Review: Moleskine Weekly 2012 Planner From European Paper

I won this little guy at European Paper (do you follow them? I sure hope so.). Not long after winning, I received my Moleskine 2012 Weekly Notebook Diary/Planner in the mail (in a very cute little package and a cute little brown bag). I wish I had taken a picture of the little bag but my zeal to get INTO the package overtook my common sense. Story of my life, right there.

The planner is small and cute. It’s a soft cover which I prefer over the hardcover versions - a soft, bendable cover but it does provide some support when writing on the pages. It is 18 months (July 2011 - December 2012) but because of the layout, it’s not terribly thick for being a 1.5 year planner. There’s a cloth ribbon and an elastic enclosure that is decently snug so it won’t slip off!

Upon opening, there is a little pamplet detailing the history of the Moleskine notebook as well as a Quality Control identification number. The pamphlet says:

You will find your notebook identification number in the back pocket. Keep it safe. Every notebook is handmade and has been carefully checked for quality. If, despite our best efforts, we have overlooked a defect of any kind, please let us know. ...

I think that’s really cool. I have personally had problems with my Moleskine notebooks in the past, where the binding just fell apart even though they were fairly new. They're obviouly trying to improve their quality so I commend them on that. Maybe next they can make some heavier paper...

The first few pages are the usual - personal information, in case of loss please return to, etc. There are a few pages of month-on-a-page and yearly view pages, then some other pages of dialing codes and other not terribly exciting things.

I really like the layout of this planner. I had one two years ago and the layout was just so useful - a week on a page on the left side, and a lined page for notes on the right side. It was almost perfect. The font choice is also very tasteful and there’s no clutter on the pages. The month is at the top of the right page along with the week number. It is also very portable!

Moleskine Weekly Planner compared to Personal size Filofax

Filofax contains 2011 and 2012 week-on-two-pages planner and a bunch of miscellaneous other pages so it is quite thick.

You may not know this, but I love stickers. Therefore, to me, the most exciting part of this entire planner was tucked away in the back pocket (oh yeah, there’s a back pocket!). There are three pages of really adorable stickers in orangey-red, lime green, and grey. They have various pictures on them: happy faces, sad faces, anniversaries, question marks, hearts, music notes, and more. But since it’s more exciting to SEE them than to hear me blab about them, here they are:

I wish there were more stickers because, I mean, there’s three “to remember”  stickers. I have a rotten memory. I have to write EVERYTHING down. There’s also some that say “stamp duty”. I have no idea what that means. And they should add some pet stickers - perhaps paw prints, to indicate vet appointments or something. Nevertheless, the stickers are a great and super cute idea. They are very tastefully done.

As for the terribly infamous Moleskine paper, well, it still holds true. It sucks with fountain pens, unfortunately. I scribbled with: Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa (purple), Noodler’s Heart of Darkness, J. Herbin Vert Olive, Noodler’s Green, Mont Blanc Carlo Collodi Brown, Noodler’s Apache Sunset, Noodler’s Navy, and Platinum Blue-Black. Most of these displayed bleed through, but at the very least, there was show through with R&K Scabiosa. Even gel ink pens show through. Best stick to ballpoints, unless you don’t care if there’s show through or bleeding!

Price

European Paper - $8.97 On sale!

Overall

Although Moleskine has yet to release some planners with truly fountain pen friendly paper, especially for the price, I really like these planners. I think the layout is perfect for many uses, and I very much like the font and cleanliness. It’s a great planner as a gift for those you want to give a planner to but really don’t know what to pick! It works for both men, women, kids, or adults! (Unless they demand a Quo Vadis, of course...)