Rhodia185019C - Spiral Notebook (Full Bound) Black - A4 - Lined - 80 Detachable Sheets - White Clairefontaine Paper 80 g/m - Soft and Resistant Coated Card Cover - Classic

Note: My 5 star review does NOT take into the account the price of this notebook. High quality notebooks are ridiculously expensive and each person has to decide if they are willing to shell out that much money for writing paper. This review is based on quality and features, not price. To me, a notebook like this should cost maybe $8. Perhaps I am just getting old since everything seems too expensive any more.I am on a quest for the PERFECT notebook to use with my fountain pens for journaling and writing. I have yet to find the perfect notebook, but some manufacturers come close. This A4 top-bound lined notebook from Rhodia is one of them.Prior to trying this my favorite paper, by a wide margin, was Mnemosyne. Specifically, the 199 A4 lined notebook. Now that I have tried this, I may still lean a little toward Mnemosyne, but not by much. There are things about this paper I like more than the Mnemosyne, and some I like less. I will review this notebook below, by way of comparing it to the Mnemosyne 199, which is a notebook that I'm sure many people will also consider if considering this one.To begin, the Rhodia paper quality is excellent. One of the most important characteristics of a nice paper is how it makes your pen feel when you write on it. This is very smooth. Although smooth, it is not as silky smooth as the Mnemosyne - this paper feels a little bit "draggier". NOT scratchy, at all, which is important to note. This paper is WAY nicer than common copy paper, for instance. The Mnemosyne paper just has a tad less friction which gives more of an "Ohhh" factor when you write on it. However, I find that my ink seems to be drying quicker on this paper versus the Mnemosyne. I think the coating on the Rhodia may be a tad bit more porous, resulting in the slightly increased friction and quicker drying time. Drying time is important if you write quickly, and don't want everything to smear when you flip the page over. Sometimes I find myself having to wait 10 or 15 seconds (or blowing) before turning the page on my Mnemosyne. The wait isn't as long with the Rhodia. For frantically taking notes in class, this quicker drying paper would be an advantage.The next quality of this paper, and it REALLY shines here - is its resistance to bleed-through and ghosting. Even with my crappiest, wettest inks the bleed through and ghosting is almost non-existent. This is also a place where the Mnemosyne shines, but I think the Rhodia is a tad ahead of the Mnemosyne in this department. Either way, both are a great choice. Given how white the Rhodia paper is, I find it particularly impressive how it resists bleed-through and ghosting.About whiteness, the Rhodia paper is a nice, bright white. Great if you like bright paper. The Mnemosyne, by comparison is (intentionally) off white. I can't say that I have a preference. The Mnemosyne is really nice and theoretically less fatiguing on the eyes (maybe), but when put side to side the Mnemosyne looks dingy by comparison.The ruling lines on the Rhodia are a light purple-blue. They aren't obnoxious by any means, but I like my ruling lines a bit more understated like what the Mnemosyne does with very light gray lines made of really small dots. The Rhodia rulings are 8mm, where the Mnemosyne rulings are 7mm. The Mnemosyne does sometimes feel a bit cramped to me, the 8mm Rhodia lines are a very comfortable spacing.When it comes to writing comfort, the top binding of the Rhodia has some advantages over the side bound Mnemosyne. The rulings of the Rhodia go truly edge to edge and don't have to compete with a spiral binding on either side. I find writing without a side binding to be much more comfortable than with one. And I also appreciate the lines going edge to edge, because at the price of these notebooks I like getting the maximum number of words per page. Also, the Rhodia wastes no space on a top title section or bottom margin - it is all lines, all the time. Maximum utility.While having as many lines as possible, and running the lines edge to edge is great for economy, it does take a hit on style. When flipping through completed pages of the Rhodia it is all writing, edge to edge and top to bottom. Aesthetically it is jarring. By contrast, the Mnemosyne, and other types of notebooks that include margins, have a more "finished" look - for the same reason that novels have margins. If your main use for this paper is utility, you get your money worth with the Rhodia format. If you want to use it as a permanent journal, or diary, a side bound notebook with modest margins may be a better bet. (The Mnemosyne has, I believe, too large of a top margin on every page, front and back for Date and Title). Also, the top biding does NOT lend itself to ease of re-reading text. Unlike a side binding, which reads like a book and can remain in the same place on your desk or table to turn pages, the top binding requires you to flip the pad over for every new page (assuming you write on both sides - at this price I hope you do!).The last feature to discuss with this notebook is the cover. Compared to the Mnemosyne, the Rhodia cover is underwhelming. It looks better in pictures than in person. The cover is made of a laminated cardboard that, despite being individually wrapped in a plastic sleeve, managed to look a bit shelf-worn right out of the package. As well, the front is shiny, picking up scratches and scuffs very easily. It is a decent cover, but is leagues away from the Mnemosyne covers that are plastic and super durable. The Mnemosyne seems archival quality, the Rhodia not. Both notebooks include a think cardboard back that adds nice rigidity to them.In sum, this is great paper and a very nice notebook. I would say while the top spiral binding definitely has some advantages in writing comfort and ability to write edge to edge, it results in a less appealing finished writing product. Also, I didn't mention before, but the top binding means that there is less linear area of paper being held by the binding so the paper may be less secure under heavy use (in and out of backpack, etc.) This paper is bright white, smooth, and crazy good at resisting ghosting and bleed-through. It is the first notebook I have found that can compete with my beloved Mnemosyne. Also, I counted the total line-inches of this notebook versus the Mnemosyne, and based on current prices this notebook is a 4.5% better value for writing space.To conclude my comparison between this Rhodia A4 and the Mnemosyne 199, there is only one of these two notebooks that I would intentionally go up to an acquaintance with and say "Look at this notebook! Feel it, feel the pages! Here - write on it with my pen!" That is the Mnemosyne. But, to be fair, if they asked about the price for such a skinny notebook, I would have to be prepared to sheepishly tell them that I paid $15 for 70 sheets of paper. At least the Rhodia is a LITTLE less expensive, and has a LITTLE more writing room and edge comfort. My search for perfection continues...

Great paper. I write in it with fountain pens and it doesn’t bleed at all.

The Rhodia Notepads Graph Black Wb 8.3 x 11.7 is a dream to write on. The large dimensions allow it to be held comfortably on the lap, so a table or desk aren't required as often is the case with smaller pads of paper. The paper is white, the grids are gray, and they are perfectly printed. With micro perforations at the top of the page, removal is simple. I just received two pads and both are interesting in that the wire binding on both pads is finished with all four ends of the wire is turned in toward the center of the page. Imagine that they have been pushed inward so as to secure the spiral wires. I didn't notice this in the pads I checked out at a pen store prior to my purchase, but both of these pads share the characteristic, so there you have it. I have used mechanical pencil, rollerball, fiber tip and fountain pens on the paper and each works well. Because the paper is so smooth and substantial in weight, even with a fountain pen using dark black ink, I am able to flip a sheet over and continue writing on the reverse side. Therefore, on an 80 sheet pad, I have 160 pages which to cover with ink or graphite. I prefer the wire bound pads to the stapled pads because of the ease with which I can have a single sheet visible and I find the pad to be sturdy enough to require no other backing. Fountain pen nibs move more smoothly on this paper than most others I've used lately, and I am reminded why I first bought a pad of Rhodia paper in France many, many years ago. The graph option is my favorite but I'm likely to try the dot next. My only criticism of purchasing this from Amazon is that a sticker is applied to the back of the pad and it's annoying to work to fully remove the residue. It took a lot of rubbing because I didn't want to apply anything even though the covers are water resistant. Be aware that your pad of paper will likely not remain pristine for long. These are made to be filled and that means they will be touched, often moved from place to place. They don't hold up like a bound journal will because they are simple bound sheets of paper in a thin front and back cover with a cardboard sheet inserted at the back of the sheets of paper for support.

I love this notebook. it was worth every penny! The paper is gentle on my brush pens and the graphs make it easy to practice and try new styles. I especially like that the pens do not bleed through the other side so I can use both sides of the paper.Highly recommend!

A great paper brand - reasonably priced and fountain pen friendly.

Esse caderno é muito bom para ser usado com canetas tinteiro. Os pontinhos ajudam bastante como guia, seja para escrita ou desenho 🙂. É um caderno pequeno, mas na minha opinião serve para fazer anotações em geral 🙂

The media could not be loaded. Buena calidad y fue lo que esperaba, me gustó su diseño.

Cumple con las expectativas del producto descrito y me llego a tiempo, una esquina un poco doblada pero el cuaderno es justo el que solicite.

Rhodia n'a plus rien à prouver. C'est une marque de qualité.