Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook Comparison

If you're suffering from eye fatigue or just want to organize your thoughts with pen and paper, a Leuchtturm1917 Notebook can help!

Are you looking for a little more analog in your life? In the past year, Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks have spiked in popularity due to the rise in bullet journalers around the world. Bullet Journaling is a system developed by designer Ryder Carroll and can be done in any notebook, with any writing instrument. However, if you are keen on using your fountain pens, you'll want to make sure you use a notebook like Leuchtturm1917 that contains fountain pen friendly paper.

That being said, here at GouletPens.com, we currently offer three different varieties of A5 size Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks. Trying to differentiate between the regular Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook, the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal, and the Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner (available certain times of the year) can be tricky. We've put together this comparison video and blog to give you all the details and figure out which notebook is the best for you!

These three types of Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks have a number of things in common including the following:

A5 size which is a European sizing measuring 145mmx210mm or 5.7in x 8.26in. People like this size because it fits in your lap and is easy to write in, but can also slide quickly into your bag or backpack
A stretchy elastic band to keep it closed
Back pocket for safe storage
Paper quality- all the paper in each of these notebooks is fountain pen friendly
Numbered pages for quick referencing (the Weekly Planner is numbered by the weeks)
Thin, rigid, durable covers
Filing stickers
Bookmarks for easy reference
Affordable
Thread bound and lay flat

At a glance, these commonalities can make all of the Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks seem alike. However, when you get down to the nitty-gritty details, you find many unique characteristics that make them better suited to different uses.

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Bullet Journal Notebook

Leuchtturm1917 Black Bullet Journal on a stack of other notebooks

Ryder Carroll's Leuchtturm1917 A5 Bullet Journal Notebooks

At a glance, the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Bullet Journal notebook looks very similar to the other two options. However, it is only offered in two colors, Black and Emerald, and features an embossed cover that reads "Bullet Journal." It has 248 pages of dot grid paper, which is slightly less than the regular Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook.

When you open it you'll notice the following:

A key on the left inside cover with room to add your own
symbols
Name & Contact info on the first page made of thicker paper
Bullet Journaling Tips from the creator of the Bullet Journaling system, Ryder Caroll
An index (index is used to quickly find collections
in your bullet journal)
A Future Log which is on pages 1-4

Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen and Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal

Symbol key on the inside cover of the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Bullet Journal

Some additional features are found on pages 241-248 include the following:

An introduction to bullet journaling
Definition of Rapid logging
Helpful Tips
An overview of Collections
An overview of Migration
An overview of Indexing

If you are considering picking up the Leuchtturm1917 A5, some of pros are the Key & Tips at the beginning in the end of the journal. This is especially helpful if you are new to Bullet Journaling, because you can quickly reference them if need be. The same goes for the explanation of symbols, and overviews of collections, migration, and index. The three bookmarks come in handy, too, because you don't have to scramble to find your collection. Finally, since the majority of the pages are numbered with a dot grid ruling, they are easy to adapt to your own style, whether that is a minimalist approach or highly artistic.

Some of the cons of using this the Bullet Journal as opposed to any of the other Leuchtturm1917 A5 options are that there are less pages, and no removable note pages in the back. It is also only available with a dot grid ruling, so if you like lines or blank, no dice.

You can find the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Bullet Journal at GouletPens.com.

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebooks

The Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook is an awesome all around notebook. It has all the features of the other two, but is offered in a variety of colors that come and go over time, including special edition and limited edition notebooks. The cover is plain, which allows you to cover it in stickers or decorate it as you see fit. There are 249 pages in each notebook and it is offered with lined or dot grid ruling. It's great for people who already have a Bullet Journaling system that they are working with or are looking to really customize it to their needs.

Inside page shot of a Leuchtturm1917 notebook with writing on the page and a LAMY AL-star

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dot Grid Notebook with a customized calendar

Some other features include:

2 bookmarks, one striped, one solid
Perforated pages for easy removal at the back

If you are thinking about picking up a Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook some of the pros are the variety of colors and the open format and multiple ruling options. If you are not planning on Bullet Journaling per se, this notebook will work as a journal or diary.

You can find the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook at GouletPens.com.

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Weekly Planner

3 Leuchtturm1917 planners stacked on top of each other

Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Weekly Planners

Of the three A5 Leuchtturm1917 options, the Weekly Planner is the most unique. It has a number of helpful features to help organize your year and keep you on track. However, if you are trying to bullet journal, this is probably not the notebook you are looking for as it follows a much more traditional planner format. It has 144 pages of 80g cream paper, which is significantly less than the other two notebooks. On the left hand side, there is a dated weekly format, while on the right there is a lined page for notes about the week. It's a great format for keeping track of the days, planning ahead, and using the note page for expanding on projects or events happening that
week.

When you open it, you'll notice the following:

A 3-year overview featuring the previous, current, and next year
Year overview with phases of the moon and room for even
writing
An official holiday calendar for 58 countries
A dated project planner with January-June on left page, and July-December on the right

Open page lay out of the Leuchtturm1917 planner

Project planning feature inside of a Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner

Some additional features at the back of the weekly planner include:

3 sheets of blank paper, with 8 sheets of detachable paper for notes
A removable guide with lined ruling on one side and a graph ruling on the other
A removable address book and birthday calendar that is transferable from one year to the next.

The pros of the Leuchtturm1917 Weekly Planner are that it is significantly thinner and lighter than other Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks. If you want a more traditional planner, this is a unique format that would serve you well. The transferable address book is definitely a plus, especially if you need easily accessible addresses and phone numbers.

However, on the cons side, it has a rather rigid formatting- if this works for you, great! Otherwise,
there isn’t a lot of room to customize. Additionally, the left side with dates is blank, the right side is lined and there are no
dots for guidance. Because the left side is blank between the lines for the day of the week, ghosting seems to be worse because of blank paper. Finally, this weekly planner must be purchased yearly, instead of used as you like it.

A gif flipping through the pages of a Leuchtturm1917 Dot Grid custom bullet journal.

The pages of a Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dot Grid Notebook customized into a bullet journal.

In addition to the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebooks, we carry several other offerings from Leuchtturm, including Some Lines a Day Journals and pen loops. See our entire Leuchtturm1917 selection here!

Posted by Brian Goulet