LEUCHTTURM1917363335 Notebook Medium (A5), Hardcover, 251 Numbered Pages, Stone Blue, Lined

I’ve tried Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917, and Midori over the past 10 years (in that order) but I’ve settled on L1917 because it hits just the right balance for aesthetics, durability and feel. It takes more of a beating than Moleskine—the hardcover binding on my old Leuchtturms have held up better than their Moleskine counterparts. Midori probably has the best paper quality of the three, and Moleskine wins on style, but this is the overall winner. If selecting notebooks were like choosing starters in Pokémon Blue, I’d like to think it’s the Bulbasaur of the group.

It does the job and is as described. I appreciate the grid style and the page numbers + content page. The color is my favorite! A cobalt purple blue. Other than that, there’s nothing special. The pages bleed through with markers which is disappointing. The notebook also came damaged, which is too bad and unsatisfying.

HIGHLIGHTS:-More cost, Much Better Quality, this is a difference in build quality is similar to that between a Mercedes “S” class sedan and a Fiat.-More color choices in cover-Exceeds Moleskine in construction and uses heavyweight paper making it far less likely to “bleed” with UniBall or fountain nibs or any other “wet” pen.-Serialized pages – perfect with those that may need to rely on notes as a “record”-Double ribbon markers-Has the pocket that has defined this style since it popped up in France in the late 19th century. (No – Moleskine didn’t create that…)-FSC Certified as MIXED paper for sustainability purposes.This is probably going to be one of my larger reviews and it’s based on mainly setting the record straight between what’s “marketing” and what’s reality in something that has spawned a lifestyle brand that’s good but has a ton of fluff and a product that is marginally more expensive than Moleskine (lifestyle brand) and LEUCHTTURM1917 which is a long life, well-engineered, archival quality, long term notebook suitable for records and journals with higher ink resilience.I’ve always liked good paper, I’m a fan of Crane & Co, but their offerings have reduced. LEUCHTTURM1917 was a business stationary supplier in Germany for over 100 years and began global marketing of professional notebooks more recently in their history. Their paper is also high quality and well made. Moleskine, whom I don’t hate or even dislike but do feel the quality has slipped, is also good – this is just better.I’ll highlight the differences in the Market, functional differences in brands, when “cheap” may be just fine, why I switched to this brand a few years ago over Moleskine when their build changed, and a few other key points.MODERN PRODUCT HISTORYThe hard or oilskinned (Traditional Moleskine notebook design that Moleskine the maker relies on for it’s marketing) bound notebook with a ribbon, pocket, and elastic closure, goes back to the 19th Century and is attributed first to French makers. Moleskine the company didn’t exist then, and it’s more of a design than a brand going back more than100 years.They are available (and have been over time) as blank, lined, grid, special purpose, and other features such as numbered (serialized) pages. Many have slightly off-white paper, not as pinkish as the Financial Times newspaper but still a bit muted leading to them being easier to focus on in bright light without eye fatigue.MARKET CHOICES:Premium Market: LEUCHTTURM1917 & Moleskine though there are othersBudget Market: Various from Amazon basics to several pages of options on AmazonFUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE IN BRANDSPREMIUM MARKET PRODUCTS (LEUCHTTURM1917 V. MOLESKINE)LEUCHTTURM1917’s paper is thicker, the books are better made, and they tend to lie flat for life unless you “pocket” it and eventually bend the cover. Moleskine has various cover options from hard to more flexible.Generally, I’ve found their hard cover’s to lay reasonably flat but at times they’ll bow faster than LEUCHTTURM1917’s. Moleskine’s paper is thinner, meaning they are more suited to ballpoint or pencil where LEUCHTTURM1917’s is thicker and suited to a wide variety of pens. (I’ve used a fountain tip on them without issue providing the ink dries before you close it.)Finally, LEUCHTTURM1917 uses a double ribbon marker, has serialized pages, more cover colors, and better build making it easy for me to carry a couple for different uses and easily grab the right notebook, and mark “sections” where key info is.Both use quality paper, though the archival values of LEUCHTTURM1917 may exceed others. (Note – when I’ve packed these into really bad environments, such as weather and more time out than in, I keep them in a Ziploc bag regardless of brand and LEUCHTTURM1917 does produce a water-resistant paper. (Which I’ll skip – that’s a whole different thing)BUDGET MARKET:If you’re a project manager and use ballpoint and likely won’t need to go back to a used book much after a year or two (or project end) then it doesn’t make much difference. The paper is generally thinner, quality a bit lower, but all in all they’ll work. If you are in college and not financially independent, it might be a better option. (Note – some really “budget” ones are so thin that anything except pencil seems to bleed so…)I used to keep separate bound notebooks for key projects (things lasting more than months when working someplace where laptops were unwelcome in conference rooms). Amazon Basics and some other budget options are functional, but with thinner paper. Some so thin the bleed with any pen badly. If it doesn’t really matter for long term retention then I’d not waste money on something I’m keeping under five years.WHEN IS LEUCHTTURM1917 A CLEAR CHOICE?You have a thing for the feel of paper and using it – in this case I’d go with LEUCHTTURM1917 (Note – the name is Lighthouse in German) or Moleskine but check the paper weight with Moleskine – it’s not uniform. The first time I got one of these notebooks I was working in Frankfurt and maxed out my Moleskine – they had these so that’s what I got. Haven’t gone back for my key notebooks.If you like to change pens or use a pen that tends to be a bit “wet” on paper when writing, then LEUCHTTURM1917 is a clear leader above Moleskine and any “budget” book I’ve seen.I keep one or more of these that I need “numbered” pages in. While some have tear outs in the back, the bulk is sewn and clear if a page goes missing. I find this better if I might need to use the notebook for reliance or for noting “key notes” I know I’ll need in the future and where I want the one’s I took contemporaneously as well as my “final notes” usually drafted in Word or OneNote. (It’s the specific reason this purchase was a LEUCHTTURM1917 and not Moleskine or generic. I found generics with numbers but didn’t like them.)LEUCHTTURM1917 also has a wide variety of colors. Some of these are great if you like to add color and accessorize to the max. In my case it lets me look in a bag and tell the difference visually between two notebooks. For my key notebook for important notes, I build out a reference in the back 10-15 pages with key info I need such as key airport codes, message formats, response checklists for cyber events. It enables me to be consistent even when I’m woken out of bed at 2 AM… Black tends to be my most common color – basic works sometimes.MARKETING HISTORY & SILLINESSIn the premium paper market, in the US, many first noticed these in various sizes when Mondo & Mondo did a reintroduction in 1997. They produced bound notebooks in various sizes with covers closer to the classic “Moleskine” cover that was sold by a Parisian firm that went out of business. A British travel writer lamented the loss of that brand in the 1970’s I believe, about 20 years before the reboot.They were a small bound notebook with rounded corners and a oilskin cover that was a bit flexible making them perfect for a writers field coat. The name came from the feel of the cover more than a product name or marketing point. The assertion that it’s the notebook of Picasso or other artists is not dissimilar to saying a Amazon Basics Legal Pad is the legal pad of luminaries such as Marshall and Brandeis.More than likely, historically, artists and writers in late 19th century Europe and elsewhere bought the notebook at the local stationary purveyor as “national” brands of notebooks were likely less common though in some places there where “Chartered” brands such as one’s in the UK like De La Ru that hold the warrant from the Crown until the mid 20th century – now they are chiefly involved in financial paper, banknotes, and high security documents. Point being, if you are buying it because someone told you it’s Picasso’s notebook you may wish to rethink it as any of these of this style would have been contemporary to the period absent differences in manufacturing.At the end of the day if summarizing your notes in paper that feels real, can take virtually any pen you can come up with, looks good and is durable, it’s not the cheapest but best I’ve used.

This is my 3rd Leuchtturm. I love the quality of the pages, theyre thicker than Moleskin. I have painted, gone over in marker a bunch of times and there is minimal bleeding. Helps with organization and easy to carry around with all my things.

I have ordered several of these books for our ministry and school and the quality and paper are great! Also love the variety of colors.