The Blackwell notebook is an interesting “mole-clone” that has a bit more branding than most, but in an unobtrusive way that I rather like.

Below you see the Blackwell notebook next to a Piccadilly notebook– in the front view, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. (The Blackwell is on the left.)

In this photo you can see that the Blackwell notebook (top) is ever so slightly bigger.

On the back, the Blackwell name is stamped in the usual brand location.

Here’s the cool thing, though: endpapers! I like that they put something a little jazzier than the usual plain white. Both inside front and backcover have the Blackwell logo endpapers, with no other markings within.

The paper is a little more cool-white than Moleskine or Piccadilly. Below you can also see that the accordion pocket in the back sticks out a bit at the corners, as it’s a bit bigger than most.

The notebook opens pretty flat, but not quite as easily as others I’ve tested.

The paper is not quite as smooth as Moleskine, and may be more comparable to Piccadilly’s paper.

Show-through was a little more than average, unfortunately:

I’m not sure of the retail price of these notebooks or whether they are even currently available. I obtained mine over a year ago via a trade with a blogger in the UK. You can see her posts about the Blackwell notebook here and here, for a bit of a different perspective.

Don’t forget that notebooks make great holiday gifts! Check out the Notebook Stories Store for lots of great brands.