Top Flight Sewn Marble Composition Book, Black/White, College Rule, 9.75 x 7.5 Inches, 100 Sheets (41350)

This review is targeted for fountain pen users who may want to write/journal but without spending a bunch of money on a moleskine, leuchtterm, or Clairefontaine, etc. notebook. Especially for just writing down random thoughts or whatever, Top Flight composition books seem to be relatively unknown to the fountain pen community as far as I can tell. I've used a variety of pens and inks in these, across several years and haven't noticed a big change in the paper nor how they handle fountain pens. I imagine because they have to handle gel or rollerball pens smoothly, that translates into a smooth coated paper that takes to FP and inks well. There's absolutely no feathering and there is effectively no bleed/show-through for multiple inks I've used, including: Noodler's Black, Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, Diamine Oxford Blue, Diamine Red Dragon, and more. I typically write with Pilot Fine and Medium nibs, which aren't particularly "dry" writing (especially not M nibs) and so if you use a dry-writing pen like a Lamy, this is a good notebook for school use. These notebooks have also handled some flex and soft nibs well. Granted, the ink you use, and its absorbancy across all papers will affect bleed through (I think Noodler's Blue Eel has a little bit of show-through). By and large, you'll be able to write on both sides of each page I think. I can't comment on how this paper handles broad nibs, which of course will lay down much more ink, but college-ruled paper isn't really appropriate for that anyway. Because of how smooth the paper is, it will make writing with FPs feel even smoother. Pens with more feedback or that are less smooth feel like they glide nicely on this paper, which is great! The price on here is high, but you can find deals on packs of wide-ruled notebooks (which are better for M nib pens anyway) for cheaper. Hopefully this helps any fountain pen users who stumble on these like I did.

I use these books for several things. 1.) to take note of my vital signs for doctor appointments 2.) take notes at church 3.) make notes of health issues (ie what I can or can not eat with temporary medications or health issues 4.) write my poems in once they are completed, spell checked, and ready to be shared. They are sturdy, come in wide or college rule, are a good value, and a good size to carry with you or to keep on your book shelf. I love these books they are just right for so many things.

It was in perfect condition.

Excellent product, 100% recommended!!

This notebook is perfect for scribbling all of my notes until I can transfer them into whatever notebook I want to assign the info to. Suits it's purpose very nicely.

I like these comp notebooks. They are good for writing my homework. Thank you

Perfect for my project - sturdy

I used Amazon's 'Ask a Question' function to inquire about the stiffness of the covers on this composition book– "Are the front and back covers of these 'Top Flight' brand composition books made of hard paperboard, stiff enough to write against?" –and received a number of answers from vendors, all indicating that the covers are indeed stiff enough to be written against (as I often must do in my car or in the cockpit). In fact, that is not the case. I'll return the item. When in school, I used to buy, at the student book store, comp books with genuinely firm covers. Loved them. After finishing school, I was able to buy these at some office supply stores, including a Staples-branded version, which has now been reformatted with floppy covers. Such books have essentially disappeared from stores, which is why I went looking at Amazon––and why I was careful to ask my question so plainly. I guess I give up. The style I was able to buy easily just three or four years ago are apparently no longer available, makers having gone to cheaper, lighter covers and lighter weight paper. Instead, I'll pay substantially more to purchase Moleskin brand notebooks that I know have very stiff and long-lasting covers. The Moleskin paper is much, much nicer than any academic-style composition book, too, though one pays dearly for it. Too bad.