6 ms·

Why Startups Love Moleskines

23 points by coloneltcb 11y ago

lambdaelite 11y ago
I don't understand why the Moleskine brand has grown so popular when the paper quality is so poor relative to other manufacturers, e.g. Rhodia/Clairefontaine.
- ryanmcbride 11y ago
  Brand marketing and good design. Moleskines look cool, Rhodia and Clairfontaine have mostly spiral bound journals, which don't look as cool. The paper might be higher quality, but I don't imagine most users actually care that much. I've been using Moleskine for years and the paper hasn't bothered me at all. I might just be a pleb though.
  - Vexs 11y ago
    Same here, moleskine notebooks just hold up better in general, vs rohdia where by the time I've filled it up half the pages have fallen out. The paper is of good enough quality that it doesn't matter too much, and I use a fountain pen.
  - Vexs 11y ago
    Same here, Moleskine notebooks just hold up better in general, vs Rhodia where by the time I've filled it up half the pages have fallen out. The paper is of good enough quality that it doesn't matter too much, and I use a fountain pen.
  - lambdaelite 11y ago
    Moleskine paper is notorious for feathering and bleeding when used with fountain pens, even fairly dry writers. I've actually had better luck with a no-name bound book from Office Depot than I have had with Moleskines.
    - LyndsySimon 11y ago
      +1. My favorite notebook right now is a Rhodia No 18 dot pad. Staple bound is far superior to wire.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- walterbell 11y ago
  Manufacturing is outsourced. Branding assisted by private equity & IPO, http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/moleskine-goes-public http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/moleskine-...
- VeejayRampay 11y ago
  Because the Italian are even better than we French are at marketing products? :)
backwardm 11y ago
I personally can't use Moleskines. Not because of the paper or binding lacks quality, but because they _are_ so nice—I can't bring myself to "mess up" an expensive notebook with my notes. I much prefer to use regular copy paper. That way, I can freely get ideas out without worrying about messing up a relatively expensive notebook. Once as an experiment, I bought a Moleskine, unwrapped it and promptly scribbled like mad on the first page in an attempt to get past that. Didn't work—I still felt really bad about it.
- Semiapies 11y ago
  I used to get the little pocket ones that were $10 for 3 and had no trouble writing in them. Field Notes have the same price point, but I like their paper better. (The top of a page in particular has space I can put a title that'll stand out.)
- phaus 11y ago
  Moleskines look like nice notebooks, but the paper actually does lack quality. It feathers and bleeds with most nice pens and pretty much all fountain pens.
BrianEatWorld 11y ago
I agree with the point about the benefits of physicals notes, but I still don't understand what is so special about Moleskines. Maybe it was just because I was an early hire and not a founder, but I actually preferred Mead's line of Five-Star notebooks. Since I had to wear a variety of hats, from eng to hr to content creation, the subject dividers were great for keeping everything straight. They also seem to last forever. My only wish was that they intermingled some engineering style quadrille sheets with their college rule.
- ethanbond 11y ago
  Moleskines seem incredibly overrated to me. No organizational assistance, no features (that's fine) and not even high grade paper/materials. Rhodia/Leuchtturm1917/Clairefontaine at least feel/look awesome to write on with minimal bleed. Edit: Just saw there are like three comments already pointing all of this out... But yeah, the minimalism isn't the problem. Minimalism without quality is an odd success story though.
  - camillomiller 11y ago
    Quality is there. Price might be a bit inflated, but that's marketing. While I agree that there are many similar options for a book-type common notebook, I still have to find a reporter notebook that beats the overall quality of Moleskine's Reporter.
- teh_klev 11y ago
  I'm very much a physical note taker, but like yourself I cannot grasp the attraction of Moleskines. Yes they're nice things but I'm constantly crossing out (only so much that I can still go back and reference if need be) and rethinking stuff on paper. At my current rate of scrawling Moleskines would be a hugely expensive habit to maintain. Personally I prefer "Black n' Red"'s hardback ring bound note books. The paper's quite nice and there's no ink bleeding from my fountain pen (which incidentally is a cheap Parker Vector). Maybe I'm just not artisanal enough.
- Semiapies 11y ago
  You might take a look at Field Notes ( http://fieldnotesbrand.com http://fieldnotesbrand.com ); they have a few different options.
jseliger 11y ago
I prefer Rhodia: http://jakeseliger.com/2013/01/05/product-review-rhodia-webbie-webnotebook/ http://jakeseliger.com/2013/01/05/product-review-rhodia-webb... after this happened: http://jakeseliger.com/2011/05/11/eight-years-of-writing-and-the-first-busted-moleskine/ http://jakeseliger.com/2011/05/11/eight-years-of-writing-and.... Nonetheless I do get the point and still prefer physical notebooks for the reasons described in the article.
nosuchthing 11y ago
Moleskins arn't that great. Only the last half of the pages are perforated. The pocket is nice but it's prone to ripping because it's just paper. And for such a simple notebook it's absurdly over priced. I happened to find a pocket journal made for kids from Japan that cost $1.50, the paper is higher quality than moleskins, it's spiral bound, has a clear plastic pocket area with a flap that can be used as a page marker, and the cover has an dual elastic bands that can also be used as page markers or just securing the entire notebook closed. It fits neatly in my pocket. Also it has a cute anthropomorphized bear on the cover with inspirational engrish. For larger notebooks, staples carries a line of recycled sugarcane notebooks which has excellent paper quality, comes with covers either blank or monochrome geometric designs, and only costs about $5.
justinsingh 11y ago
When I use a (Lechtrum) moleskine, I feel like I am creating an artisan product that is an extension of my thoughts- something to be kept as a remnant of my mind. I fill up the table of contents section with close attention. The page numbers remind me of my progress more clearly. Filling in the date section is a simple feature that reminds me how long it has been since I last used the respective notebook, as I have graph paper moleskines and lined paper moleskines. These simple features make my notes feel more important, and as a result I take much greater care with the clarity and explanation of my notes. Personally, after having spent about a year using moleskines, my productivity and enjoyment with taking notes has increased significantly.
- teh_klev 11y ago
  Blimey, I am genuinely unsure if this is a parody comment or not.
  - justinsingh 11y ago
    It's not a parody comment. I am a big fan of writing, and products that make my writing feel more valuable make me care more about what I am writing. It's as simple as that.
sebbean 11y ago
they do?
sebbean 11y ago
they do?
boondaburrah 11y ago
I've been exposed to asian style lined notebooks while in Japan and can't go back. I use the Kokuyo or Mauruman loose-leaf paper in a binder and it has little marks on the rules to help you line up your characters. Of course for me this makes perfect writing/graphing paper, since the regular marks stand in for a grid in a pinch. Also the paper quality is much smoother then mead/staples whatever. Some may like that, some may not. I do.

23 points by coloneltcb 11y ago

I don't understand why the Moleskine brand has grown so popular when the paper quality is so poor relative to other manufacturers, e.g. Rhodia/Clairefontaine.

ryanmcbride 11y ago
Brand marketing and good design. Moleskines look cool, Rhodia and Clairfontaine have mostly spiral bound journals, which don't look as cool. The paper might be higher quality, but I don't imagine most users actually care that much. I've been using Moleskine for years and the paper hasn't bothered me at all. I might just be a pleb though.
- Vexs 11y ago
  Same here, moleskine notebooks just hold up better in general, vs rohdia where by the time I've filled it up half the pages have fallen out. The paper is of good enough quality that it doesn't matter too much, and I use a fountain pen.
- Vexs 11y ago
  Same here, Moleskine notebooks just hold up better in general, vs Rhodia where by the time I've filled it up half the pages have fallen out. The paper is of good enough quality that it doesn't matter too much, and I use a fountain pen.
- lambdaelite 11y ago
  Moleskine paper is notorious for feathering and bleeding when used with fountain pens, even fairly dry writers. I've actually had better luck with a no-name bound book from Office Depot than I have had with Moleskines.
  - LyndsySimon 11y ago
    +1. My favorite notebook right now is a Rhodia No 18 dot pad. Staple bound is far superior to wire.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
walterbell 11y ago
Manufacturing is outsourced. Branding assisted by private equity & IPO, http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/moleskine-goes-public http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/moleskine-...
VeejayRampay 11y ago
Because the Italian are even better than we French are at marketing products? :)

backwardm 11y ago

I personally can't use Moleskines. Not because of the paper or binding lacks quality, but because they _are_ so nice—I can't bring myself to "mess up" an expensive notebook with my notes. I much prefer to use regular copy paper. That way, I can freely get ideas out without worrying about messing up a relatively expensive notebook. Once as an experiment, I bought a Moleskine, unwrapped it and promptly scribbled like mad on the first page in an attempt to get past that. Didn't work—I still felt really bad about it.

Semiapies 11y ago
I used to get the little pocket ones that were $10 for 3 and had no trouble writing in them. Field Notes have the same price point, but I like their paper better. (The top of a page in particular has space I can put a title that'll stand out.)
phaus 11y ago
Moleskines look like nice notebooks, but the paper actually does lack quality. It feathers and bleeds with most nice pens and pretty much all fountain pens.

BrianEatWorld 11y ago

I agree with the point about the benefits of physicals notes, but I still don't understand what is so special about Moleskines. Maybe it was just because I was an early hire and not a founder, but I actually preferred Mead's line of Five-Star notebooks. Since I had to wear a variety of hats, from eng to hr to content creation, the subject dividers were great for keeping everything straight. They also seem to last forever. My only wish was that they intermingled some engineering style quadrille sheets with their college rule.

ethanbond 11y ago
Moleskines seem incredibly overrated to me. No organizational assistance, no features (that's fine) and not even high grade paper/materials. Rhodia/Leuchtturm1917/Clairefontaine at least feel/look awesome to write on with minimal bleed. Edit: Just saw there are like three comments already pointing all of this out... But yeah, the minimalism isn't the problem. Minimalism without quality is an odd success story though.
- camillomiller 11y ago
  Quality is there. Price might be a bit inflated, but that's marketing. While I agree that there are many similar options for a book-type common notebook, I still have to find a reporter notebook that beats the overall quality of Moleskine's Reporter.
teh_klev 11y ago
I'm very much a physical note taker, but like yourself I cannot grasp the attraction of Moleskines. Yes they're nice things but I'm constantly crossing out (only so much that I can still go back and reference if need be) and rethinking stuff on paper. At my current rate of scrawling Moleskines would be a hugely expensive habit to maintain. Personally I prefer "Black n' Red"'s hardback ring bound note books. The paper's quite nice and there's no ink bleeding from my fountain pen (which incidentally is a cheap Parker Vector). Maybe I'm just not artisanal enough.
Semiapies 11y ago
You might take a look at Field Notes ( http://fieldnotesbrand.com http://fieldnotesbrand.com ); they have a few different options.

jseliger 11y ago

I prefer Rhodia: http://jakeseliger.com/2013/01/05/product-review-rhodia-webbie-webnotebook/ http://jakeseliger.com/2013/01/05/product-review-rhodia-webb... after this happened: http://jakeseliger.com/2011/05/11/eight-years-of-writing-and-the-first-busted-moleskine/ http://jakeseliger.com/2011/05/11/eight-years-of-writing-and.... Nonetheless I do get the point and still prefer physical notebooks for the reasons described in the article.

nosuchthing 11y ago

Moleskins arn't that great. Only the last half of the pages are perforated. The pocket is nice but it's prone to ripping because it's just paper. And for such a simple notebook it's absurdly over priced. I happened to find a pocket journal made for kids from Japan that cost $1.50, the paper is higher quality than moleskins, it's spiral bound, has a clear plastic pocket area with a flap that can be used as a page marker, and the cover has an dual elastic bands that can also be used as page markers or just securing the entire notebook closed. It fits neatly in my pocket. Also it has a cute anthropomorphized bear on the cover with inspirational engrish. For larger notebooks, staples carries a line of recycled sugarcane notebooks which has excellent paper quality, comes with covers either blank or monochrome geometric designs, and only costs about $5.

justinsingh 11y ago

When I use a (Lechtrum) moleskine, I feel like I am creating an artisan product that is an extension of my thoughts- something to be kept as a remnant of my mind. I fill up the table of contents section with close attention. The page numbers remind me of my progress more clearly. Filling in the date section is a simple feature that reminds me how long it has been since I last used the respective notebook, as I have graph paper moleskines and lined paper moleskines. These simple features make my notes feel more important, and as a result I take much greater care with the clarity and explanation of my notes. Personally, after having spent about a year using moleskines, my productivity and enjoyment with taking notes has increased significantly.

teh_klev 11y ago
Blimey, I am genuinely unsure if this is a parody comment or not.
- justinsingh 11y ago
  It's not a parody comment. I am a big fan of writing, and products that make my writing feel more valuable make me care more about what I am writing. It's as simple as that.

sebbean 11y ago

they do?

sebbean 11y ago

they do?

boondaburrah 11y ago

I've been exposed to asian style lined notebooks while in Japan and can't go back. I use the Kokuyo or Mauruman loose-leaf paper in a binder and it has little marks on the rules to help you line up your characters. Of course for me this makes perfect writing/graphing paper, since the regular marks stand in for a grid in a pinch. Also the paper quality is much smoother then mead/staples whatever. Some may like that, some may not. I do.