(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
I did a review of the Rhodia GoalBook a while back because it was what I use for my loose interpretation of the Bullet Journal (BuJo or bujo) method for planning. My first bujo in 2017 was a Leuchtturm, which had 70gsm paper. It was fine and had somewhat/mostly fountain pen-friendly, but I switched to GoalBook because of the index and calendars (though I stopped using those after time) and hadn’t looked back. Flash forward to now and I just finished GoalBook #8 last week, but there won’t be a GoalBook #9. Why? After trying out the Leuchtturm 120 gsm notebook oh-so-briefly at the Shoppe Object show back in August, and seeing that it looked to be FP-friendly, I knew I had to do it for science!
I picked the Leuchtturm 120gsm in Nordic Blue and had it embossed during the Leuchtturm event at Flax Pen to Paper.
Backside of this hardcover notebook.
Normally I wouldn’t bother to take a picture of this but the 120gsm “branding” was a lot bigger than I think it needed to be.
I wrote my name and info with a Pilot Custom 823 with the FA nib, inked up with Diamine Amazing Amethyst (apologies for the lighting). No feathering on this page but this isn’t the main paper either.
There is a pocket on the inside of the back cover. Also included are labels for the spine (which I have used for all my Rhodia GoalBook spines too) and other labels, possibly for covering up that 120 gsm branding, lol.
Since this isn’t the Bullet Journal™ notebook, there are only 2 pages for the index, which is fine by me since I use specific washi tape, clips and bookmarks for important sections.
The regular LT notebook has 251 pages while the LT120 has 202 numbered pages, not including the 2 index pages; both have 2 ribbon bookmarks as well as the pocket and labels mentioned above. The GoalBook has 222 pages, not including their multiple index and calendar pages in the front.
I wrote out the pens that were inked at the start of 2024 (I track their actual inking dates in FPC.)
For the most part, there weren’t any major issues with a variety of fountain pen inks and nibs. There is some shading visible with some of the inks, but not much by way of chromashading or sheen. Shimmer wasn’t an issue.
No real feathering on most pen/inks.
Papier Plume’s Bad Bad Leroy Brown is a moderately wet ink in a moderately wet Pelikan M800 and other than it looking like a brown sharpie (which it kind of is), the paper held up alright. You can see the shimmer from the Robert Oster x Vanness Pens Venom ink too.
Minimal ghosting except with wet/broad nibs/inks, like the Waldmann Xetra Vienna with a broad steel nib inked with Diamine Blue Velvet. Even then it didn’t really bleed through.
I looked through all the currently inked entries and picked out the ones that looked potentially problematic either due to nib size/grind or ink wetness and rewrote those entries on the back pages of both the GoalBook and the LT 120.
Rhodia GoalBook with white pages (left) and the LT 120 (right). You can see that the LT’s pages are definitely more cream than white.
In almost all cases, the LT (right) absorbed a bit more ink than the Rhodia (left). This resulted in slightly broader lines from the LT as well as less shading.
In addition to the slightly broader lines, the writing experience on the LT 120 is a little “squishier” than other paper/notebooks, probably due to the additional weight. I hesitate to say that it has a bit more feedback than the GoalBook because it is still quite smooth. It is difficult to describe but it just feels like there is a bit more resistance, which I am attributing to the heavier weight. It isn’t unpleasant, just different.
And here are some “rare” additional pictures of spreads that I have in my bujo; “rare” because my bujo isn’t really for pretty social media posts. Mine has always been a functional bujo. I will add some more washi tape to color it up a bit but that’s about as much decorating as I do.
I haven’t ordered anything all year! But I am waiting on a preorder from 2023, so that has been moved to this year’s bujo.
I track when penpal letters are received, as well as when they were dated (since letters can take a while to write, esp if you’re long-winded like me, or if they have to travel internationally), when I start/finish and mail my reply. I will be adding postal-themed washi to the edges so I can easily find this spread without using an index.
I made a simple grid spreadsheet for habit tracking and at the start of the month, I jot down the date/day and what habits I’m tracking. My aim isn’t necessarily to have everything checked every day (though some are daily habits), but more so I can see when I’ve done something and if it’s been a while, to make sure I get back to it. I print several copies so I have them in the back cover whenever a new month comes up.
I’m too lazy for fancy habit trackers :-)
Actual todo list from January 1. I am continuing with my Italian learning, so I always write the month and day in Italian.
It’s still a bit too early to tell if the Leuchtturm 120 will permanently replace the GoalBook for me, but for now, it’s alright. I don’t really notice that the paper is cream unless there’s white paper nearby.
A well-used, soft-cover Rhodia GoalBook (left) with washi tape borders next to a brand new Leuchtturm 120 gsm hard bound notebook. It will be interesting to see how thick it gets as it gets more use.
The Leuchtturm 120gsm A5 notebook sells for $27.50 USD and is available from Flax Pen to Paper in Sage, Black, Port Red, as well as the Nordic Blue. It is available with dot grid, lines or blank ruling.
(Disclaimer: I purchased the notebook with free engraving from Flax Pen to Paper. The Rhodia GoalBook was also purchased by me.)
