Sometimes a glowing screen can’t replace the feel and flexibility of old fashioned pen and paper. We’ve already talked about some of the best pens for the job, but when you need a good notebook to jot down those thoughts, drawings, or doodles in, you have tons to choose from. This week, we’re going to check out some the best paper notebooks money can buy, based on your nominations.


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Earlier in the week we asked you which paper notebooks were your favorites—the ones that you turned to when you needed to take notes at work or in class, get your thoughts on paper, or work on that brilliant novel you’ve been planning to write. We collected your nominations, tallied them up, and here’s what you said, in no particular order:

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The polls are closed and the votes are counted! To see which of these five great notebooks took the top spot, head over to our Hive Five followup post to see and discuss the winner!


Leuchtturm1917 has been making high quality notebooks for close to 100 years, and those of you who nominated them couldn’t sing their praises enough. Like most of the other contenders in the rundown, they make notebooks in all shapes and sizes, from pocket-sized notebooks to full-sized journals, reporter’s note pads that flip up instead of to one side or the other, and they’re also the makers of the Jottbook, which many of you praised specifically. If you’re interested in journaling or logging your life, you may like their five year memory book, designed specifically for the purpose.


All of Leuchtturm1917's notebooks come in flavors with various paper types, including perforated, grid, ruled, blank, numbered pages, table of contents, gusseted pockets in the cover, and more. They’re also relatively affordable compared to other premium notebooks, and they’re just as beautiful and made with an attention to detail and high quality paper and cover materials. Prices vary based on the specific size, style, and type of notebook you want, but you can either use their store locator to find a shop in Europe, or easily find them over at Amazon.



Whitelines makes a number of different notebooks, including traditional hard and soft-bound organizational notebooks (their hard-bound cloth notebooks as especially nice), but they’re also notable for their high-quality spiral notebooks that lay perfectly flat on either side, or their wire and glue flip-up notebooks that can be used from any direction. One thing they’re notable for is—as their name implies—their paper is lined with white lines, not black ones, like you’d find in traditional notebooks. They’re also notable for their Whitelines Link products, which attempt to bridge the gap between digital and analog notes. You can read more about it here, but the gist is that you write in your notebook like normal, but with a few visual cues, your smartphone and the Whitelines app can scan, read, and act on those notes you’ve made by creating reminders, emailing the text, syncing with Evernote, whatever you need it to do.


Those of you who nominated Whitelines specifically praised the Link series as a perfect school solution, which combines the freedom and flexibility of taking notes in class with an actual notebook and pen or pencil with the ability to easily digitize, share, and review your notes later when you need to study them. As usual, prices vary based on the type of notebook you want, but you can order them online from Whitelines’ store, or find a local retailer using their global store locator.


At first blush, you might think Rhodia doesn’t have a specifically broad product line, but you’d be mistaken. While there are a few specific product categories, like the company’s classic orange and black writing pads and notebooks, Rhodia also makes leather-bound dot-grid notebooks and flip-up notepads, traditional spiral-bound notebooks and flip-up pads, and virtually every one of those in various sizes and designs for the individual looking for a personal experience or a business user looking for something a bit more subdued. Beyond the look, size, and cover style of Rhodia notebooks, the company is specifically well regarded for its attention to the paper used in those notebooks, and doesn’t skimp on it by any stretch. Even tiny changes in paper type go noticed by fans and staff alike, so you can be sure they don’t take change lightly.


Rhodia earned a storm of praise in your nominations, often in the same breath as another company under the same umbrella, Clairefontaine, which sadly didn’t make the top five of its own accord. Most of you praised their high-quality, long-lasting materials, ink-friendly (and fountain pen-friendly) paper, and their affordable prices. Speaking of buying, you can buy online from their selected retailers (including some of our favorites like JetPens and Amazon), or find a store near you.


As the name implies, Field Notes notebooks are designed to be carried and used in all different types of situations and environments, not just sitting at a desk or other flat surface. Field Notes notebooks come in multiple shapes and sizes, but one of the most common designs is the simple, pocket-sized field notebook that everyone knows and loves. You can order them in multi-packs so you’ve never without one, and the paper is high enough quality that they take well to pen or pencil, no matter where you need to jot down a quick thought or sketch. Field Notes notebook come in ruled, graph, or plain varieties, and you can order them in mixed batches so you can grab the one you need. The Expedition Edition line of Field Notes notebooks are especially rugged, and the company proudly claims they’re “virtually indestructable.”


If all you know of Field Notes is their traditional pocket notebook though, you’ll be happy to know they actually have a variety of notebooks in different shapes and sizes you can try out, including flip-up notepads, multi-colored notepads and flip-up notebooks, larger flip-up pads for more notes, and more. You can order directly from Field Notes, or pick them up from retail locations in the US and Canada.



Ah, Moleskine. Love them or hate them, treasure them forever or consider them the “hipster notebook,” there’s no doubt that Moleskine notebooks are everywhere. We’ve even interviewed the co-founder and current VP of Moleskine here at Lifehacker. The company launched in 1997 (although its roots are older than that), and since then have amassed a cult following of pen-and-paper enthusiasts and note-takers that few other companies—regardless of what they make—have managed to duplicate. Moleskine makes notebooks of almost every shape and size, for every writing type and style, and with so many different types of paper (blank, perforated, dot-grid, lined-grid, ruled, wide-ruled, calendar, etc) that it’s difficult to keep up.


It is however, easy to note that there’s probably a notebook size, style, and type for your or your specific need. Moleskine even has “city notebooks,” complete with maps of the town you’re planning to visit, and plenty of space to make notes, jot down addresses or places you want to visit, and more. We have to mention the Moleskine Smart Notebook, that connects with Evernote to digitize and organize your notes. Moleskine’s MSK tool lets you essentially build your own notebook on their site, and the company has partnered with so many artists, designers, fandoms, and other producers that you can find everything from The Hobbit inspired Moleskine notebooks to Pac Man-themed notebooks depending on where you shop.



Moleskine earned praise in the nominations from many of you (and scorn from many of you, too) for being easily available anywhere, easy enough to fit into bags and pockets, and using paper that works well with just about every writing implement you put to it. Many of you had a specific favorite type, or used multiples for different needs. Since Moleskine is a huge company, you can order directly from them online, find them on sites like Amazon, or seriously, just check your local department store, coffee shop, or office supply store. Still, you’ll get the broadest selection on the web.

Now that you’ve seen the top five, it’s time to put them to an all out vote to determine the Lifehacker favorite:


We have a number of honorable mentions this week that I just couldn’t let this post end without sharing. First, Rite in the Rain earned high praise from many of you for being truly rugged and waterproof notebooks. I’ve seen a lot of notebooks that promise to stand up to the elements, but Rite in the Rain’s notebooks actually deliver. They’re available in all sorts of sizes and bindings so you can find one that’s right for you, including their Agricultural notebooks, their standard hard-bound books, their flip-up notepads, and even loose leaf paper and refills.

We should also highlight Black N Red for their stylish, elegant, and beautifully minimal notebooks that—as their name implies—come in generally black and red cover designs. Black N Red’s notebooks come in standard bound, wire-bound, recycled, and Polypropylene-bound models, in multiple shapes, sizes, and types (they also have project and meeting notebooks if you need those). They’re primarily available in the UK from selected retailers, but you can buy them from Mead in the US.


Speaking of Mead, we have to give a shout out to the iconic Mead Composition Book, with its black marbled cover, that have been well used and loved for generations. It didn’t make the top five, but many of you did call them out specifically, either out of nostalgia, or true love.

Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn’t included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don’t just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.


The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it’s not because we hate it—it’s because it didn’t get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it’s a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com .



Photo by waferboard .