I imagine that the vast majority of you who read this site are familiar with Rhodia products. Decked out in a distinctive shade of orange, they bring a level of style, quality, and most importantly, brilliant simplicity to all of their products, from fliptop pads to staple-bound notebooks. Rhodia products hail from France, where the company was started in Lyon in 1932.
Recently, word has been getting around of a new Moleskine-esque product called the “Webnotebook,” and we’ve been rabidly trying to get our hands on one. For a while, the only available means were wholesalers selling in expensive large bulk orders, and as much as we like black notebooks, we don’t like them that much!
Luckily, after a few emails, Exaclair Inc., the American distributor of Rhodia products, generously sent us some samples. Thus, Black Cover is proud to present what I think is the first Rhodia Webnotebook review on the internet.
From most pictures online, you’d think this notebook was identical to the Moleskine. Thankfully, it’s not, and for a variety of reasons.
The major difference is the cover, which is a thick, smooth yet firm Italian “leatherette” (according to the website).
To the touch, it feels very smooth and soft, unlike the hard, wrinkled texture of the Moleskine oil cloth. But this isn’t a soft cover – there’s slightly more give to it than the Moleskine cover (which is actually very nice for back pocket travel) but is still very much a hard cover. It’s also thicker than a Moleskine cover, which gives it more weight in comparison.
Frankly, holding the two, the Moleskine feels cheap against the Rhodia, which seems to have a lot more quality to it – more like a high end journal you’d keep around for a while. Indented in the front is the familiar Rhodia logo, something I’d personally put on the back but is trademark of all their products.
Size-wise, it’s exactly the same as a standard Moleskine – 3.5″ x 5.5″ (9.5 cm x 14 cm). It’s slightly thicker because of the cover, but otherwise has 96 sheets of lined paper, or 192 pages total.
Inside, the lined pages are a nice shade of off-white, lighter than the Moleskine’s, but pleasing on the eyes. The lines are well spaced, and go right to the top and bottom of each page. There’s a little Rhodia logo in the bottom corner which is TOTALLY unnecessary, but it’s not too distracting.
However, here’s a downside that some of you will be very disappointed with: the Webnotebooks do not come with the standard Rhodia paper. According to Exaclair, they were disappointed to learn that Rhodia hadn’t included their highly regarded stock of paper, and have been urging them to change their decision. It’s true that the paper here feels very thin, and tends to get page wrinkles pretty quickly from use. On the other hand, it’s still thicker than Moleskine paper, and I’m not one of those people who uses anything heavier than a cheap Bic ballpoint pen. So this is a pretty negligible complaint in my eyes.
As you can see above, the notebooks come with a nice ribbon bookmark, and attached to the back cover, a black pocket folder.
Overall, Rhodia’s (badly named!) Webnotebook seems like a higher end version of the Moleskine – a notebook you could use as a journal without feeling like you were skimping a bit on the quality, yet is still simple enough to carry around on your travels. The two types of cover (Rhodia’s leatherette vs. Moleskine’s oil cloth) are like apples and oranges, and I think it comes down to personal taste on which you prefer.
Ultimately, the Rhodia webnotebook is definitely worth a test run, and it’s the second notebook after the original Stifflexible that’s made me realize there’s more than one way to skine, er, skin a cat (sorry for that). But where to buy them? Though I can’t find a product page on their websites, Exaclair tells me the best way is to write to either The Daily Planner or Pendemonium, both of which have access to Exaclair’s Webnotebook supplies. I think they retail for about $12, but I’m not sure.
Also, for those looking for something a little bigger than a pocket notebook, Exaclair sent me samples of a larger softcover journal (similar to Miquelrius’s soft cover) called the ePure (thanks to reader Pat for the correct name!).
The notebook measures 8.5″ x 5.5″ wide (the size of a normal sheet of paper folded in half), and features a soft imitation leather cover with the Rhodia logo engraved in the center. The inside has beautiful thick white drawing paper, which makes it a great sketch book for those with artistic abilities (not Black Cover, sadly).
There’s no elastic band, bookmark, or back cover pocket, but it’s still a very nice addition to the Rhodia line.
Overall, both notebooks confirm the continued quality of Rhodia’s products, and we’re hoping the Webnotebook hits stores everywhere to give Moleskine some fierce competition.
Company Site: Rhodia-Block
American Distributor: Exaclair, Inc.
Places to buy: Write to either Pendemonium or The Daily Planner and ask about availability
Special thanks to Rhodia for the review samples!!
44 responses so far ↓
1 Pat // May 20, 2008 at 12:51 am
Wow, hadn’t heard of these… Look very interesting. Are the OTHER softcover notebooks the ePure: http://www.bloc-rhodia.fr/Rhodia-BOUTIQUE/ePURE-plain-notebooks/105-x-14-ePURE-books.html ?
Are the horribly named Webnotebooks made in France, or in China like Moleskines?
Thanks for the review! Always enjoy your work.
2 Speedmaster // May 20, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Very cool, nice review!!!
3 hekki // May 23, 2008 at 3:36 pm
eh.
looks like something REI would try to sell as a camping journal.
“hi tech” cover material?
big ass embossed logo up front, and on every page?
nah.
4 paul // May 23, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Any chance you could re-take the third picture (the edge view) with the image focussed?
These all sound interesting but notebooks aren’t that hard to make yourself and that way you get your choice of paper, cover material, bookmarks, pockets, etc. I can’t see spending that kind of scratch on any of these.
5 semioticmonkey // May 23, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I would go rather for one of these.
http://www.modofly.net/
Original Moleskine with a twist.
Can you be more precise about the paper quality? I mean, can i sketch on it? Can i use a Pilot without worrying about drips? And so on.
The every-present logo is totally embarassing, you are right. But i hate signs other than mine of my notebook so, for me, is a no-no.
Tnx for the review.
6 Christopher Fahey // May 23, 2008 at 4:41 pm
The logo in the corner is completely unacceptable.
7 lecti // May 23, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I see that people who are not impressed have obviously not used Rhodia notepad before. The quality of the paper is an order of magnitude better than that of Moleskine. Ever had your G2 skip on Moleskine? That would almost NEVER happen on Rhodia paper.
I’m a fan of both, and I actually carry both Moleskine and Rhodia with me. This is a pretty big news for me, and it should be for anyone who loves thinking on paper.
8 lecti // May 23, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I forgot to ask an extremely important question: how is the book binding done?
9 ryan // May 23, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Agreed, the logo completely ruins this…
10 Dave Caolo » Blog Archive » Notebook porn // May 23, 2008 at 7:41 pm
[...] out the Rhodia Webnotebook. It’s in the Moleskine tradition, with a softer (yet still hard) cover, logo-printed pages [...]
11 links for 2008-05-24 | Dwight::Knoll // May 24, 2008 at 1:36 am
[...] The Rhodia Webnotebook: Bad Name, Great Journal Lookout Molskine, here comes a notebook with a worthwhile cover. (tags: article blog review) [...]
12 Aikyu // May 24, 2008 at 1:34 pm
@semioticmonkey: I use Rhodia paper (A5 head stapled pads 5/5) with a Pilot (Hi-Tecpoint V5) every day for years. The paper is excellent and resistant.
It’s the first time that being french is not a shame
13 semioticmonkey // May 24, 2008 at 2:22 pm
tnx Aikyu for giving me your first hand experience (the most valuable info out there. btw same pilot here so double tnx).
But on the Rhodia website i can’t find an italian distributor…
ps. why on earth being french is a shame? Don’t kidding me
14 Pete // May 24, 2008 at 6:58 pm
How disappointing that Rhodia would compromise the quality of their product by moving away from their standard great quality paper to a thinner ivory paper. They seemed intent on copying the Moleskin rather than creating their own notebook.
Have acquired a few through Pendemonium (great service as always) and I want to warn fountain pen users you may be disappointed. The paper does feather a little and the show through is annoying due to the thin paper. For all of us who expected this to be the perfect notebook Rhodia has let us down. Still they are better than Moleskin who’s paper is just rubbish.
15 Jarkko Laine // May 25, 2008 at 1:03 pm
It seems you can order the Webnotebooks online here: http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduct.php?brand=Rhodia&range=WebNoteBook
It’s in UK but they seem to ship overseas as well, although you need to phone or fax your CC details.
16 Andy // May 26, 2008 at 7:54 am
I mean other than the link provided above. I’d like to order from someplace that isn’t going to charge me a fortune for overseas shipping.
It’s kind of hard to justify shipping charges from the UK, when I can walk into Barnes and Noble in the US and buy a Moleskine off the shelf…
17 Thomas // May 28, 2008 at 4:46 am
The cover of this looks exactly like the Greenapple notebook. The only difference between them, actually, is the paper. Greenapple’s is the same quality as Moleskine’s.
18 Andy // May 28, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Got this reply from Pendemonium on availability:
“Hi Andrew,
Currently available only in Europe. If all goes well, we will be
importing these and should be available in about 8-12 weeks.
Best regards, Sam
http://www.pendemonium.com
Pendemonium PO Box 447 Fort Madison, IA 52627-0447
Toll Free 888-372-2050 PH 319-372-0881 FAX 319-372-0882
Sign up for Inky Greetings our e-Newsletter!
“
19 Billy // May 28, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Sorry to stray off-topic slightly, but I emnailed you to ask why you hadn’t reviewed the Ciak yet. I know you’re not a fan, but you did admit it was silly to neglet it. How about the Ciak next?
20 Andy // May 29, 2008 at 9:19 am
Pendemonium sent me the following pricing information on these notebooks:
“Andrew -
The two sizes we test marketed at the Chicago Pen Show were $12 and $20.”
Yow! That’s pretty pricey compared to a Moleskine.
21 deanbot » Blog Archive » Notesbooks // May 31, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[...] The Rhodia Webnotebook: Bad Name, Great Journal: “” [...]
22 Now that Hillary has dropped out … « Kate Stone // Jun 10, 2008 at 2:25 pm
[...] as I am a fool for electronics gear I am mostly a paper and pencil/pen lover. I am off to get this Rhodia [...]
23 CONTEST: WIN THE NEW RHODIA WEBNOTEBOOK! // Jun 16, 2008 at 2:42 pm
[...] you remember, we were recently sent some sample copies of the new Rhodia Moleskine-esque “Webnotebook,” and we’re going to be giving away one [...]
24 Speedmaster // Jun 17, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I’m REALLY looking forward to these.
25 blackcover contest « Blah blah blah // Jun 18, 2008 at 6:54 am
[...] a new domain, although links remain in place. Because of this, and because Rhodia has come with a new notebook, they (blackcover) run a contest to win the Rhodia product. More details at the blackcover [...]
26 squajo // Jun 19, 2008 at 5:57 pm
No quadrille? I prefer the grids to lines…
27 squajo // Jun 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Just got two of the large ones in Orange. Very nice quality–I still want the quadrille style of rule which is best for me. I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a high quality lined notebook. The Orange cover is very chic.
28 Rhodia Webnotebook « Pen And Paper // Jul 11, 2008 at 7:29 am
[...] Black Cover reviews the Rhodia Webnotebook… I imagine that the vast majority of you who read this site are familiar with Rhodia products. Decked out in a distinctive shade of orange, they bring a level of style, quality, and most importantly, brilliant simplicity to all of their products, from fliptop pads to staple-bound notebooks. Rhodia products hail from France, where the company was started in Lyon in 1932. [...]
29 Pat // Aug 8, 2008 at 2:19 am
Anyone got these in the U.S. or is this going to be another one of those Europe-only notebooks that breaks my too-cheap-to-pay-the-shipping-from-the-UK heart ?
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32 Cirila // Oct 28, 2008 at 6:31 pm
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33 Robert // Nov 26, 2008 at 1:27 pm
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34 Rhodia Webnotebooks Now Available | Notebook Stories // Dec 10, 2008 at 9:39 am
[...] been curious about the Rhodia Webnotebook ever since seeing them reviewed at Black Cover and Amateur Economist and eagerly anticipated at Spiritual Evolution of the Bean. I have been in a [...]
35 Hao // Jan 12, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Can you tell me more about the paper of the ePure notebook? Is it standard Rhodia paper?
36 Josh // Feb 15, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Daily Planner in New York just had the small one on sale for $5.95, in orange as well as black. Lined paper only.
37 John // Mar 17, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Is the Rhodia ePure notebook thread bound, like the Moleskines, or is it glued at the spine, like the Miquelrius? Does the ePure lie flat when opened, or is there a hump on both sides of the spine, like the Miquelrius?
38 bogiesan // Jun 14, 2009 at 12:13 pm
You will likely revisit this review now that the webbie has been filled with higher grade paper. I recently received one of the new Webnotebooks from an undisclosed source. It’s a lovely product in many ways. The paper totally kicks Moleskine’s butt and the orange cover is so obviously not a molie.
I’m hoping my local Border’s Books gets their shipment soon.
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39 Cheryl // Jul 5, 2009 at 11:20 pm
I just got my hands on one of the brand new Rhodia Webnotebooks (in the USA). It has 90g paper – super smooth, with little to no bleed-thru or see-thru of fountain pen inks. From reading other reviews of the same notebook, it seems these notebooks originally had a lighter weight paper, but they are now available with the 90g paper instead. Sounds like Rhodia read the reviews and decided to make an improvement. Personally, I love the Webnotebook!
40 Mike // Jul 15, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I ordered two of these notebooks with very high expectations. The cover finish is fantastic and the paper quality is exactly what I would expect from Rhodia.
Unfortunately I’ve had the notebook for just over a week and the spine is separating from the paper. This is completely unacceptable for such a premium notebook. Check out what’s happen to my notebook before purchasing your own…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/auburnmike99/3724261577/
What a shame!
41 Bearman // Oct 11, 2009 at 7:17 am
The name is not so bad.
Web does not refer to the internet, but to the “web of the mind”.
42 Metrodorus // Nov 27, 2009 at 6:02 am
Hmm.. some other reviews found the paper quality to be good:
http://www.biffybeans.com/2009/06/review-new-rhodia-webnotebook-with-90g.html
Maybe there is some inconsistency?
Personally, I would find the logo on every page to be unacceptable. It is anathema to diarists. I wouldn’t even try the notebook for that reason alone
43 主题网站推荐：Black Cover | Moleskiner.cn // Jan 13, 2010 at 10:16 am
[...] The Rhodia Webnotebook: Bad Name, Great Journal [...]
44 Kirk // May 12, 2010 at 7:49 pm
The Rhodia Webnotebook is available here:
http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=322-1148|Level=2-3|pageid=7422
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