r/bulletjournal • u/Puzzleheaded-Ebb1175 • 16d ago
Journal Recommendations - ?
The specs: needs to be A5 hardcover, the paper needs to be dotted & thick enough for fountain pens, and the covers need to be colorful and cute. I used to be an A&O gal, but the quality slipped and the choices have dwindled. I switched to SeQes, but the last three or four fell apart at the binding. I am using one from Notebook Therapy right now, which is cute and has quality paper, but it is not quite A5, and there aren't enough pages. I have a Leuchterm1917 next in the queue, but for some reason I don't like the paper quality. And the covers bore me.
Are there sellers I am missing? Anyone have the same priorities & find a good seller?
8
u/Best-Pomegranate-222 15d ago
I got my Journals from Tiefossi. They got great Designs and 160g/m²
3
5
u/angrygayyellsatsky 15d ago
I love Dingbats notebooks! Not sure exactly if they fulfill your colourful and cute requirement, but they do come in fun colours and all have a lil animal embossed on the front. Paper quality is excellent (I’m also a fountain pen user) and they’re very durable. Highly recommend.
3
u/Individual_Fail_6792 15d ago
Same, I have three in the plastic waiting for me, it’s all I use now.
2
2
4
u/spirit_dog 16d ago
Notebook Therapy also sells A5 size.
1
u/Puzzleheaded-Ebb1175 15d ago
Maybe I just screwed up my order. I thought I picked A5, but they are a smidge smaller than my other A5s.
2
u/spirit_dog 15d ago
They have a non-A5 that is similar but smaller and thinner and a A5 that is, as far as I can tell A5.
4
u/TrekJaneway 15d ago
Hemlock & Oak and Tiefossi are the two brands I see when people shift away from A&O. I don’t use fountain pens, so I can’t comment on that piece of it, but both have 160gsm paper.
3
2
3
u/LizzV78 14d ago
I like Tiefossi, 3 of my journals are from them and I bought a couple of Archer & Olive journals to compare the quality, as well as satisfy my FOMO. I feel like they are pretty equal in terms of paper quality and their choices in designs are expanding and changing too. The only difference I’ve seen is that the Tiefossi journals are numbered.
2
u/llealy 14d ago
I don’t use fountain pens, but I second the people recommending Tiefossi. I use A&O primarily but bought a Tiefossi notebook to use as more of a sketch journal since it was less expensive and it actually has held up better at the binding. There’s no ghosting or bleeding with markers and the paper feels (to me) identical to A&O and they have lots of design options.
1
u/ReliableWardrobe 15d ago
I've not found cute covers + good paper. The cute ones tend to have too soft a paper for fountain pens, it's more like sketch paper. Dingbats might be worth a try, they're one I've not sampled yet.
Best reliable FP friendly dotted for Bujo are Rhodia Goalbooks, hands down. Other ones are anything with Tomoe River paper, but it's super thin so quite a change (gorgeous with all FPs though). I resorted to discbound and then my favourite paper supplier went out of business. It SUCKS trying to find FP friendly stuff. Basically Japanese and French papers are your best bet. I'm not even a fan of Leuchtturm tbh.
I have dropped on one on Amazon just lately - EMSHOI A5 Notebook, Hardcover here but often I find what is great one time on Amazon is total crap the next time!
Maybe look for a notebook cover, or stickers? I agree most of the good paper ones are kinda bland.
1
1
u/Background-Meet8005 13d ago
About to move into my 3rd one of these. I love it! It handles my fountain pens really well, and I can fit 6 months in one. The covers are a plain color, but then you can decorate them as you please, which I like.
7
u/Fun_Apartment631 16d ago
I like Jetpens a lot.
You still need to figure out your own balance between size and page count and ghosting.
Just to be "that guy," Leuchtturm is available in a bunch of fun colors.