Scribbles That Matter (Review) vs. Leuchtturm1917

Scribbles That Matter (Review) vs. Leuchtturm1917

sorry, this was late something weird happened with formatting. I typed this in Word, and copied it over. The pictures and headings, and charts didnt make it. Sorry about that :(
A few weeks months ago, I was spending a lazy Saturday afternoon on Amazon, looking for a new notebook; and randomly came across the Scribbles That Matter notebook: link. So, impulse buy. Being me, I got the Pro version?? (I had no idea what the difference was at the time) in Teal. What’s the difference? As far as I can tell, you’re only missing out on the debossed? doodles on the front. (I think that’s what it’s called) They are pretty cute though 😊
Breakdown
Scribbles That Matter Leuchtturm1917
Price (taken from official website, shipping not included) 21.99 23.95
Dimensions A5 A5
Cover Material “durable custom-designed leather cover “ ??
Cover Designs Doodles + regular colour Solid colours
Number of pages 201 (0 detachable) dotgrid 249 (8 detachable) dotgrid
Lays flat Y Y
Elastic closure Y (keep reading) Y
Paper weight 100 g/sm 80 g/sm
Paper colour White, **tiny cream-coloured Cream-coloured (ivory/ champagne)
Numbered pages Y Y
Dot grid size 0.5 mm 0.5 mm
Ghosting Y Y
Bleeds through N Sometimes
Index 3 pages 3 pages
Bookmarks 2 2
Pocket in back Y Y
Archival stickers N Y
Pretty close. Here are a few details that “make the difference” (yes, I copied that from the LT1917).
Time for a pen test!

!

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Oh, and did I mention the STM comes with 2 pages dedicated for a pen test!? Amazing!
The Scribbles That Matter did a *tiny bit better than the LT. The Tombow Fudenosuke s did not bleed through (but did ghost, a lot). All other pens and markers were OK, definitely better than the LT.
If you’re worried about ghosting & bleed through, the Scribbles That Matter is a better option.
Cover
I am missing out on the cute doodles on the front. Ugh! One thing to note, the STM is heavier, probably due to the cover.
Pages
There are only 201 dot-grid pages in Scribbles That Matter, compared to 249 in the LT1917, with 8 of those detachable. If you carve up a notebook quickly, this may not be for you. However, the 100 g/sm paper is more than enough to win me over.
Both seem to do a great job of laying flat, even on the first try, without breaking in.
Also the paper colour is a bit different.
The Leuchtturm has more of a cream colour to it’s paper, the STM is more white.

Elastic
Small problem here with the STM.
The hardcover leather? has a bit of give to it, meaning the elastic will actually leave a mark. However, it’s not that noticeable, and personally, I’m not bothered much by it.
Final thoughts
Both are equally well, in price and features. If you prefer better paper quality, less bleed through, and not worry about the number of pages, the Scribbles That Matter may be for you.
What are your experiences with these notebooks? Please let me know!
*Side note, you do not any of these notebooks to begin bullet journaling. Any notebook +pen will do.

Thank you for reading! See you soon 😉 EM