Why Paper Matters

A little thing I wrote for my friends at Rhodia Drive.

Moleskine Alternatives

Baron Fig Confidant

I spoke about Moleskine journals on the podcast this week and it generated a lot of spirited conversation on both sides of the ledger. I think it's pretty clear that I am not a fan of the brand, but I wanted to elaborate a little bit as to why.

When I say Moleskine as a general term I am talking about one specific model: the hardbound Classic Journal in 8.25" x 5". This is the ubiquitous Moleskine. The one that is fawned over by the press, and the one that doesn't fit my needs. That's the key here. My needs. If it fits your needs that's fantastic. You should definitely keep using them. But for me, Moleskine paper falls short of its competition.

For the most part, Moleskines work well with ballpoint pens, fine liquid ink pens, and pencils. I've traveled before with just a Moleskine and a Fisher Space Pen refill and been completely satisfied. But my two favorite pen types - micro tip gel ink pens and fountain pens - perform poorly on Moleskine paper. Luckily, we live in a world where other options are only a mouse click away. I've tested all of the notebooks below and would choose any of them over the standard Moleskine Journal.

Moleskine alternatives (Classic Journal, 8.25" x 5"), in no particular order:

Leuchtturm 1917 - The closest in look, style, feel, and price, but with better performing paper for a wider range of pen types.

Rhodia Webnotebook - My personal favorite, and the best for fountain pens. Longer dry time is the tradeoff.

Baron Fig Confidant - Great style and format, could work better with fountain pens but great with gel ink.

Quo Vadis Habana - Slightly bigger and more expensive but on par or better than Rhodia.

This list just scratches the surface. Don't even get me started on other sizes, such as pocket notebooks and top-bound pads. We could get into the hundreds on that list!

I just ask that you keep in mind one thing when reading this blog or listening to the podcast: You don't have to agree with everything I say. And you shouldn't. Disagreement is good and healthy. We all have specific needs that we are trying to solve for, and within that journey lies the fun. I'll keep having opinions, and you should too.

Rhodia Ice Pad Review

Upgrading your paper from the poor selection at the office supply store is a challenge. The good stuff isn't readily available to the masses, and when you hunt it down it is often more expensive than imagined. There is a difference though - a real tangible difference. This is why I tell people new to the pen and paper scene to buy some nice paper early on, and I always recommend Rhodia.

Why is Rhodia so good? It provides the best writing performance for the price. The paper is ridiculously smooth and will make even your worst pens feel and perform better. Yes, the right paper can actually make your pens write better. There is less bleed, no feathering, and their pads have the best perforations in the business. I mentioned it is smooth too, right?

That smoothness does come with one downside you should be aware of. Since the paper is higher quality than most it is not as porous, meaning the ink sits on top of the page for seconds longer than with inferior paper. Lefties especially should beware. This is one tradeoff I can live with.

The Rhodia Ice Pad has been around for a few months and I finally got my hands on my favorite No. 16 Graph size from my friends at JetPens. Rhodia Orange is so ubiquitous it should be its own Crayon color, but I like seeing these alternate covers. The white is wonderfully clean and the metallic silver accents are perfectly understated in typical Rhodia fashion. Plus, the lines are grey instead of the traditional violet, which I think I prefer.

Overall, this is exactly what I expect from Rhodia, if not more. The design is clean and beautiful, and the functionality is top notch. This is how you do paper. Do yourself a favor and add some to your arsenal.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)