It’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed any notebooks from Leuchtturm… but thanks to the good people at Pen Chalet, I’ve got some more recent samples to take a look at!
Leuchtturm has become a widely available brand in the US, and like Moleskine, they seem to have expanded their product line by introducing a variety of colors. They’ve also differentiated themselves with a few unusual options, such as red dotted pages in one series of notebooks, and offering double ribbon markers in most of their notebooks. But otherwise, they have pretty much kept things simple, offering the basic notebooks that their fans know well, with numbered pages, an index, and stickers for labeling the spines.
But have they changed over the years in terms of quality? Based on these samples, I would say yes, a bit. When I originally tested a Leuchtturm notebook sent to me from Germany in 2011, (LEUCHTTURM REVIEW) the paper performed quite well and the exterior construction seemed very precise. In my next tests in 2014 (REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: LEUCHTTURM NOTEBOOKS… AND SKETCHBOOK!), the paper showed a bit more bleed with some pens, and the corners were a little sloppier. In my tests of these most recent samples, the paper didn’t seem all that different from the 2014 versions. However, I tested more fountain pens this time, and did find feathering and bleeding with several of them.
I can’t compare the exteriors of the notebooks right now as the older ones are boxed up in a storage unit, but from what I can see in photos, I do think the 2018 examples have more unevenness in the spines, though the corners and edges on the hardcover seem similar to the 2014 models. I really like the double ribbon markers with contrasting stripes.
I have read that paper costs have been increasing, and I would imagine that it is more and more difficult for any notebook manufacturer to offer products at a reasonable price while maintaining their profit margins. Both Moleskine and Leuchtturm have a suggested retail price of $14.95 for their pocket size notebooks, and I would say that you get a little bit more for your money with a Leuchtturm.
You can buy Leuchtturm notebooks in many retailers, including Pen Chalet. And you can also enter to win one of these samples they have kindly provided! One winner will receive the black lined softcover, and one will receive the blue dotted hardcover. This giveaway is open only to US residents. I will randomly choose the two winners from entries received in any of the methods below:
On Twitter, tweet something containing “Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook @NotebookStories @penchaletâ€, and follow @NotebookStories and @PenChalet.
On Facebook, “like†the Notebook Stories page and and the Pen Chalet page, and post something containing the words “Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook†on the Notebook Stories page.
On your blog, post something containing the words “Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook†and “Notebook Stories†and link back to this post, also leaving a comment below with the link in case the trackback doesn’t work.
The deadline for entry is Friday August 31, 2018 at 11:59PM, EST. Good luck everyone!
Ah, the dreaded decline in quality of my favorite notebook brand. I can tell by the photo of the softcover that this is nothing like the original Leuchtturm1917 notebook. It looks like that is the “Made in China” version and the paper, along with the binding, is not the high quality it used to be.