I had never heard of the Leuchtturm product line prior to receiving this sample from Cynthia at JournalingArts.com, but I am very glad to be aware of it now. On the exterior, it looks like your standard Moleskine pocket journal, and the Moleskine similarities are there througout the notebook. This is a good thing in my opinion, and a few minor differences make this a viable Moleskine alternative for those looking for something different.
I don't have a huge stock of notebooks or journals laying around, but this is the first one to come with numbered pages. I thought "Big deal, why would I ever care about numbered pages in a journal?", but as I am finding out as I am filling up my large lined Piccadilly journal, I have to keep flipping back to previous pages to track down some of the notes I made. With the Leuchtturm, the combination of numbered pages and the blank Table of Contents in the front of the book are a welcome addition. I know many DIYers take care of this themselves in their Moleskines, but I haven't been that adventurous yet. (My wife refers to this as "lazy")
The Leuchtturm also has a date field on the top line of the page, a well constructed pocket on the inside back cover, and some very cool labels for the front, back, and spine of the journal. The paper is a bit thin, meaning I am able to see the ink from the backside of the page, but there is no bleed or feathering to speak of, so that is fine by me. The Platinum Preppy was the only fountain pen I had handy at the time of review, and it performed like a champ.
The Leuchtturm Pocket Lined Journal runs $8.99/each at JournalingArts.com, or order three or more and knock the price down to $8.23/ea. This is a very viable Moleskine alternative, and I am very happy with its performance in my limited time with it. Big thanks to Cynthia for sending this to me, and be sure to follow her on Twitter also @journalingarts.
Full Specs:
• 187 numbered pages of acid-free paper
• Last 32 sheets detachable
• Folder pocket in the back cover
• Table of contents in the front of the journal
• Bookmark ribbon
• Thread-bound binding opens flat
• Hard protective cover with elastic closure
• Title and spine archiving labels
• Size: 3½" x 6" or 9 x 15 cm
