General Manager's Review - The Best Moleskine Notebooks for Work
As the General Manager at JB Custom Journals, it should be no surprise that I use a variety of notebooks for a multitude of different tasks. For that reason, I’m a huge fan of Moleskine notebooks. I find that the styles of notebooks they offer provide a great platform to many different workplace needs.
Custom Moleskine notebooks find their way into almost every job I have. I use notebooks for meetings, client phone calls, marketing ideas, employee scheduling, proposals, training; the list goes on and on.
I thought I would take the opportunity to share my review of Moleskine notebooks with a focus on how the different notebooks fill my various workplace needs. This review will feature the most common Moleskine products available for your custom project; the Classic Hardcover, the Classic Softcover, the Moleskine Volant, the Moleskine Cahier, and the Moleskine Daily Planner.
Moleskine sizes and journal options are fairly standard with each of the different notebook styles they carry. Here are the features you can expect from a Moleskine notebook.
Standard Specs:
- 3 sizes – Pocket (3.5 x 5.5”), Large (5 x 8.25”), X Large (7.5 x 9.75”)
- 4 page styles – Ruled, Plain, Squared, Dotted
Classic Hard Cover in Black
Squared, Dotted, Plain, & Ruled Paper
Additional Features:
- Elastic Band Closures – Classic Hardcover, Classic Soft Cover, Planners
- Ribbon Bookmark – Classic Hardcover, Classic Soft Cover, Planners
- Inner Pocket – Classic Hardcover, Classic Soft Cover, Planners, & Cahier
- Ribbon Bookmark – Classic Hardcover, Classic Soft Cover, Planners
- Perforated Pages – Volant & last 8 pages of Cahier
The paper in all Moleskine notebooks is a nice cream color. The ruling is a narrow ruled, 8/32”, a very common and popular notebook ruling.
I also tested 6 pens from around our office on each of the Moleskine notebooks and planner in this review:
- Moleskine Classic Click Pencil
- Colorful Soft Touch Ballpoint Pen
- Pilot G-2 07
- Sakura Gelly Roll
Ohto, Sakura, Retro 51, Pilot, Colorful, Moleskine Pencil, Moleskine Pen
The paper is very smooth to write on. While you may see a little ghosting through the other side, I find that it’s not a problem. The paper quality was very consistent across each notebook style and I didn’t find that any of these pens bleed through the pages.
Moleskine Daily Planner
Best for Daily Office Needs
The large Classic Moleskine notebook is a staple around the office. Here at Jenni Bick, each new employee is given one on their first day to help with their training. I was given one on my first day and have been using one ever since.
True Orange and Prussian Blue Classic Hardcover Moleskine
The sleek and sophisticated design looks good on my desk, it’s a convenient size to keep on my desk, and the elastic band closure keeps everything in tidy. The “lay flat” design is a lifesaver when on the phone or computer and the ribbon bookmark also makes it easy to find the next blank page.
Best for Meeting Notes
I started using the X Large soft cover Moleskine notebook a couple of years ago when they released it with a dotted page style, my favorite. The X Large size provides the most space for jotting down notes in meetings and for brainstorming “big” ideas.
Soft Cover Sapphire Blue Moleskine Notebook
The Flexible cover is firm enough to fold over and write in if I’m not at a desk. The cover material and binding is also strong enough to use daily without compromising the integrity of the notebook.
Best for Organization
I tend to use both the pocket and large size Moleskine Volant. The two features that stand out the most are its color varieties and the perforated pages.
Red, Blue, and Green Moleskine Volants
With its lower price point, it’s easy to have a different color Volant for different aspects of my workday – and even easier to recognize the one I’m looking for. The perforated pages make it a great choice for jotting down random notes without having to commit them to a certain notebook.
Best for Learning
When learning new programs, attending webinars, and watching online training videos, the pocket Cahier is my go to notebook. When taking notes, I tend to jot down smaller bits of information and fill in the blanks while doing research.
The small size ensures that I keep notes brief and 64 pages is a good amount for keeping different programs and lessons in separate notebooks. The heavy-duty cardboard cover also allows me to write the notebooks purpose on.
Moleskine Daily Planner
Best for Employee Scheduling
As the General Manager, I need to keep track of our employee schedules – along with my own personal schedule. The Moleskine Daily Planner in the large size is nice for organizing meetings, deadlines, and employee time off.
Black Hardcover Moleskine Daily Planner
I use the month at a glance pages for scheduling employee time off and the day at a time format is wonderful for keeping on top of deadlines and schedules.
No matter your need, we carry a Moleskine notebook perfect for your custom project. If you want to learn more, you can get started HERE. If you need suggestions or recommendations, please REQUEST A QUOTE.