Very good paper, however, I'm finding that it doesn't do well with non-fountain pens and can lead to skipping.

Only reason I'm giving it a four star is because it's paper back otherwise I love it will purchase more in the future

My favorite "1951 Back to Basics" notebooks seem to be AWOL, so I began searching for an A5 replacement. Sadly, the Clairefontaine Basic just won't do. It doesn't lie flat, the corners are clunkily cropped - not rounded, the covers are flimsy, uninspiring, and ugly, and while the individual 6 groupings of pages seem to be sewn together, from what I can tell, it looks like the groups are all glued into the binding. The glue is quite visible where the first and last pages meet the covers. I'm concerned this might be a longevity/durability issue. On the plus side, the paper is good quality, and there are 192 pages. Still, have to say I'm disappointed and a little surprised at this seemingly half-hearted effort from Clairefontaine. I expected better.

I adore this particular notebook and have trouble finding it for a reasonable price. Goulet Pen Co. had it in stock and for a reasonable price. (I ordered four! Squeee!) The Goulet Family and their team are amazing. Thanks!

thick paper, doesn't bleed

thick paper, doesn’t bleed

The paper is nice, I enjoy writing in it. One problem I had, was the stitching coming loose and pages falling out of the notebook. Maybe I just got a bad one, but that was an issue I had with this notebook.

Same as it has been for many years: fantastic. High quality paper in a beautifully simple package. This is mostly using Pelikan and Diamine inks (some Edelsteins). And mostly fine nibs, FWIW.

I loved writing in this notebook! The paper is ultra smooth and handled any pen and ink combo I threw at it. I like that the elastic was easily removable. I kept it off until I finished the notebook.

So far, I genuinely love this journal. Smooth texture, minimal bleed-through. The only issue I would be concerned about is the dry time. I specifically wanted this journal to utilize my fountain pens however, I do have to leave it open for a few minutes to allow it to dry completely before closing. I did not expect to be able to close it immediately per say, but if I am done writing, I would like to be able to close without the worry of transfer. Overall though, would buy this again!

I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this notebook. Ninety-six sheets of Clairefontaine 90 gsm paper for under $10. I had read the reviews and noted the comments about problems getting it to lie flat, but I discounted those as nothing I couldn't work around. I was wrong. I won't bore you with more praise for Clairefontaine 90 gsm paper. It is simply one of the finest papers for fountain pen writing. I love it. I buy the blank A4 pads, tear out the sheets, print whatever I want on them, and bind them into whatever I want. This notebook's inability to lie flat became problematic for me. I finally gave up on it and disassembled it into its constituent parts to try to determine the cause of the problems I encountered. The notebook is composed of six sewn signatures of paper, all sewn together, then glued into the flyleaves and covers with a cloth spine. Either the QC on mine failed, or whoever is manufacturing these notebooks is using way too much glue. There is so much glue that it invades the signatures and the notebook will not lie even close to flat regardless of how firmly you press down. It took me three hands to write in this notebook: one to hold the pen and write, one to hold the writing target page, and one to hold the page opposite the writing target. That meant that I had to press the writing target page with the heel of my writing hand, while writing. And on the left page, I had to write up the curved surface or leave half the page empty. Also, about ten pages into the second signature, I started noticing bumps in the paper on the right hand side of the right page. These I traced to the metal inserts holding the elastic band to the back cover which I promptly removed. After I trim the edges off the remaining unwritten signatures, I'll have 64+ sheets of slightly-less-than A5 sized sheets of lined Clairefontaine 90 gsm paper. I'm certain I'll find a use for it.

The paper quality is excellent and the pen glides over it.

Excellent notebooks, I use a fountain pen and deliberately purchased these and they work great. No bleed through whatsoever, barely any feathering. Goulet's review on Clairefontaine products also helped inform my choice and I'm grateful they published it

For the price they are just OK. The cover unglued from the pages the first time I opened the first notebook (the other one I bought is fine). Paper seems a good quality but the line separation is a little to wide for my personal taste.

I have and regularly use a full-size Clairefontaine A4 spiral-bound notebook, and it is excellent. I was looking for something to replace my Moleskine notebook, which would be perfect except for the bleed-through on the paper. I liked that the paper in this notebook was white and not ivory, so I purchased it, ready to make it my go-to notebook for work. I was very disappointed. The notebook doesn't lay flat at all, and then within a week, the cover started to separate from the binding, the glue no longer holding everything together. I probably could have glued it back together, but it was not worth the hassle of continuing to use this a notebook that doesn't lay flat. Additionally, the lines were spaced too far apart on the paper, especially for this size. The cover feels cheap, like it's just a thicker version of the paper in the notebook stamped with a pattern to make it look a bit like leather. I have since moved on to a Mnemosyne notebook, which I am happy to say is excellent.

I've used these for years. It's great paper. I'm not interested in fancy padded covers or pockets. I use mostly Diamine and Pelikan inks with these notebooks.

Very good overall experience.

I use a lot of notebooks and usually just buy the cheapo office max items� whatever they have. But this notebook is so smooth and easy to write in that I almost don't want to use it. Almost!!! I'll be buying these from now on.

Been blowing through these since 2001 and love them. Surprisingly durable and amazing quality for the price. Never had any failures with binding and my very first still holds up well. The new design with the elastic and metal clasp is kind of annoying but I just pull it out and throw it away and it's just as good as the original design I bought years ago.

The quality of the paper/notebook is great. The only problem I have is being right handed I find it difficult to write on the left side pages when the notebook is open.

Have used it a bit, nice paper. Does not lie as flat as the Rhodia webbie which i'm using at the moment.

I wanted to touch on 1) binding, 2) how to make this notebook lay perfectly flat, 3) paper.1) I've had this notebook for a couple of years and I've been surprised with the durability of its cloth binding. None of the pages have ever fallen out on its own, without me actually ripping them out on purpose (which by the way was very difficult and I still wasn't able to get the whole page out, always leaving a strip of paper attached to the binding). When I first purchased this notebook, I was afraid of losing pages after a while. This has not happened and I've been very pleased. Clairefontaine's got this type of binding down pat!2) I have noticed some reviewers have not been able to get this notebook to lay flat. Initially, that was my experience too, but like most bound books the binding requires breaking in before it becomes pliable and will lay flat perfectly. This should always be done from the first page to the middle and from the last page to the middle, ideally in the room temperature so the glue of the spine is warm enough to easily flex. All it takes is to open the notebook and press it flat with your hands, page by page. I have attached several pictures of how well my notebook lay flat no matter what page I turn to.3) Not much to say here. We all fountain pen aficionados know this is one of the best papers there is for us. I also much prefer the 8 mm ruling over any other line spacing or type.All in all, a great notebook for the price with the best paper out there.

Paper quality outstanding

I have seen a number of reviews of this notebook line, both here and at another large web outlet. The most common complaints are the metal fasteners holding the elastic strap, and the stiff binding. These are legitimate concerns, but I simply pull the strap through a bit, super glue it, then cut the metal fastener off, then glue on a smooth business card. Problem solved! This process takes less than five minutes and is worth the effort. As for the stiff binding, yes it is a bit, but I use my notebooks for work journals, commonly filling a page a day, and they flatten out nicely. Some complaints exist regarding the line spacing, but I actually find it just right as I enter two rows of printing in every line. I have read a review elsewhere claiming that when the notebook is pressed down to lay open flat the pages fall out. I have been using two of these a year for some time now, beat them up harshly and have never had that problem. I press them down to lay flat when open, and have never had an issue with the binding failing. One reviewer on this site complained about his pen skipping as he moved down the page. I have had this issue with Graphic Image Journal paper, which is heavily filled (zero tooth and an almost glossy finish), but not with Clairefontaine journals. The issue seems to be oil from the hands coats the paper and the pens skip. I have not had this issue with Clairefontaine, but have used a separate piece of paper to rest my hand on when using the Graphic Image Journal pages. I suppose the same could be done with these. If I use a pen that is a wet writer regardless of nib, I might get a little bleed on the back of the page, but I only write on one side anyway, so this presents no issue for me. Some inks will ghost a bit, but again that would not be a problem either. I have never experienced feathering with any ink, and that would be a deal killer for me, as I use only a fountain pen to write with, and need my notes to be legible, not just for me, but for anyone who might need a copy.For fountain pen users these little notebooks are hard to beat! Providing 96 sheets in such a compact form, they are the best buy around.

I received my notebook several weeks ago, packed wonderfully as always. This is my first foray into nicer paper, but I really like it. The ink does not bleed and holds a beautiful color on the paper.

I bought a ClaireFontaine notebook and some Namiki ink cartridges from the Goulet Pen. The delivery was prompt and the packaging was impeccable. I was very happy with the product and the overall service. Will come back for more orders in the future!

I ordered this notebook seeking a fountain pen-friendly replacement for a popular notebook with a similar design. I was already familiar with Clairefontaine's Triomphe series of tablets, and wanted the same wonderful paper in a notebook form. This is the same Clairefontaine paper you spoil yourself with, so don't worry about that.What I found subpar is the binding. It's a softcover notebook with glue binding. Verso pages do not rest flat, making it uncomfortable (at least for me). If you want a notebook that rests flat, this is not the notebook for you. If that doesn't matter to you as much as it does to me, you'll likely love this product. If you see this review after purchasing and find yourself disappointed with the binding, do what I did and remove the cover altogether. It's not pretty, but I now have a scratchpad of lovely Clairefontaine paper.