Today we’re taking a look at the Pineider Boston notebook. I forget where I was poking around online when I first saw that Pineider made some cute pocket notebooks– I think it was some luxury goods site. Pineider certainly qualifies as a luxury brand: their small leather wallets start at close to $200, and go up fast. They also make beautiful leather bags, elegant items for your desk, and fancy pens and stationery. Everything is very refined and swanky, right down to their logo, which notes that the company was founded in Firenze in 1774.

Interestingly, Pineider’s pocket size notebooks are not that much more expensive than some other upscale brands, ranging from 14 to 28 Euros. At the lower end of the price range, you’re getting a single stitched signature notebook with a “regenerated leather” cover. At the higher end, the Milano notebook has 96 pages between saffiano leather covers with hand-painted edges, and stamped metallic monogramming is included. I would have liked to try the Milano, but I found an Amazon seller offering the Pineider Boston notebook for a reasonable price, so I decided to give it a go!

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The Pineider Boston notebook has a textile cover which they say is intended to minimize its environmental footprint. It’s also vegan. When I took the shrinkwrap off mine, I was taken aback by the texture– it’s almost suedelike, and doesn’t feel like any other cloth covered notebook I own. The cover is flexible, so this notebook would feel comfortable in a pocket.

The packaging is lovely– the paper band has such a classic look to it, and seems to be very finely printed, with tiny, sharp lines that look like what you’d find on an old postage stamp, or currency printed from engraved plates.

The Pineider Boston notebook comes in various colors, but the ribbon marker is always green, a Pineider trademark, I guess. I love the orange, it’s a nice smoky shade that is easy on the eyes. Shown below next to a red Moleskine for comparison.

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The inside cover has more brand logos and space for contact details. There is a slim paper tuck pocket inside back cover– I’m not crazy about this kind of pocket as they are pretty useless for anything more than a business card or two.

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The notebook does not have an elastic closure, which might come in handy. The spine is a bit stiff so it’s not that easy to open it flat, and once you’ve bent it all the way open, the cover stays open a bit.

Inside, the notebook contains watermarked 80 gsm paper, lined, with the Pineider logo at the bottom. The pages have square corners, which is very unusual, especially since the cover is rounded.

The paper is smooth, bright white. and it’s great with fountain pens. No feathering, and I got some nice shading with my flex nib. Show-through is what you’d expect for a paper of this weight, but there was no bleed except with really wet markers. This notebook is too nice to be desecrated with an Accu-liner or a Super Sharpie anyway!

There is a lot to love about this notebook– the paper is great, the design is lovely, and it feels like a well-made, high-quality product. I wish it came with unlined, squared, or dotted paper. I also wish the spine was more flexible so it would open flat more easily. It’s a bit expensive for a Moleskine alternative, but if you want a fountain pen friendly notebook that looks elegant and stands out from the pack, it’s a very attractive option.

The list price for the Pineider Boston notebook is 18 Euros. (Larger sizes and other colors are available.) I bought mine on Amazon, where I paid $26.77 including tax, with free shipping.