LEUCHTTURM1917 - Notebook Softcover Paperback B6+ - 123 Numbered Pages for Writing and Journaling (Ruled, Black)

I first reviewed this notebook about a year ago and gave it a two-star rating due to paper quality, as I had experienced significant ghosting and bleed through on the test pages I did in the back of the notebook. However, after finally getting around to using this notebook a bit more throughly (as a garden journal), I discovered that the quality on those initial pages did not really reflect the paper quality of the pages throughout most of the rest of the notebook. I guess it was a fluke that I received a book with a few wonky pages in the back. I decided to rewrite my review after using this notebook a bit more thoroughly, as my impressions have changed quite a bit.In my earlier review, I mentioned that the binding in these notebooks is excellent and that still holds true. The covers are rich, vibrant and very flexible. I find the two thin ribbons quite convenient and I appreciate the pocket in the back of each notebook. The pocket comes in handy for storing small things like receipts, tickets, passes, etc. It’s thick and well made, so it doesn’t interfere with drawing in the journal, even when you have several things in there. I actually have a couple of herb seed packets (small seeds) in there right now and they aren’t causing any issues as I write! I never feel the outer elastic of the notebook as I’m writing, either, which is a bonus.As for the paper quality, it’s better than I initially thought. Ghosting is very noticeable, so if you don’t like seeing your writing from the front of a sheet on the back, this is NOT the right notebook for you. That said, on the thin, cream-colored pages, I don’t actually mind the ghosting at all. It reminds me of older books with thin pages where you see the text from the back to the front. I actually rather like it. If I want a clean illustration with nothing showing through from behind it, I simply leave the other side of the page blank. Unfortunately, in a notebook with so few pages, leaving pages blank is not necessarily ideal. Still, I don’t find that I do it very often.As for bleed through, it is actually much more minimal overall than my initial test pages suggested. I found most fineliners, Tombow brush pens, Artist Loft brush pens and even some water-based markers and highlighters don’t really bleed unless you linger too long in one place. It’s also a bit color dependent in the case of markers. But, overall, bleeding really isn’t bad on this paper. I have not tried watercolor or gouache at this point, so I don’t know if there would be bleed through. I have not tried fountain pens yet, either. I would be hesitant to do so, TBH.My biggest complain is really the price of these notebooks for the amount of pages that you get. There are 123 numbered pages in this notebook, which really isn’t a lot. These notebooks wouldn’t be suitable for a bullet journal setup unless you want to use about six of them per year, which would get quite costly. They would be suitable for a B6-Slim sized traveler’s notebook setup, but depending on how often you’d need to swap them out, the price could get rather high over time. I’m also not a fan of built-in indexes or pre-numbered pages. But, it’s really a personal preference. Some people love them, just not me. The numbering on the pages is quite light, so it’s not distracting, but I do prefer to add page numbers myself.I actually like this notebooks much more than I initially did, so I have raised my review to 4 stars, knocking one star for the price point, as I do think it’s too high for the number of pages in a notebook. Whether you’ll like this notebook will depend heavily on how you feel about ghosting, thin pages and pre-numbering, as well as what materials you’d like to use in its pages.If you found this review helpful, please mark it as ‘helpful’ to let others know. Thanks! :)

This journal is the perfect size for me and I love the color and the band closure, however the paper is just too thin for me. In the photo you can see the there is severe bleeding and ghosting. You can even see the previous page nearly completely, and I can see the writing on the back of the page completely, even with my micron pens. If you reference the photo, the black is an ultra fine sharpie, the text in the boxes is a papermate felt tip pen, and the columns on the right next to the doodles is a crayola super tips marker. I do love the size, weight, elastic closure and color, so I’m going to use it despite being unhappy knowing my pens ghost through and text can be seen from the previous page.

I was looking for a second bullet journal to replace my first one since it has been filled. Since I keep this journal to log my daily activities, appointments, and plan my day, I was willing to shell out a little more to get a higher-end model. My last hardcover model cost me $5 and just started to fall apart when it was retired, and while this one was quite a bit more, I figured it would be worth it for something so important.I get my journal pretty quickly and start to transfer over the transitional info from my old journal to the new one. Right away, the cover looks great. I was nervous about a softcover, but this one looks like it could stand the test of time. So far, so good.I appreciated being thanked twice for buying it. Once on the paper wrapper and again with what looks like a hand-signed note inside. They should be thanking me based on the price alone, to be honest.The table of contents looks great. Nice and orderly. Only two pages instead of four in my last journal, which I thought was weird.I fill out my first few key pages and my contact information. I now own this thing.I go to fill out my monthly planner.Here is where the problems start.First, the pages are super thin. I know many bullet journalers use various types of pens. Forget about using any ink on these pages. I use a PENCIL, and the words from page 2 can be seen on page 4 when the pages lay flat. That's how thin they are. There's no way ink is not going to bleed through, let alone be read through these transparent pages.Second, and the dealbreaker. I try to plan my layout so the pages are efficiently arranged. April 1, 2, 3, 4... 27, 28, wth? Technically there are only 28 lines, but even if I use the header, which all say "datum/date" btw, and the very bottom footer, I can stretch to 30. They couldn't have organized this book to have even one more line?! I could have made that work. My last one had 37 glorious lines. Luxury by german standards, I guess.There's no way I am going to carry this thing every day and plan the next 14 months of my life with this kind of issue. Especially at this price. It seems small, but if the company tag line is "details make all the difference," someone should have considered the possibility that it would be able to track a whole month on one page.One new journal, few pages are written in so can't be returned, is now going to the bottom of a drawer somewhere. What a shame. I had such high hopes!

I usually stick to Rhodia notebooks, but I heard that Leuchtturm was the same, if not better. It was a little more expensive than a comparable Rhodia, but I decided to try it.I was surprised when I opened it and used it for the first time - one of the bookmarks fell out. I find the paper quality for use with a fountain pen about the same as the Rhodia in terms of the smooth finish and lack of bleed-through. No worse, but no better.Then I read more about the company and realized that the notebook isn't made in Hamburg, Germany - it's made in China, obviously without close local supervision. Leuchtturm's "belief that success stems from quality and well thought-out detailed solutions" rings hollow when simple things like gluing in a bookmark aren't done correctly.

I bought this notebook because I wanted to start a journal and the Leuchturm 1917 always has rave reviews. But I'm not impressed with the paper! The bleeding is TERRIBLE - even a BIRO shows up on the other side!?? Have I been sent a bad one? I bought the B6 size as it's so cute and portable, but I guess they don't invest in this size as much as the A5? The A5 is the standard "bullet journal" size so perhaps they use better paper for that? Sort it out, Leuchturm, your notebooks aren't the cheapest, I expected better paper quality than that.

I love this particular notebook, and have had a few from Leuchtturm. This one is for taking notes when listening to talks. It is very well constructed, not too big, flexible, and benefits for the usual Leuchtturm refinements such as contents page (very helpful!), rear pocket, and double page markers.The paper quality is second to none, especially if (like me) you prefer to use a fountain pen. I did recently use a well known disposable fountain pen (a gift), but the ink quality was questionable and resulted in slightly stronger bleed through to the next page. Otherwise, top banana! Thos one remains my go-to notebook.

i have been using and loving this brand for a long time, this is larger than the journals i usually get but i much prefer it.paper is very good quality, as is everything else, the cover is a beautiful grey and is very strong and durable but bendy.package arrived faster than i expected and packaged very nicely, i appreciated that it was also wrapped in a layer of tissue paper as it felt like opening a gift and that cheered me up.i highly reccomend this brand and also this seller.

This is a decent notebook in a very attractive format, compact yet comfortable to use. The paper is thin, bleeds through, but it's not a disadvantage, just don't use a fountain pen on it. 12+ pounds is just way too much for it, really. If Leuchtturm lowers the price, then go for it - it's a good little handy notebook.

It's a Leuchtturm, and the new B6+ size feels great. I own an A4 master, A5 softcover, three A5 hardcovers, an A6 softcover, and several A6 hardcovers from Lauchtturm1917 all of which hold up their reputation for detail and quality.