Notebooks reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 150 Reddit reviews across 17 subreddits and 47 posts to rank the best Notebooks brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/fountainpens, r/notebooks, r/Journaling, r/languagelearning, r/stationery. Top-rated brands include Kokuyo (4.6/5), Rhodia (4.7/5), Muji (4.2/5).
Stats
Reviews150
Subreddits17
Posts47
Brands74
Products50
150 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Kokuyo
4.6
(16)
"I love the Kokuro campus ones that are like binders where you can open the rings to add or take out Notes."
"I really like the brand Kokuyo Campus. expensive but makes me want to use them!"
"I am personally a kokuyo fanboy😅 I just use their notebooks for everything, and their quality is always amazing!"
"Oh i love this brand, the texture was so agreeable with my handwriting and writing tool choices; it was my paper of choice through college as well."
"The Kokuyo Campus spiral notebooks. The paper is super smooth"
"This paper is exceptional."
"Work wonderfully with fountain pens just be mindful of hand grease."
"Kokuyo's campus notebooks are really good with almost all inks! cheap and good quality notebook imo 😄"
"They also sell kukoyo campus notebooks there that might work for you."
"Or soft ring notebooks"
#2
Rhodia
4.7
(11)
"I really like their paper quality. Started using them when I was in school, still use them 10 years later."
"Anything from rhodia can be pretty expensive so it depends on your budget."
"Always liked Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks when I was big into penmanship."
"Rhodia, Dingbats, and Leuchtturm probably look like what you might be looking for?"
"Rhodia Composition Book suits my needs."
"I use Rhodia/Clairefontaine almost exclusively now"
"If you can find it try paper made by Rhodia, Kokuyo Campus, or Clairfontaine."
"Rhodia is a go to in this community."
"Rhodia Graph Notepads are good alas not a notebook."
"I like Rhodia the best. Depends on the ink though, I've found a few smear but mostly fountain pen friendly."
#3
Muji
4.2
(10)
"Muji if you have one near does a version with stiff card as the cover"
"MUJI high quality paper notebook is cheap and great for fountain pens!"
"Muji is super cheap and they'll work if you're okay writing on one side."
"Muji notebooks are great for fountain pens and pretty cheap too."
"Muji notebooks are great for fountain pens and pretty cheap too."
"I love Muji notebooks but I go through them really fast."
"If you want to try Japanese paper try Muji (paper made in Japan not Indonesia- check the sticker)."
"Do you have MUJI stores in your area? They have fp friendly notebooks."
"Muji Canada has a lot budget relatively good paper."
"I bought Muji notebooks."
#4
Clairefontaine
4.4
(7)
"Softcover Clairefontaine notebooks (lovely fountain pen friendly paper) and a reusable leather cover I keep my current one in to make it fancy."
"Anything from Clairefontaine, like their 'Age Bag' line, should work great."
"Is my favourite hands down."
"I think Clairefontaine has spiral notebooks."
"Oxford, Clairefontaine, Maruman, Kokuyo..."
"Rhodia uses Clairefontaine paper."
"Goulet Pens carries the Clairefontaine My Essential notebook with dot grid pages."
#5
Midori
5.0
(6)
"Best papers, sure. Midori MD & Tomoe River Paper."
"IMO Midori MD."
"Midori MD, yamamoto ro-biki, nakabayashi yu-sari"
"I like the Midori MD A5 notebooks. They lay flat and never give me any issues."
"But it's okay, I enjoyed it anyway. I've also used Midori which I have LOVED."
"I asked my daughter to buy some Midori MD notebooks as she was in Tokyo recently."
#6
Maruman
4.2
(5)
"Have a look at maruman!!"
"Maruman basic spiral notebooks. Or the fancier black ones."
"Sometimes you can find blue maruman notebooks at a daiso."
"Oxford, Clairefontaine, Maruman, Kokuyo..."
"Maruman Notebooks"
#7
Rite in the Rain
5.0
(4)
"Try Rite in the rain or Karst notebooks."
"You might try an all weather type notebook. Rite in the rain, uses a coated paper."
"Uni Power Tank pens and Rite in the Rain notebooks."
"For a notebook, anything made by Rite In The Rain."
#8
Tomoe River
4.8
(4)
"Get a notebook with Tomoe river 52gsm then. Perfect fountain pen paper."
"Tomoe River if you’re feeling particularly fancy/loaded (sounds horribly impractical but hey it’s gorgeous paper)"
"My two favorites are Tomeo River and Mitsubishi Bank Paper."
"My newest journal uses Tomoe River paper."
#9
Henle
4.5
(4)
"I do recommend buying the bach henle little preludes. They are a lot better sounding and you’ll probably spend more time on them."
"It has a quality off white paper, clear print, it's great."
"I recommend Henle. Could they really be difficult to find on Amazon?"
"Henle editions are a good bet . . . and what a lovely gift to you!"
#10
Leuchtturm1917
4.5
(4)
"Leuchtturm1917, no question."
"I’m obsessed with Leuchtturm1917—it’s perfect for organizing notes, and the dotted pages are great for layouts."
"Yeah my 2 favs are leuchtturm1917 and endless."
"It doesn’t have a RR price, but I’d go with Leuchtrum 1917."
#11
Kokuyo Campus
4.3
(3)
"If you can find it try paper made by Rhodia, Kokuyo Campus, or Clairfontaine."
"Kokuyo Campus, Maruman and Fabriano Ecoqua are better but cost a little more."
"Kokuyo campus or daiso equivalent, design works standard issue."
#12
Daiso
4.0
(3)
"Check "made in Japan" notebooks in Daiso. I have some in my stash and they take FP inks soooo well."
"If you live near a Diaso, their paper is good."
"Daiso notebooks are also an economical option - I just wish there were more pages per notebook."
#13
Stalogy
4.0
(3)
"Take a look at Stalogy and see if any of their grid sizes work for you."
"I really enjoy Stalogy notebooks."
"Not the easier to get in Europe but stalogy/kinbor have light off white paper"
#14
Oxford Black n' Red
5.0
(2)
"Check out the Black and Red brand which you can buy on amazon."
"My favourite is Oxford Black n' Red."
#15
Rocketbook
5.0
(2)
"I have a rocket book and I love it."
"Rocketbook notebooks FTW!"
#16
Nuuna
4.5
(2)
"Nuuna. Great paper, covers made from recycled compost leather, great designs."
"I like my Nuuna notebooks. Their paper is good, covers are fun."
#17
Odyssey
4.5
(2)
"Odyssey Notebooks, Nanami Paper, and Midori are my favorites."
"Odyssey notebooks, though even if I had the money I probably wouldn't buy them."
#18
Michaels
4.5
(2)
"I have a hardcover one from Michael’s that was like $9."
"Michaels has dot grid journals that are 120 gsm, which means little to no ghosting."
#19
Caliber
4.0
(2)
"If you’re in the US, go to a CVS nearby and see if they have Caliber brand paper."
"They take fountain pen well and are very reasonably priced!"
#20
Walmart Pen & Gear
4.0
(2)
"Walmart Pen & Gear Poly notebook is really really good."
"I am currently using a Walmart Pen & Gear Poly notebook (made in India) that really surprised me with how well it’s handling fountain pen ink."
#21
Pen+Gear
4.0
(2)
"Pen+Gear from Walmart."
"If you're in the U.S., check out the Pen+Gear line at Walmart."
#22
Moleskine
3.5
(2)
"The only one that is consistently fp friendly (for me) is the cahier notebook in pocket size."
"Moleskine is mass market, not niche stationary."
#23
Travelers Company
5.0
(1)
"I carry around a pocket size Travelers Company notebook in my back pocket."
#24
TOPS
5.0
(1)
"I would recommend buying a folder, stapler, and the TOPS Engineering Computation Pad."
#25
Fabriano
5.0
(1)
"Fabriano Ecoqua are my favorite fountain pen journals."
#26
Mitsubishi
5.0
(1)
"My two favorites are Tomeo River and Mitsubishi Bank Paper."
#27
Clairfontaine
5.0
(1)
"If you can find it try paper made by Rhodia, Kokuyo Campus, or Clairfontaine."
#28
Oxford Optik
5.0
(1)
"I've had good experiences with Rhodia and Oxford Optik."
#29
Brunnen Premium Paper
5.0
(1)
"The Paper of Brunnen premium is a very good quality paper for a good cheap price."
#30
Rhodia Unlimited Series
5.0
(1)
"Check Rhodia Unlimited series. They have very white paper."
#31
Supernote
5.0
(1)
"Nearly infinite notebooks with handwriting, erasure, and hide-able layers for quizzing myself."
#32
Remarkable
5.0
(1)
"I can quiz myself by adding layers to reveal whether im correct or not and then repeat until I get it right."
#33
Japanese Brand
5.0
(1)
"Japanese brand notebooks definitely, has nice organization and nice quality paper."
#34
Sharpie
5.0
(1)
"I have had 0 issues using a Sharpie S-Gel."
#35
DesignWorks Ink
5.0
(1)
"They have some similar options but not in the burgundy that I so love."
#36
Dotgrid
5.0
(1)
"Their black paper is by far my fave to write on."
#37
Victoria’s Journals
5.0
(1)
"Try Victoria’s Journals! They have some beautiful looking covers."
#38
Life Noble
5.0
(1)
"Life Noble Notebooks are amazing for fountain pens and they look a little fancy."
#39
Midori MD
5.0
(1)
"Midori MD paper always lays flat, and you can get any number of covers for them."
#40
Swordfish Islands
5.0
(1)
"I got one of these and it's almost too lovely to use."
#41
Danika58
5.0
(1)
"They will never fall apart, I have never had bleed through."
#42
Smythson
5.0
(1)
"I bought a Panama pocket notebook as a total splurge and I absolutely adore it."
#43
Jaks Stationers
5.0
(1)
"Their shop is a goldmine of random items of stationery, notebooks and pens etc that I've been after!"
#44
Oasis
5.0
(1)
"Me enjoying my $1.50 fountain pen friendly Japanese paper OASIS notebook."
#45
Design.Y
5.0
(1)
"I love my [Design.Y]"
#46
Dingbats
4.0
(1)
"Dingbats Earth Series"
#47
Lidl
4.0
(1)
"My favorite is lidls own brand notebooks, used to be called united office, now crelando, its just a shaem theyre only available once or twice a year due to lidls seasonal offerings"
#48
Mead
4.0
(1)
"I love the cheap Mead composition books for note taking."
#49
Taobao
4.0
(1)
"Taobao A5 notebooks are surprisingly good"
#50
JetPens
4.0
(1)
"JET PENS is the way"
#51
Goulet Pens
4.0
(1)
"My favorite online stationery stores are gouletpens.com and jetpens.com."
#52
Factor Notes
4.0
(1)
"Factor notes is a good affordable brand for beginners."
#53
Basic
4.0
(1)
"I've used books from a brand called Graphique, It just didn't show the quality of the ink as I would like."
#54
Rettacy
4.0
(1)
"For my little A6 pocket notebok I'm using Rettacy which is surprisingly good for the price"
#55
Scribble & Dot
4.0
(1)
"I've had success with Scribble & Dot and Ottergami as well."
#56
Traveler's Notebook
4.0
(1)
"The starter pack is not on the cheap side, but it will last for ever as it is made of real leather."
#57
Midori MD Refills
4.0
(1)
"I can recommend Midori MD refills (A7, probably). One refill of 176 pages would be 10$ on amazon."
#58
Sterling Ink Tomoe River Paper Inserts
4.0
(1)
"Sterling Ink sells passport sized Tomoe River Paper inserts, I use them in my TN."
#59
Wanderings Cover
4.0
(1)
"I like Wanderings cover more than Traveler’s and it’s way cheaper."
#60
Pen + Gear Spiral Notebooks
4.0
(1)
"I really like pen + gear spiral notebooks with heavyweight paper."
#61
Generic Spiral Notebook
4.0
(1)
"Try a spiral notebook that has the spiral on the top."
#62
Moleskine Notebook for Painting
4.0
(1)
"The only suitable Moleskine I guess is the one for painting."
#63
Emshoi
4.0
(1)
"Emshoi Notebooks are really nice. 100gsm paper."
#64
Poppin
4.0
(1)
"Https://www.poppin.com/products/soft-cover-notebooks-mini-set-of-10-brights-107789."
#65
Hobby Notes
4.0
(1)
"This book is the 'Learning Friend' from the Hobby Notes collection."
#66
Notebook Therapy
4.0
(1)
"Not sure about A4, but try Notebook Therapy."
#67
Archer and Olive
4.0
(1)
"I personally think Archer and Olive notebooks are pretty but they are simple designs."
#68
Peter Pauper Press
4.0
(1)
"Peter pauper press is significantly more affordable than paperblanks with similar, beautiful covers."
#69
Lemome
4.0
(1)
"I'd suggest Lemome or Beechmore or Minimalism Art. Very nice A5 hardcovers."
#70
Paperblanks
4.0
(1)
"Look up the brand paperblanks. I personally have not used them but have seen them vouched for."
#71
Etsy
4.0
(1)
"There are good stardew stickers on Etsy"
#72
Field Notes
4.0
(1)
"My solution: Pocket Travelers Notebook, Refillable Leather Travel Journal for Men & Women."
#73
Kokuyo Campus Spiral Notebook
3.0
(1)
"I saw that JetPens has these spiral notebooks in 10.5” x 8” size."
#74
Decomposition Notebooks
3.0
(1)
"I like decomposition notebooks however they don't work with fountain pens if you use them."
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