Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the bunch, 3 Jul 2007
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.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful books to collect your thoughts., 28 Nov 2007
When I first bought a Moleskine notebook I was more than a little hesitant due to the price, which was at least twice as much as I would normally spend on a notebook. However, as soon as I started using it I fell well and truly in love and have been recommending them to friends ever since.
These notebooks are made from quality materials and the paper is a joy to write on. I always write with liquid ink pens, including dipped nib pens on occasion and, even though the paper is fairly thin, I have never had the ink seep through. The hardcover opens fully and stays open easily without cracking or bending, allowing for easy writing without obstuction and without damaging the book. The pocket of my notebook is always in constant use, I'm not sure how I ever survived without it. The lines in the ruled notebooks are the perfect size for my writing, small but not too tiny, and they go all the way from one side of the paper to the other without annoying margins to try and control where you write.
I now have a growing collection of various Moleskine notebooks but my original is still in frequent use and, despite being carried around in my bag almost daily for just over a year, it still looks in almost as perfect condition as the day I bought it, with only the tiniest bit of cracking at the top of the spine that has appeared in the last month or so. The rest of my (scarily large) collection of beautiful notebooks is now a backup to my trusty Moleskines. I will be using these books for many many years to come.
I have to admit that the price still makes me wince a little, but now I look at it as an investment and a treat to myself. Some people buy DVDs, I buy notebooks, it's all a matter of perspective, and in my view this is worth the money by far.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Price, 28 Mar 2006
Ecellent notebook. Paper is slghtly thin but you get an increase in page number I suppose! Quality piece of stationery. Buy it here at this price, much below the list price.
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