Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Ruled, Black, Hard Cover (5 X 8.25)The Forest Stewardship Council

Great little note book. Lovely colour and good value for money. Perfect for every day notes.

Quality as expected

I was looking for a journal/notebook and arrived at a shortlist of two: this one and the Ciak large black notebook, so bought one of each. This is a comparative review of the two, which I hope you will find useful.The notebooks are very similar, both black, both the same height, but with the Ciak being about 15mm wider. They have about the same number of pages, but the paper in the Ciak is thicker and heavier, so the book is thicker, and weighs in at 481g compared to the Moleskine's 346g (on my kitchen scales). I have written in both of them with a fountain pen (fine nib) and found that, even with the thinner paper of the Moleskine, the writing surface is good and the ink does not bleed through to the other side of the paper. Both notebooks are lined, the lines being of a similar colour and thickness. However, the lines in the Moleskine extend to the edge of the paper so that they are visible down the edge of the book when it is shut, whereas the lines in the Ciak do not. The space between the lines is virtually identical, with the Moleskine squeezing in 31 lines per page to the Ciak's 30. The Moleskine has a stiff cover, whereas the Ciak's is soft and felxible. The Moleskine has its famous pocket at the back, which the Ciak does not. The Moleskine has a vertical elastic closure, whereas the Ciak has a horizontal one. Both have sturdy bindings, but I found the Moleskine easier to use because it opens wider and stays flat under my hand as I write. The Ciak resists being opened to the full 180 degrees, so is more of a struggle to use. Last but not least, on current prices the Moleskine is a fair bit cheaper, worth considering if you're going to get through a lot of them.Which is best? Depends on what you want. If you want something that is beautiful and sensuous, then the Ciak wins. The more practical among us would probably prefer the Moleskine. I've now got two notebooks with only a page used in each, so it will be a while before I need to buy another. I may change my mind in the meantime, but for now I think it will be Moleskine for me. So you may also wish to consider the Moleskine's pedigree as the notebook of choice of van Gogh, Hemingway, Picasso, Chatwin and Williams.

So mine (ordered via a seller called caboodle at the time) arrived with a scratch on the front, but that aside...Enjoying the tactile experience of writing in one from about a decade ago (came across it, it had pages left, started using it to use it up), liking the the yellowness/degree of off-whiteness of the paper (which I could find none other to compare with), the rounded edges, the lines that go the whole page width and no margins, and the relatively narrow line spacing (not that I always stick in or to them anyway), and with the online/packaging unable a 'touch to try before you buy' approach, I opted for the heavier price tag of a moleskine like the one I had been enjoying (A4 classic hardback black) compared to cheaper variants and to some other comparable premium options/brands.The paper is definitely thinner/lighter weight/less rigid -- not that it is especially thick in the decade old one, but the extra rigidness when turning the page is definitely preferable --; running your finger down both pages past and present, the older one has a slight raise where the lines are, which is absent in the present, and it slightly smoother -- maybe that's a perk for some, maybe their goal has been to create the smoothest thinnest page reasonably possible to serve many inks (some compromises for heavier inks etc), whilst I can't speak for the difference in performance for different inks and fountain pens, assuming that is constant, maybe the change is something they see as an improvement (rather than it being some cost-cutting thing), but for me I think I prefer the older one. It will serve, I'm sure. And perhaps I will forget the older one at some point to some degree in its use, and appreciate the extra smoothness (the smoothness of the old one being a quality to appreciate), but I don't think I will appreciate the extra lightness of the page.If I were to have a choice between the two I'd definitely pick the old one.Possibly I will explore other brand options in the interim for other tasks (premium and cheaper) to see if something pleases with ever so slightly more substance to the paper ready for when this new one needs replacing.I've given it a 4 as a 'benefit of the doubt' thing. Really it might turn out to be more 3.

Lovely little notebook. Very sturdy hardback cover with good quality paper inside.

Wonderful quality of paper and sleek design.There are cheaper options for notebooks that are good, but the feeling of this one in the hand makes the extra few quid worthwhile.

Great note book and even better quality

Great quality