Whistler and I took my long-standing favourite notebook and tested it against a new competitor: Check out the Notebook Showdown, Moleskine vs. Leuchtturm!
I’ve been drawing in Moleskines for ages (see here when I used it to design paddles for the girls, here where I updated my bonhommes a while back, or here where I was drawing spaceships, for example) and it was time to see if it was still the best option for me or if there was a new best choice in town.
Watch the video for a full breakdown, or keep reading for the highlights.
Moleskine vs. Leuchtturm: The Tests
Test 1: Features
The Leuchtturm, with all the same features of the Moleskine plus perforated pages, the availability of the dot pattern, an index, numbered pages, and an extra bookmark ribbon, took the edge. The Moleskine’s cover has a nicer soft-touch finish, though. Winner: Leuchtturm.
Test 2: Ink Fixing
While ink has a tendency to sit on the creamy pages of the Moleskine a little, the Leuchtturm holds it better and smears less. Using a variety of pens, the Leuchtturm held the ink better every time. Winner: Leuchtturm.
Test 3: Bleed
Somehow, ink is less visible on the reverse of the Leuchtturm’s thinner paper than the Moleskine’s. The effect was dramatic for most everyday-use pens. Winner: Leuchtturm.
Test 4: Erasability
The Moleskine erases much more cleanly and easily, and the Leuchtturm’s pages show pencil marks and impressions far more. Purely for sketching, it’s clear that the Moleskine has the advantage. Winner: Moleskine.
Test 5: Durability
Despite thinner pages, the Leuchtturm’s paper is about as tear-resistant as the Moleskine’s. But when you spill coffee on a Leuchtturm page, it virtually repels the water, whereas the Moleskine’s paper soaks it up like a sponge. It was actually miraculous and surprising how well the Leuchtturm did in this test. Winner: Leuchtturm.
Verdict
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Moleskine Classic http://amzn.to/2tZN6dK
Leuchtturm 1917 Medium Dotted http://amzn.to/2FILSck
Daaaaayum. Thanks for this insightful review. I’d never thought that Moleskine had a competitor but it’s pretty clear there’s a choice to be made. I haven’t used Moleskine very much although I own a few – once I get into that habit, this might be something to think about. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Cool cool.
Thanks for commenting! It really seems like Moleskine’s lunch is being eaten in the notebook space. It’s classic, it’s excellent, but it’s not exactly setting my world on fire anymore and they don’t seem to be innovating in their product line very much. I haven’t spent a ton of time actually using the Leuchtturm yet but I am excited to do more in-depth testing once I use up the last few pages in my Moleskine.