Rhodia or Moleskine?

The Rhodia Large Plain Webnotebook boasts some of the best notebook paper I have ever used.

I purchased the notebook for around £9 but prices vary online and it is currently being sold for £12 on Amazon. Product description:

The Rhodia Large Plain Webnotebook, also known as the 'Webbie", is a classic alternative to the Moleskine notebook. Rhodia notebooks are manufactured in France and have already built up a cult following of their own, especially with those who like to use fountain pens. The Webbie contains 192 pages of 90g ivory Clairefontaine paper, which means that they are ideal for all pen types and a delight to write in. Each notebook also features an expanding pocket, a ribbon marker and elastic closure to keep its contents secure.

The magical Clairefontaine paper seriously is the SMOOTHEST paper I have ever written on and the quality is just so clearly luxe. I know some of my family members are always shocked by the amount of money I'm willing to spend on notebooks (they prefer your bog standard WH Smith paper) but you really do get what you pay for when it comes to Rhodia.

I do like the elastic clasp as well as the plain black cover (they also come in Orange for the non conservatives). My one main gripe is the large company logo in the center. I'd rather it was imprinted on the back but I guess I can easily cover it up.

Inside cover

Whilst it does claim to be the ideal paper for fountain pen lovers I can't say it didn't have any show through at all. There was no bleed through, yes, but show through was still apparent, even with my normal ink pens.

Nevertheless I am very happy with my Rhodia purchase and am going to be using my notebook for something that warrants keeping i.e. finding something useful to jot down that can be saved for the future (rather than keeping it for my messy free writing like I usually do).

With regards to a Moleskine notebook I was rather disappointed with my first purchase.

I didn't like the thin pages and the fact that the quality of each Moleskine varied from notebook to notebook. Having looked at reviews online it seems that Moleskine used to be a powerhouse brand for notebooks and sketchbooks but in recent years the quality hasn't been consistent across their products. Some people claim the paper is the best they have ever used and some claim it is the worst. I'm leaning somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. It isn't awful but for the price of the notebook I'd be expecting much more. Rhodia's Clairefontaine paper knocks Moleskine's paper out the park.

What I DO like about Moleskine notebooks is their size and shape. I love the fact that the corners of their pages are rounded. I also love the fact that you can get Moleskine's in different colours, sizes, limited edition designs. I use the cassette tape player notebook for inspirational quotes and images, particularly when I'm in a nostalgic mood (because nothing says the '90s to me more than a cassette tape!)

I like using a Moleskine for random doodling too. I wouldn't use Moleskine's sketchbook versions because the paper is like card and I'm not artistic AT ALL so I wouldn't have need for it since I can't do watercolour painting or charcoal work or just ANYTHING to do with drawing.

My rubbish doodles as I sat around waiting for my cousins to arrive so we could start watching a horror film. Passes the time!

As time has gone on I have become more and more attached to my Moleskine. The thin paper still annoys me but it does have a lot of good qualities and I can see why it has such a following. I ended up using my first Moleskine as a really messy journal where I stuck photos in and random notes and I love the fact the spine was able to withstand the serious battering it took.

Overall I prefer the Rhodia Webnotebook but the Moleskine comes a close second.