Is the LEUCHTTURM1917 medium hardcover notebook worth it?
Worth it, if you write enough to notice the difference
Why a notebook falls apart before you fill it
You've had the notebook that won't stay open, snapping shut over your knuckles mid sentence. You've had the one where the ink pools on the page and seeps through to the next, so you start leaving blank sheets as insurance and half the notebook goes unused. The real question with a leuchtturm1917 medium hardcover notebook isn't whether it looks good on a desk, it's whether it survives the actual writing.
How the numbering and paper in the leuchtturm1917 medium actually work
Here's what's actually happening under the cover. Every one of the 251 pages is numbered, and the first eight pages are left blank for a table of contents you fill in yourself. That sounds small until month eight, when you're trying to find the packing list you wrote back in March and a plain notebook gives you nothing but a shrug. Number the page, note it in your own index, and the notebook becomes something you can search instead of something you have to remember. The paper is doing its own quiet job. It's not the thinnest stock, and it's not coated for watercolour either, it sits in the middle: heavy enough that a fine or medium fountain pen nib stays on the front of the page, light enough that 251 sheets still close under an elastic band without the spine bulging. A very wet nib or a broad marker will show through faintly on the back, which matters if you write on both sides and less if you don't. The hardcover and elastic closure are the other half of the answer. A softcover notebook softens at the corners after a few months in a bag; this one has boards under the faux leather, so it holds its shape and keeps pages flat even when dog-eared. The ribbon marker and back pocket mean you're not hunting for your page or losing loose receipts. None of it is dramatic. It's just consistent, which is the actual job.
So you're not really buying a notebook, you're buying a small filing system that happens to look like one, the numbering and the index are what let you find a specific thought six months later instead of flipping through 251 pages hoping. If you never go back to reread your notes, that filing system is dead weight you're paying for.
Who the leuchtturm1917 medium hardcover notebook is for
Worth it if
- you write often enough to want to find a note later
- you want a built-in index and numbered pages to organize by
- you use fine or medium-tip pens rather than very wet nibs
- you want a hardcover that holds its shape in a bag
Skip it if
- you only need a notebook for occasional scratch notes
- you write with very wet fountain pens or broad markers and can't tolerate any ghosting
- you prefer a soft, flexible cover
- you never go back to reread old notes
Not for anyone who just needs somewhere to jot a grocery list and never looks back.
Is the leuchtturm1917 medium hardcover notebook worth it
If you write often enough to want to find something later, a meeting note, a recipe, a half formed idea, this is a quiet yes. If you use a notebook for the occasional grocery list, or you write with a very wet fountain pen and can't tolerate any ghosting on the back of the page, save the money and buy something plainer.
What this actually removes is the specific annoyance of a good idea going missing in a stack of old notebooks, or a page ruined because the ink went straight through. Day one, you're just numbering pages and starting your index, nothing complicated. Weeks in, it starts paying you back, you flip to page 3, find travel, p.88, and you're there in two seconds instead of ten minutes. With well over thirty five thousand ratings behind it, the pattern that keeps showing up is people trusting the paper and the binding to hold up over the whole notebook, not just the first chapter.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 35,365 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
Does the LEUCHTTURM1917 notebook bleed through with fountain pens?
Yes, with most fine and medium fountain pen nibs. Very wet or broad nibs may cause faint ghosting on the reverse, though true bleed-through is rare.
Is the LEUCHTTURM1917 medium the same size as A5?
Yes, medium is Leuchtturm1917's own name for their A5 size, at roughly 5.75 by 8.25 inches.
By the numbers
earn an unconditional yes at full priceOut of 46 office products we have reviewed. This one is a yes with a condition attached.
Verdict datasetQuestion indexCC BY 4.0
Full spec sheet
| Brand Name | LEUCHTTURM1917 |
|---|---|
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Item Weight | 0.26 kg |
| Cover Material | Faux Leather |
| Paper Size | A5 (5-7/8 x 8-1/4) |
| Pages | 251 pages |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Item Dimensions L x W | 8.25"L x 5.75"W |
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