe notes into, even with all the pdas and cellphones. I ordered this to use in my clinical rotations. Very handy. I'd recommend the hard bound one, just because I've read the soft bound one's pages don't like to stay in place. I got it in red to stand out from everyone else's. Pages are nice to write on.

My Electric Blue Fisher Bullet and my Moleskine Notebook: two tools that never leave my presence. As one reviewer has already said, I too hope to be buried with my Moleskine in my back pocket. How to review something you live in?

My brother gave me one of these notebooks as a Christmas present two years ago. I have gone through several since. One accompanied me to Yellowstone; another keeps all my notes on the small group of kids I work with at Church (it is the Orange Van Gogh edition--since we are the "Orange Group").

I cannot say enough in praise of these little notebooks. They are tough and durable. They are the perfect size as far as I am concerned and (except for the Van Gogh editions) come with the ever-useful ribbon marker.

Moleskine Notebooks get my highest recommendation. Get one today!