5 Mistakes I Made Buying Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks (And How to Avoid Them)

If you've ever stared at the Leuchtturm1917 shelf wondering which one to pick, you're not alone. I've been there — and I've messed it up more than once. Over the past three years, I've personally ordered about 15 Leuchtturm1917 notebooks for my team (and a few for myself). I made mistakes that cost us roughly $200 in wrong sizes and wasted pages. So here's my checklist: follow these 5 steps and you'll dodge the traps I fell into.

Who This Checklist Is For

This is for anyone buying their first (or next) Leuchtturm1917 notebook — whether you're a bullet journal beginner, a corporate planner, or someone looking for a reliable A5 hardcover. You'll get a step-by-step guide that covers the details most people overlook. Trust me on this one.

Step 1: Nail the Size – Don't Guess

I once ordered a Master Slim for everyday carry. Looked great on the product page. Turned out it's about the size of an iPad — way too big for my jacket pocket. Lesson: measure your usage before you measure the notebook.

Leuchtturm1917 comes in five common sizes: A5 (medium), A6 (pocket), B5, B6+, and Master (A4-ish). Here's the rule:

• A5 (medium) – The sweet spot for most. Fits in a bag, works for daily journaling, planning, meetings. This is what you probably want.
• A6 (pocket) – Great for quick notes on the go. But if you write a lot, you'll run out of pages fast.
• Master (A4) – For heavy sketching or detailed project notes. I bought one thinking I'd use it for brainstorming — ended up gathering dust because it's too big to carry.
• B6+ – Slightly smaller than A5, great for field notes. I use this when I travel.

Pro tip: If you're unsure, go with A5 hardcover. It's the most versatile. I've personally switched between A5 and B6+ three times before settling on A5 (ugh, the indecision).

Step 2: Pick the Page Format – This Is Where Most People Slip Up

You'd think paper is paper. But the grid makes a huge difference. I learned this the hard way: I bought my first Leuchtturm1917 with plain pages because it looked 'clean.' Then I tried bullet journaling — without dots or grids, my layouts were a mess. I ended up buying another notebook two weeks later.

Leuchtturm1917 offers five formats: dot grid, lined, squared, plain, and agenda. Here's what I've found:

• Dot grid – Most popular for bullet journaling and mixed use. The dots guide your writing without being distracting. Honestly, this is my go-to now.
• Lined – Best for standard note-taking and professional use. If you need straight lines for meeting notes, this is it.
• Squared – Great for tables, charts, and engineering notes. I use this for tracking project milestones.
• Plain – For sketching or freeform writing. But if you ever need to draw a straight line, you'll miss the dots.

My mistake: I assumed 'plain' would be flexible. It wasn't. Now I always recommend dot grid as the default — you can always ignore the dots, but you can't add them later.

Step 3: Hardcover vs Softcover – It's Not Just About Looks

I went back and forth between the hardcover and softcover for about a week. The softcover is lighter and more flexible (literally). But I soon realized: if you're writing on a plane or in a coffee shop without a table, the softcover bends and your handwriting looks like a seismograph reading. Hardcover gives you a stable writing surface.

Here's the breakdown:

• Hardcover – Durable, stays flat, protects pages. Slightly heavier. Best for everyday carry if you can handle the weight.
• Softcover – Lighter, easier to slip into a bag. But the cover can get creased over time. I've had two softcovers that looked ragged after 6 months.

My advice: If you're buying a notebook you'll use daily for more than 3 months, go hardcover. The extra $5-7 in cost saves you the frustration of a flimsy cover (value over price, remember). Note to self: never cheap out on the cover.

Step 4: Understand Paper Weight – Don't Assume Every Ink Works

This is where a lot of fountain pen users get disappointed. Leuchtturm1917 uses 80 gsm paper (slightly thicker in newer editions? actually check). While it's good for most ballpoint and gel pens, heavy ink or marker pens can bleed through. I found this out when I used a sharpie on my first Leuchtturm — the ghosting was bad enough that I had to flip the page (ugh).

What I do now:

• Test your pen on a blank page before committing to a whole notebook.
• If you use fountain pens, stick with fine nibs and avoid wet inks.
• For bullet journaling with markers, consider the Leuchtturm1917 with '192 Pages' (same paper but more pages, not thicker). The paper is decent but not bulletproof.

Key takeaway: The paper is good, but not miracle-level. Plan your tools accordingly, or you'll waste pages (and money). I learned that the hard way when a $300 pen wrecked a $20 notebook — false economy.

Step 5: Use the Built-in Features – They're Why You're Paying More

One of the biggest reasons Leuchtturm1917 costs more than generic notebooks is the built-in structure: numbered pages, a table of contents, an address book, and gusseted pocket. In my first year, I completely ignored these. I started writing from page 1 without a table of contents. Three months later, I had a mess of notes I couldn't find.

How to avoid this:

• Always fill out the table of contents as you go (I use the first 2 pages for project titles and dates).
• Use the numbered pages for cross-referencing. I now number my own projects in the corner.
• The back pocket is great for receipts, sticky notes, or cards. Actually useful.

If you skip these features, you're basically paying extra for stuff you don't use. That defeats the whole value proposition.

Common Mistakes to Watch Out For

Before you click 'add to cart', avoid these:

• Buying the wrong size because you didn't measure your bag. I know someone who ordered a Master Slim for their purse — didn't fit.
• Ignoring the cover color. Leuchtturm1917 has about 20 colors. I made the mistake of buying a bright red one for a professional client meeting. It stood out — in a bad way.
• Assuming all Leuchtturm1917 notebooks have the same paper. Some editions (like the '1917' special series) use different paper. Check the product description carefully.
• Overlooking the 'Drehgriffel' pen. The brand also sells pens that match the notebook aesthetics. Not necessary, but the pairing is nice if you care about consistency.

Bottom line: The cheapest option (like a no-name notebook for $5) might save you upfront, but the time you waste re-organizing or replacing it costs way more. In my experience managing a team of 12 over 2 years, the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks lasted twice as long as the budget alternatives — meaning less downtime reordering and re-filing. That's the real value.