As an avid bullet journal method guy I have a soft spot for Leuchtturm 1917 and their entry into fountain pen friendlier paper. On the flip side, I love Clairefontaine for their wide line of affordable high quality paper in several different binding options. The clear winner is both.
I've used Clairfontaine, Rhodia, and an L1917 Bullet Journal v1. The L1917 v1 is a beautiful designed and practical bullet journal, that's only let down by the paper. Using fountain pens, sadly they bled through the L1917 v1 stock, which was irksome considering how expensive it was relative to Clairfontaine and Rhodia Dot Grid notebooks. Both the latter are some of the best papers for fountain pens I've found, with no bleed through. And if you're on a tight budget, you can get the same excellent paper in Clairfontaine's school exercise books, especially their Séyes handwriting exercise books, that come printed with a ruled page with a grid with tough and colourful polypropylene covers. I prefer grids, just in case I need to do a table or sketch a diagram. If The L1917 had better paper it would then be a permanent fixture. But I got a deal on Clairfontaine A5 Age Bag notebooks, and got two. Rhodia alas, is hardly ever discounted, but I still love their orange a5 wire bound dot grid books.The only downside is that the covers aren't as durable as Mére Clairfontaine Age Bags are.
I prefer the Clairefontaine paper especially their Triumphe. I also am partial to the Rhodia Goalbook to put in my custom leather journal cover. I am, however, currently using the L1917 for my daily one-page diary/journal. I must have numbered pages and lay-flat. I also prefer a white paper over the cream color of the L1917. Inks are better represented on white paper.
Nice comparison, Doug. While the bullet journaling looks interesting, I think it's more than I want to take on. Like you, I use my books pretty much exclusively for straightforward journaling and Clairefontaine paper, in it's various forms, has always served me well. But I'm always willing to try different books and paper because I'm a fountain pen geek. 😁 I recently filled up an Itoya Profolio A5 book I got from Goldspot and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the paper and how well it worked with my pens. Cheers.
How interesting! I remember thousands of years ago … Leuchtturm1917 wasn't the best (better than the resurrected Moleskine … but then what isn't?)! I guess they must have improved. I have always stuck with our beloved Frenchies with their Clairefontaine Super Brand! I guess that means that one has to try and re-try all the time! Thank you for another excellent video sir.
this is sadly what happens when "vulture captialists" take over! (see Cory Doctorow's many writings about "enshitification" as he calls it) @@brightonbabe2139
Thanks a lot for this review 😊 Although I‘m German, I have never considered Leuchtturm paper 😂 The paper in their regular notebooks has always appeared too thin to me and I was not aware of their 120 gsm offerings. I‘ll give it a try. By the way: For „everyday writing“ I use Oxford Optik Paper which I think is excellent.
I moved from the clairfontaine essentials to the clairefontaine 1951 192 pages which was $18.95 Aus as against 23.95 with only 96 pages. I dont journal but I use the notebook at each client meeting, since a note book and a great fountain pen is much different from a laptop in a meeting. The Leuchtturm 1917 doesnt seen to be available through usual outlets any more in Australia, but research (Amazon) shows that the 120 gms is a special edition - normal is 80gsm, which was the ones that I was seeing here before they disappeared from the store. That puts them at just under 25 dollars plus sales tax and shipping. So those of you who don't live at the ends of the world, I salute you. I will go to my meetings with my Galen Leather a5 zip case, unzip it in meetings and reveal 4 to 7 glorious fountain pens and a relatively plain, cardboard covered Clairefontaine 1951 A5 journal. BTW thanks for the comparison Doug, it did make me look at it again. Perhaps one day, it will be sold here without all the shipping oncost.
I just received the Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal to give bullet Journaling a try. Honestly I have never gone for fountain pen specific journals or notebooks & have had perfectly great experiences by just looking for 90gsm or higher paper & have never had issues with any of the cheaper ones with the thicker paper when it comes to feathering or bleed through. I started a Le Stallion journal at the beginning of 2023 & one of my idiosyncracies is that I prefer to only write on the right-hand page for writing comfort. When I finished that journal at the end of the year, I just flipped it over & started my journal for 2024 at the back since now the previously left hand back of the page is now on the right! No wasted pages & potentially 2 years out of one journal! (I also like that the Le Stallion journal has an elastic pen loop on the spine rather than flopping around on the open edge).
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is that Leuchtturm1917 uses different weight papers in their notebooks. They have a 120GSM and a 90gsm. The Leuchtturm1917 90gsm paper doesn't work nearly as well for me as the 120gsm. It can get confusing, so make sure you find one with the 120gsm. They also make the regular non bullet journal lined or dot grid in the 120gsm.
I‘m really a fan of the Leuchtturm 80gsm paper! I had some of my inks bleeding on their 120gsm paper which I was very surprised about. I like grid layout much better than dot grid. The 80gsm is perfect for my inks, no bleeding, no feathering, a bit of ghosting and this nice feedback of this paper just makes me love it more. The Rhodia or Clairefontain or MD paper is much too smooth for me, the LT perfect. And the light cream color is a plus as well, the Midori paper is just too yellow. So I only use LT 80 paper, I even take apart the books and use the punched paper in my ringbound or disc covers. And I print on blank paper. No other paper for me 😉
For me, it's pretty much about the paper . . . but, an almost as good brilliant white might induce me to choose it over a slightly superior ivory. All other things being equal enough. I just journal to get things on paper for my progeny to deal with as they see fit.
I'm into the Rhodia dot or lined A5, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Having said that I bought couple of A5 notepads from Spriax here in OZ (Spirax Platinum Premium Notebook (sounded good), 200 pages and supposedly 90GSM) on special. It bleeds and feathers like cheap copy paper and you can literally read the text from the backside of the page. Never again, stay with what works. But I appreciate you trying other brands and reporting on them. I would definitely buy Clairefontaine and would not buy Leuchtturn. The gizmos are not what make it a good paper, the paper is what makes it good paper (sic).
I have used both. For using ballpoint pens, both work very well and I do like the smoothness of Clairfontaine paper. When it comes to rollerballs or fountain pens, the pens glide across the Clairfontaine but dry time is a bit much as i smear the ink. As for the Leuchtterm paper, I had bleeding and show through problems. Admittedly it was thinner stock and the paper is more textured. I have not tried the 120gsm paper, yet. I have avoided both since using fountain pens almost exclusively. Perhaps I should revisit both. Very good comparison, Doug.
Thanks, Paul. I had used both Leuchtturm and Moleskin papers previously and was disappointed in both. But this 120gsm Leuchtturm is quite sturdy. It seems to be almost as smooth as the Clairefontaine without the needed drying time.
The 120gsm Leuchtturms are great for what I would call a "work fountain pen" notebook. That is, the paper is sturdy enough not to have feathering and bleed through, but just absorbant enough so that you don't get (much) smudging. You do lose a bit of the ink character in the tradeoff, but when I'm at work I don't want to fuss with a blotter or getting ink on my hands.
Writing with a hundred sheets of paper below your page has to feel different from writing with a hard cover below your page. Probably looks different too.
I find Leuchtturm paper almost unusable for Fountain pens. Better than cheep copy paper, but not really "fountain pen friendly". I like Tomoe River, and Iroful, and of course the various (and now hard to obtain) Cosmo air papers. Clairfontaine is great paper, but i usually prefer a lighter (thiner) paper that is not so slick. IRMV, of course. I also really like the various Endless notebooks.
I suspect you were referring to 'Follow your Feet!' by Ulrich von Lichstenstein in 'A Knights' tale' ? This when referring to different parts of the anatomy....Otherwise, of course, you would have been being gender specific which, despite it being your channel, might be misinterpreted by half the population of the planet....
As an avid bullet journal method guy I have a soft spot for Leuchtturm 1917 and their entry into fountain pen friendlier paper. On the flip side, I love Clairefontaine for their wide line of affordable high quality paper in several different binding options. The clear winner is both.
Interesting comparison. Rhodia is my paper of choice, and I much prefer dots to lines (though I wish the dots were 7mm spaced instead of 5.
I agree!
I've used Clairfontaine, Rhodia, and an L1917 Bullet Journal v1. The L1917 v1 is a beautiful designed and practical bullet journal, that's only let down by the paper. Using fountain pens, sadly they bled through the L1917 v1 stock, which was irksome considering how expensive it was relative to Clairfontaine and Rhodia Dot Grid notebooks. Both the latter are some of the best papers for fountain pens I've found, with no bleed through. And if you're on a tight budget, you can get the same excellent paper in Clairfontaine's school exercise books, especially their Séyes handwriting exercise books, that come printed with a ruled page with a grid with tough and colourful polypropylene covers. I prefer grids, just in case I need to do a table or sketch a diagram. If The L1917 had better paper it would then be a permanent fixture. But I got a deal on Clairfontaine A5 Age Bag notebooks, and got two. Rhodia alas, is hardly ever discounted, but I still love their orange a5 wire bound dot grid books.The only downside is that the covers aren't as durable as Mére Clairfontaine Age Bags are.
So far, from what I can see, the 120gsm paper in the Bullet Journal Ed. 2, is taking fountain pen ink very well indeed.
Have you ever tried the LT 80gsm paper? Absolutely great, no bleeding or feathering at all.
I prefer the Clairefontaine paper especially their Triumphe. I also am partial to the Rhodia Goalbook to put in my custom leather journal cover. I am, however, currently using the L1917 for my daily one-page diary/journal. I must have numbered pages and lay-flat. I also prefer a white paper over the cream color of the L1917. Inks are better represented on white paper.
Good points. Clairefontaine acquired Rhodia in 1997.
Nice comparison, Doug. While the bullet journaling looks interesting, I think it's more than I want to take on. Like you, I use my books pretty much exclusively for straightforward journaling and Clairefontaine paper, in it's various forms, has always served me well. But I'm always willing to try different books and paper because I'm a fountain pen geek. 😁 I recently filled up an Itoya Profolio A5 book I got from Goldspot and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the paper and how well it worked with my pens. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing, @JohnBarrow1961!
I ❤ oxford black and red. So silky-smooth
How interesting! I remember thousands of years ago … Leuchtturm1917 wasn't the best (better than the resurrected Moleskine … but then what isn't?)! I guess they must have improved. I have always stuck with our beloved Frenchies with their Clairefontaine Super Brand! I guess that means that one has to try and re-try all the time! Thank you for another excellent video sir.
Thank you, @aag24! I was surprised at the Leuchtturm because of how awful it was before.
glad I wasn't imagining it! yes, hit was pretty awful. @@InkquiringMinds
I saw a recent video on Moleskine and could not believe the low quality. And that one retails for about $50 dollars. What were they thinking?
@@brightonbabe2139 I can't believe any fountain pen user could be satisfied with Moleskine.
this is sadly what happens when "vulture captialists" take over! (see Cory Doctorow's many writings about "enshitification" as he calls it) @@brightonbabe2139
Thanks a lot for this review 😊 Although I‘m German, I have never considered Leuchtturm paper 😂 The paper in their regular notebooks has always appeared too thin to me and I was not aware of their 120 gsm offerings. I‘ll give it a try. By the way: For „everyday writing“ I use Oxford Optik Paper which I think is excellent.
Thank you @florianbuerzle2703. That is much appreciated!
I moved from the clairfontaine essentials to the clairefontaine 1951 192 pages which was $18.95 Aus as against 23.95 with only 96 pages. I dont journal but I use the notebook at each client meeting, since a note book and a great fountain pen is much different from a laptop in a meeting. The Leuchtturm 1917 doesnt seen to be available through usual outlets any more in Australia, but research (Amazon) shows that the 120 gms is a special edition - normal is 80gsm, which was the ones that I was seeing here before they disappeared from the store. That puts them at just under 25 dollars plus sales tax and shipping. So those of you who don't live at the ends of the world, I salute you. I will go to my meetings with my Galen Leather a5 zip case, unzip it in meetings and reveal 4 to 7 glorious fountain pens and a relatively plain, cardboard covered Clairefontaine 1951 A5 journal. BTW thanks for the comparison Doug, it did make me look at it again. Perhaps one day, it will be sold here without all the shipping oncost.
Thanks, Babe. The Bullet Journal I reviewed is called "Edition 2" so perhaps the 120gsm paper is here to stay in the new version?
I just received the Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal to give bullet Journaling a try. Honestly I have never gone for fountain pen specific journals or notebooks & have had perfectly great experiences by just looking for 90gsm or higher paper & have never had issues with any of the cheaper ones with the thicker paper when it comes to feathering or bleed through. I started a Le Stallion journal at the beginning of 2023 & one of my idiosyncracies is that I prefer to only write on the right-hand page for writing comfort. When I finished that journal at the end of the year, I just flipped it over & started my journal for 2024 at the back since now the previously left hand back of the page is now on the right! No wasted pages & potentially 2 years out of one journal! (I also like that the Le Stallion journal has an elastic pen loop on the spine rather than flopping around on the open edge).
Great tip!
I recently bought some loose Campus paper and it's really smooth to write on. Really like it so far, but I haven't tried any other brand yet.
Awesome!
Thanks for the review. I will look into this LT1917 120GSM, the features are interesting to have in the journal.
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is that Leuchtturm1917 uses different weight papers in their notebooks. They have a 120GSM and a 90gsm. The Leuchtturm1917 90gsm paper doesn't work nearly as well for me as the 120gsm. It can get confusing, so make sure you find one with the 120gsm. They also make the regular non bullet journal lined or dot grid in the 120gsm.
I had not been impressed with previous LT1917 papers.
I've gotten into 365 day journal with 100 GSM - just find the 365 makes things simpler -1 per year!!
Lovely journal cover from Mrs. Doug. Lucky Doug.
She's a keeper!
I‘m really a fan of the Leuchtturm 80gsm paper! I had some of my inks bleeding on their 120gsm paper which I was very surprised about. I like grid layout much better than dot grid. The 80gsm is perfect for my inks, no bleeding, no feathering, a bit of ghosting and this nice feedback of this paper just makes me love it more. The Rhodia or Clairefontain or MD paper is much too smooth for me, the LT perfect. And the light cream color is a plus as well, the Midori paper is just too yellow. So I only use LT 80 paper, I even take apart the books and use the punched paper in my ringbound or disc covers. And I print on blank paper. No other paper for me 😉
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
For me, it's pretty much about the paper . . . but, an almost as good brilliant white might induce me to choose it over a slightly superior ivory. All other things being equal enough. I just journal to get things on paper for my progeny to deal with as they see fit.
Awesome!
I didn't know that you journal.
I don't think that I've ever heard you reference journaling on your podcast.
"Dear Diary. Today, I played guitar "
All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy. All work and...
The Bullet Journal notebook is amazing for me. I use earth tone inks and they are beautiful in this notebook.
Thanks for sharing, @BlushnBlue!
I'm into the Rhodia dot or lined A5, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Having said that I bought couple of A5 notepads from Spriax here in OZ (Spirax Platinum Premium Notebook (sounded good), 200 pages and supposedly 90GSM) on special. It bleeds and feathers like cheap copy paper and you can literally read the text from the backside of the page. Never again, stay with what works. But I appreciate you trying other brands and reporting on them. I would definitely buy Clairefontaine and would not buy Leuchtturn. The gizmos are not what make it a good paper, the paper is what makes it good paper (sic).
Thanks for sharing, @kevinblack8365!
I have used both. For using ballpoint pens, both work very well and I do like the smoothness of Clairfontaine paper. When it comes to rollerballs or fountain pens, the pens glide across the Clairfontaine but dry time is a bit much as i smear the ink. As for the Leuchtterm paper, I had bleeding and show through problems. Admittedly it was thinner stock and the paper is more textured. I have not tried the 120gsm paper, yet.
I have avoided both since using fountain pens almost exclusively. Perhaps I should revisit both.
Very good comparison, Doug.
Thanks, Paul. I had used both Leuchtturm and Moleskin papers previously and was disappointed in both. But this 120gsm Leuchtturm is quite sturdy. It seems to be almost as smooth as the Clairefontaine without the needed drying time.
The 120gsm Leuchtturms are great for what I would call a "work fountain pen" notebook. That is, the paper is sturdy enough not to have feathering and bleed through, but just absorbant enough so that you don't get (much) smudging. You do lose a bit of the ink character in the tradeoff, but when I'm at work I don't want to fuss with a blotter or getting ink on my hands.
During the pandemic I did a comparison of about 8 or 9 different brands of legal pads for their fountain pen friendliness. Rhodia won by a wide mile.
Rhodia is owned by Clairefontaine.
@@InkquiringMinds indeed
Writing with a hundred sheets of paper below your page has to feel different from writing with a hard cover below your page. Probably looks different too.
For me MD Midori paper ❤
I find Leuchtturm paper almost unusable for Fountain pens. Better than cheep copy paper, but not really "fountain pen friendly". I like Tomoe River, and Iroful, and of course the various (and now hard to obtain) Cosmo air papers. Clairfontaine is great paper, but i usually prefer a lighter (thiner) paper that is not so slick. IRMV, of course. I also really like the various Endless notebooks.
That's what I had thought previously with Leuchtturm. But this 120gsm paper is fountain pen friendly.
22 FEWER pages............Doug! Even in Canadian that's badderer than worst!
So sue me.
I suspect you were referring to 'Follow your Feet!' by Ulrich von Lichstenstein in 'A Knights' tale' ? This when referring to different parts of the anatomy....Otherwise, of course, you would have been being gender specific which, despite it being your channel, might be misinterpreted by half the population of the planet....
I admit nothing!
@@InkquiringMindsI wrote a word that refers to a feline but the mind police thought i might be being rude. Forsooth!