Moleskines

The look good and feel nice, but I don't use one.

Jesse, firstly, there are cheaper versions of Moleskines around, so if you're not sure it's probably worth buying one of them first as a trial. Really all a Moleskine is a nicely turned out, sturdy notebook. Sturdy is important because if you are going to write everything down in it and take it everywhere, it is going to have to last a fair while.

Nicely turned out is a bonus that some people find important, others don't care and use a standard notebook from the newsagent.

The Pocket at the back is handy for storing business cards and loose paper temporarily, and there's a string bookmark to keep your page.

So I'd say the main point of the moleskine over other notebooks is its sturdiness.

Probably just sticking to one notebook at a time will ease your frustration as much as a Moleskine purchase, they are not the cheapest though. Maybe that's the key - the extra expense of the Moleskine will ensure you use the damn thing, just like gym memberships.

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I used to think the same thing, question why a notebook was worth that extra $$. Then I got one, and I promptly changed my opinion of it. Besides the fantastic construction, the paper is like silk to the touch and the binding makes it look a lot nicer than your average notebook. Plus it's the only notebook that has a history in regards to famous writers, although that did not influence my decision to try it out.

I'm a heavy notebook user, but I've never quite been able to persuade myself to go for the Moleskine. I keep looking at them and trying to decide if they are worth me paying that much more and thinking, no.

If I was hiking around rural China and recording my journey with a Mont Blanc fountain pen, in beautiful writing, then maybe. But for now I'm happy with my Pukka or Oxford pads (with the polypropelene covers for preference) to write/scrawl in with a uni-ball and shove back into my back pack. :P I fill them up so fast they don't have time to fall apart anyway. Plus I like wirebound books that lie flat.

Besides the fantastic construction, the paper is like silk to the touch and the binding makes it look a lot nicer than your average notebook.

-"tpermuy"

That's what I meant by nicely turned out. :)

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Here's an article dispelling the myth that Moleskins were used by Hemingway and other famous people from long ago:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/16/mmole_ed3_.php

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I originally bought a moleskine with the sketch panels for my husband to use with his filmwork. I became partial to them because of their durability, various sizes and styles. Since I usually use multiple journals at a time, I would wind up with notebooks of different sizes, colors and styles and it just looked sloppy and messy on my shelf, plus some just looked like they were for school children.

Moleskines are beyond what I would like to pay but I find they last quite a long time so I don’t buy them very often.

My husband doesn’t carry his in his back pocket but he’s tough on his more than I and we’ve yet to lose any pages. The binding and covers are still in tact and we carry them daily.

ETA: When we first purchased them, we’d never seen them before and didn’t know they were—well at least not at the time would eventually become trendy, elitists symbols. We just wanted a sufficient quality notebook for our various uses.

The main thing about Moleskins are that they are "cool" - nice Kinesthetics. Like a
fine pen, the look & feel is addictive. And the size is small enough that you can tuck
one in your (jacket) inner pocket, in some pants, or in the front compartment of a
backpack. Some people even hollow them out & use them as a wallet. The hokey
marketing is sort of "un-marketing", they don't make a secret of the fact that they
are doing hokey marketing - it's all part of the package/spirit of the Moleskin sub-culture.
I'm not one of them, but there are a lot of Moleskin fanatics out there.

hth,

-steve

Well, I caved and got a Moleskine. I happened to have some gift vouchers from my birthday for a department store that sells them, so I got one of the 5x8 & 1/4 ruled notebooks. I'm nearly finished my current notebook/journal, so I'll use the Moleskine next, just to try it out. Unless I seriously fall in love I expect it will be my one and only, but at least it will satisfy my curiosity, get it out of my system and since I got it with vouchers it didn't cost me anything!

welcome to the secret cult of moleskineism, junkfood... :)

Personally, I do not use Moleskines because I do not like carrying around a bunch of stuff that is old/expired. A big part of a notebook for me is that I can jot down an idea or thought to process later. Well with a moleskine, after I do that I have to carry it around until I finish the entire book. Plus they are very expensive!

I use Myndology notebooks, because I can easily remove and re-order pages using the disc-bound system. I bought all three sizes (index, journal, and letter) and I carry the index around with me, journal in my backpack, and letter at home. On top of that, they look really sleek.

http://www.myndology.com

I use the moleskine as a temporary input device. As soon as I process the text, i tear the page out.
But now that I'm running my gtd system off of Gmail, i find myself using it less and less.
Because I just enter any gtd system input directly into Gmail running on my Blackberry, as an email to
myself. It's only when I'm on the phone taking something longer down really quickly, or taking
notes that I need to use a pen.

The myndology.com server seems to be down... but will check those out.

-steve

I'm quite enjoying the Moleskine, the paper is nice to write on and is fine with my various favourite pens. But I find the ruled lines a bit too small for my writing which tends to be a bit big. It's nice, but not so nice that I'm coverted to Moleskine only, I don't think they are actually worth that premium price, not for me anyway.

I guess I am among the few who doesn't think Moleskines are all that pricey. About $15, but they last me forever. Other journals I see at the bookstore are usually more than that and not as good quality. I love a couple things about Moleskines: The bindings really hold up, the paper is smooth and feels great, I love their clean lines and simple design. I also love the pocket in the back and the attached bookmark.

I have several different Moleskines that I use, they help keep me organized. I have a regular lined notebook for journal writing, a sketchbook for drawing, and a pocket sketch-book that I carry with me for idea-capturing, lists, directions, books to read, playlists, etc. I use each one everyday and I love them. :)

Strangely, I have yet to see the Moleskine planner anywhere, though I'm sure I could order one online.

oOoOoO! I want a moleskine now!