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Generic Moleskine?

PREFACE: I realize I am risking heresy here, but here goes.

I happened to be at Staples this past week, and noticed a display of multicolored notebooks. One particular size caught my eye, because it looked very similar to the Moleskine pocket notebook, even sporting an elastic strap. I picked it up condescendingly, expecting to scoff at its inferior construction and features.

However, much to my surprise, the notebook looks and feels almost identical to a Moleskine. Even the back pocket looks the same. Click the image for several comparison photos. The UPC label says "Markings by C. R. Gibson" but on the C. R. Gibson website, I can find no information on these notebooks.

The notebook was $5.99 at Staples, cheaper than the $10.00 Moleskine. Has anyone else seen these? My biggest concern is whether or not the paper is acid-free. Does anyone know how I could find that out? If it turns out to be, and you want to save a little cash, you might want to try hitting up your local Staples for this little notebook.

TOPICS: Lofi
tammycravit's picture

I bought one of the...

I bought one of the "faux Moleskines" from Staples to use for this last refactoring of my GTD system, because I didn't have a blank Moleskine around and the nearest store that carries them is a Borders 60 miles away. The one I have has a sort of brown suede-like cover, which I don't like, but my local Staples doesn't have any of the black ones yet.

Good points:

  • The notebook is essentially the same size as my small Moleskine, so the two stack nicely in my purse
  • The paper is the same beige (more or less) as the Moleskine, which hurts my eyes less than white paper after a while.
  • $5.99 is cheaper than the $8.00 or so I pay for Moleskines at Borders ($10 minus a 20% discount because my business has a Borders corporate account)

Bad points:

  • The paper is of somewhat poorer quality than the Moleskine; the Fahrney's Private Reserve ink in my fountain pen bleeds through a lot more in the Markings book than in the Moleskine.
  • The notebook I got doesn't have a pocket in the back like a Moleskine. (Does someone who has the black Markings Moleskine clones instead of the suede-ish one comment on this?)
  • Overall, the workmanship on the Markings notebook isn't quite as good, in my opinion.

My overall impression: The Markings books are okay in a pinch, but I think I'd rather spend the extra money for real Moleskines next time.

-- Tammy

 
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