Moleskine Classic Notebook, Notebook With Ruled Pages, Hard Cover and Elastic Closure, Black, Large, 13 x 21 cm, 240 Pages

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.

Perfect notebook

such a good notebook i highly reccomend. the cover is a nice quality leather and the pages aren’t too thick or thin. there is a back pocket that is useful and the pages aren’t too binded together in stacks of 20 i would say.

Nice to use any feels like it will last well

Highly recommend

Exactly what was required with an excellent cover

This is one of my favourite journalling books as it is hardback and easy to write in. The delivery was prompt - next day - nicely packaged.

I absolutely love these lined notebooks to record special notes which I want to keep….

Parfait

Produto muito bom, como todo Moleskine, chegou no prazo. É bem maior que o tamanho mais comum, mas pra mim que uso para bullet journal e preciso visualizar muitas coisas de uma vez numa mesma página, serviu perfeitamente.

Qualità che si paga volentieri

The paper weight is very thin. I am using a visconti g2 refill and you can see everything in the back page. Unless you write with a girly 0.2mm pen in light pink, the ink will bleed trhough. Also the color is way too yelow. Way too overhyped. For 15 euros, the quality is about 6. I ordered a different brand.

Fabulous as always Other notebooks do not come close to the quality