Simply Genius Notebook Set - A5, Red, 6-Pack, Softcover - College Ruled Writing Journal - Notebooks for School & Travel

Comes in handy at the desk to jot down notes, thoughts and parts of conversations. Good size. Not too bulky. Good stitching. Can open and lay flat. Overall a good book.

These Simply genius A5 notebooks fit well (with a minor trim) in my Paper republic grand voyageur XL, and they are less expensive than the branded products from "PR". Smooth cream color paper, accepts fountain pens, this 6 pack costs less than a single "PR" refill! Quality seems good!

I write and journal a F*@# TON, and tend to go through notebooks and journals rather quickly, so I've been shopping around for substitutes for some of the Moleskine notebooks I frequently use. In particular, the 3pack Cahier journals. I've purchased a number of alternatives/substitutes recently (I'll post reviews when those items arrive) and among them were these Simply Genius softcover journals. They come 6 to a pack, whereas the Moleskine Cahiers come 3 to a pack, and in terms of looks, are very similar to the Moleskines (Image 1). The stitching (Image 2- Simply Genius on the left, Moleskine on the right) is even identical. As far as durability and how well the stitching holds, I'll let you know once I've put the Simply Genuis notebooks to use. One noticeable difference is the size. The Simply Genuis books are a bit wider than the Moleskines. (Image 3- Simply Genuis on the bottom, Moleskine on top.) So you get a little extra surface area on the page with these, which for some people, may or may not be much of a deal, but I thought it worth noting. Lastly, the lined pages of the notebooks vary only subtly. (Image 4- Simply Genius on the Left, Moleskine on the right.) The Simply Genius' lines are a tad wider, but not by enough to make a difference. At least not to me. Also, the Moleskines have more header space at the top of each page. Again, a minor difference, and one that doesn't matter to me. While a good substitute for writing and note-taking, the Simply Genuis does lack one notable feature of its Moleskine counterpart. They don't have the inner pocket on the back cover. But that's an easy fix. All you need is some glue and sturdy paper and you can easily fashion one for yourself. (If need be and/or desired.) The simply Genuis books also do not have detachable pages like the Moleskine. The last 16 pages of the Moleskine Cahiers are detachable. The only other difference worth mentioning is that the Moleskine does appear to have the sturdier cover of the two. It feels denser, more durable than the Simply Genuis but not by much. As far as paper weight goes, they feel to be about the same thickness, but beyond that, there's not much I can say. Once I've put the Simply Genuis books to use I can give you a better idea of the quality of the Simply Genuis' paper. Minus the slight differences, I think the Simply Genuis notebooks are a great product for the price. They aren't perfect copies of the Moleskine softcover journals, but they will make for an adequate substitute if the Moleskines are outside your price range.

Decent quality paper, great price. I use fountain pens and Noodler’s bulletproof black ink. No problems.

These were great back when I was carrying 5 different journals for different things (I use an A5 binder with loose leaf paper now). I used these as my actual journal journal. Unlike other journals I've bought at this price point, these were 90 pages instead of 60, which meant I could carry it in my bag without switching for longer periods of time. They of course get bent and crumpled at the corners being in a backpack for months at a time, but it didn't fall apart. I like to paint and marker the cover of my journals, and this one took it well with no bleeding, feathering, or chipping. The light blue on the outside is very pretty — bright and clear without being sickly sweet or childish like I find a lot of pastels to be. The paper inside is fine. I have no qualms, though I don't use it anymore. I started writing with a fountain pen and this paper can take it, though it isn't smooth enough to be enjoyable to write on. The cream color is nice and soft without being too dingy looking and the rule is a good darkness. I didn't experience any bleed through (I was using Pilot V7s primarily), but there was a lot of shadowing. (For folks who are not annoyingly paper obsessed as I have become, bleed through is when ink physically bleeds through the paper, and shadowing is when you can see the writing on the other side of the paper even if it hasn't bled through)

Exactly what I needed and in the perfect size. Paper is thick and little-to-no bleeding, just depending on the pen. No issues with the stitching.

Moleskine is a huge waste of money! As a fountain pen user I bought these notebooks because they were cheap and if the sucked I’d use them with my students. Well they were very good, so good I thought I should buy Moleskine those are way more expensive and thus better. Nope, my pens feather like crazy on Moleskine and the ink fades On these cheap simply genius notebooks my over priced ink pops and doesn’t feather at all. I use Montblanc 149, 146, 144, 225, vintage 32, 22 and several ballpoints. I’ve been very happy with this paper. If you’re spending $50 on ink don’t waste it on bad paper, this stuff is great

Love the size of the notebooks and the fact that they are "college ruled" rather than "wide-ruled'. Each page is smooth and easy to write on.