I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."
I was kind of shocked to see that Modo is now manufacturing over there. I sent two email inquiries to them, but got no response. I also called Moleskine US and they did not have any information.
I'd like to know, is this a permanent change? If so I need to start stashing away the older ones. I think it's really abysmal to let the quality of such a good product slip, and also for them to trade on the "European" tradition for something that is now being commoditzed and for all we know, made in some sweatshop.
Has anyone else had this experience? Does anyone else have any info they can share?
WHAT?? is this for real?? nothing against chinese produced goods, but that's just wrong. So, I know that Modo e Modo was up for sale, but never found out who bought it. Do you guys think that the company who bought Modo decided to manufacture Moleskine notebooks in China? If this is true, then the whole meaning of the M's may change...
I don't understand, I think we need facts. As far as I know, my M's didn't say that it was made in China though... :S
> I noticed a significant decrease in the quality of the last Moleskine > notebook I purchased. I looked at the tag and it said "Bound and > Printed In China" "Designed and Packaged in Italy."
> I was kind of shocked to see that Modo is now manufacturing over > there. > I sent two email inquiries to them, but got no response. I also called > Moleskine US and they did not have any information.
> I'd like to know, is this a permanent change? If so I need to start > stashing away the older ones. I think it's really abysmal to let the > quality of such a good product slip, and also for them to trade on the > "European" tradition for something that is now being commoditzed and > for all we know, made in some sweatshop.
> Has anyone else had this experience? > Does anyone else have any info they can share?
Yes, sadly this is for real. Next time you're at Borders or Barnes and Noble, flip over to the back and read the fine print. All the new 2007 diaries are made in China too. I'm crushed... not to mention I'll go broke stashing up the old ones!
I have been stashing them to what might be called a bizarre extent (no known reason), now I found one! They have always had limitations on many FP inks, but the Cahier are nice and I have two file boxes full of all types reporter, notebook, etc. They are cult like and my kids and several clients have played into it and become fans, this is not the greatest news. The price of the books and the recent increased distribution channels led me to not think this type of a change was in the works, I was thinking more innovative on Modo and Modo's part.
I don't believe the French will compromise Rhodia and Clairefontaine, although, Waterman was sold along the way (I think) and Parker (UK) has had it's changes.
I sent a letter (hard copy/snail mail) to Modo today. Let's see if they answer that. Though it's August now, vacation month in Europe... I'll keep you all posted.
> I sent a letter (hard copy/snail mail) to Modo today. Let's see if they > answer that. Though it's August now, vacation month in Europe... I'll > keep you all posted.
Could you post the address? I have a feeling that we're a letter writing crowd.
If it's a help, the paper strip label for those printed and bound in China have the usual orange color on the front, but then changes to red as it wraps around the left binding and the back.
But I've never yet discovered what the sometimes green strip label means, sometimes on both the moleskine and the Cahiers (softer cover).
I support any effort to urge Moleskine's makers to put quality first, and have sent the following post to Modoemodo:
I love my Moleskine Notebooks. I use the pocket reporter notebooks, and the large, lined note books, as well as various sizes of the Cahiers. Also, I have stopped using Franklin or TimeDesign products, and use the pocket and larger 18-month journal.
With the reporter notebooks and a couple of the larger, lined notebooks, I have had problems because the bindings come apart. I have had two reporter notebooks that I had to stop using when they were only about one third full because of the bindings coming apart.
Also, there's seems to be no consistency as to show-through with fountain pen ink. The same ink, ie. the same brand, colour and bottle, shows through in some Moleskines, but not others.
Given the reputation that Moleskine has, plus an ever-growing cult-following on the Internet which, in my own small way I have contributed to, it is imperative that Modoemodo strive to maintain and improve the quality of each and every Moleskine notebook.
While I appreciate that your market has grown substantially, and perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, I ask of you to please do all possible to keep quality high.
I have sent the following post to Modoemodo, emphasizing the need to enhance and to maintain quality. I urge all Moleskine users with similar concerns to write to Modoemodo. Here's the post I sent:
I love my Moleskine Notebooks. I use the pocket reporter notebooks, and the large, lined note books, as well as various sizes of the Cahiers. Also, I have stopped using Franklin or TimeDesign products, and use the pocket and larger 18-month journal.
With the reporter notebooks and a couple of the larger, lined notebooks, I have had problems because the bindings come apart. I have had two reporter notebooks that I had to stop using when they were only about one third full because of the bindings coming apart.
Also, there's seems to be no consistency as to show-through with fountain pen ink. The same ink, ie. the same brand, colour and bottle, shows through in some Moleskines, but not others.
Given the reputation that Moleskine has, plus an ever-growing cult-following on the Internet which, in my own small way I have contributed to, it is imperative that Modoemodo strive to maintain and improve the quality of each and every Moleskine notebook.
While I appreciate that your market has grown substantially, and perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, I ask of you to please do all possible to keep quality high.
On 8/1/06, SFWriter <janinekoza...@astound.net> wrote:
> Yes, sadly this is for real. Next time you're at Borders or Barnes and > Noble, flip over to the back and read the fine print. > All the new 2007 diaries are made in China too. > I'm crushed... not to mention I'll go broke stashing up the old ones!
re the reporters' notebooks: I know the online sketches of them show the cover being completely bent back behind. But that simply doesn't work. If you do so, you will break the binding.
But I still prefer the reporters, because, with the lid/cover lifted, I have the use of a full flat page, and not a curved page as in the books with the binding on the left side.
Thank you very much. I have sent an email to them now as well. The first attempt to "ii...@modoemodo.com" came back and "i...@modoemodo.com" seems to work. I have recently bought the new 18 months calendar and as Fountain Pen user I was disappointed as the ink bleeds through much worse than with all other notebooks I am using. And some pages are worse than others. Ok, the pages are thinner but still. I have tried the Pilot G2 which shows through as well so I will stick to my Fountain Pen. I had ordered a fine nib yesterday in the hope that this will help. Not sure about where it was produced though. I had not checked at the time when I bought it.
Best regards, Marcus
moleskine...@gmail.com Sent by: Moleskinerie@googlegroups.com 01/08/2006 22:23 Please respond to Moleskinerie
To: "Moleskinerie" <Moleskinerie@googlegroups.com> cc: Subject: Re: Moleskines Made In China-not surprised
I thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent squared large notebook. The cover is, well *different*. It is thinner feeling and the finish is much more dull and less *oiled* feeling. It feels dry and cheap, if that makes an sense. Not to mention that I had to return it immediately because the covers were misaligned and crooked about 1/4 inch (i.e., not flush with the paper inside). I promptly returned it and got another one. I didn't notice until a few written pages later that it too had a flaw on the cover, what looks to be where a wheel of sorts that would move the cover along the assembly line got stuck and slightly *spun out* on the edge.
I got hooked on Moleskines early this year and loved them, but if this what to expect from now on I'll never buy another.
> I thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent squared large > notebook. The cover is, well *different*. It is thinner feeling and > the finish is much more dull and less *oiled* feeling. It feels dry > and cheap, if that makes an sense. Not to mention that I had to return > it immediately because the covers were misaligned and crooked about 1/4 > inch (i.e., not flush with the paper inside). I promptly returned it > and got another one. I didn't notice until a few written pages later > that it too had a flaw on the cover, what looks to be where a wheel of > sorts that would move the cover along the assembly line got stuck and > slightly *spun out* on the edge.
> I got hooked on Moleskines early this year and loved them, but if this > what to expect from now on I'll never buy another.
I echo Daly's sentiments! This is the time to let Modo know. I sent them the following letter yesterday:
August 1, 2006
Ms. Silvia Trenta Marketing Department MODO&MODO S.p.A. Viale di Porta Vercellina, 10 20123 Milano - Italy
Dear Ms. Trenta,
I recently emailed Modo e Modo about the lower quality of your Moleskine notebooks made in China and did not receive a response. I am following up now via regular mail, as I'm a dedicated user of your products and would like to know about their future.
The fact that Modo is now manufacturing Moleskines in China is distressing on many levels. First, and also most important, is the noticeably lower quality of the product. I recently opened a large squared notebook, not knowing where it was made, and it had a terrible smell, something like diesel fuel. The cover material was also different, and after holding the book for more than a few seconds, my hands got all sweaty. After less than a page of writing, my pen was so clogged up with debris I couldn't use it. On my way to toss the book out, I finally checked the packaging and saw "Printed and Bound in China," which explained everything.
Secondly, I do not think it is ethical to continue marketing these products as artifacts of the "European Intellectual Tradition" if they are now being mass-produced in Asia. It's like a slap in the face to your customers, who are obviously intelligent, and willing to spend a significant amount for what they perceive as a better product or something that has a certain cachet. To try to pass these off as "original" Moleskine notebooks, the same as Hemingway and Chatwin used, is just plain insulting to the buyer's intelligence.
Lastly, I fail to see how a company like Modo, that would seem to care about things like human rights and the environment, can justify having their products even partially made in China. Paper manufacturing and printing is a notoriously toxic process, and the only reason the Chinese can do it so cheaply is their total disregard for polluting the environment.
It's also common knowledge they treat most of their factory workers like indentured servants, and the working conditions in most Chinese manufacturing plants is inhumane at best. Even though Modo must be saving significantly on costs by moving some or all production to China, I did not notice the retail price of your products coming down. Nor would I want see that. I'd gladly pay even more for "il originale," if it's still available. I'm sure I am not alone in my sentiments.
I hope that you will consider these concerns and reply promptly. I appreciate your attention to the matter.
> I echo Daly's sentiments! This is the time to let Modo know. I sent > them the following letter yesterday:
> August 1, 2006
> Ms. Silvia Trenta > Marketing Department > MODO&MODO S.p.A. > Viale di Porta Vercellina, 10 > 20123 Milano - Italy
> Dear Ms. Trenta,
> I recently emailed Modo e Modo about the lower quality of your > Moleskine notebooks made in China and did not receive a response. I am > following up now via regular mail, as I'm a dedicated user of your > products and would like to know about their future.
> The fact that Modo is now manufacturing Moleskines in China is > distressing on many levels. First, and also most important, is the > noticeably lower quality of the product. I recently opened a large > squared notebook, not knowing where it was made, and it had a terrible > smell, something like diesel fuel. The cover material was also > different, and after holding the book for more than a few seconds, my > hands got all sweaty. After less than a page of writing, my pen was so > clogged up with debris I couldn't use it. On my way to toss the book > out, I finally checked the packaging and saw "Printed and Bound in > China," which explained everything.
> Secondly, I do not think it is ethical to continue marketing these > products as artifacts of the "European Intellectual Tradition" if > they are now being mass-produced in Asia. It's like a slap in the > face to your customers, who are obviously intelligent, and willing to > spend a significant amount for what they perceive as a better product > or something that has a certain cachet. To try to pass these off as > "original" Moleskine notebooks, the same as Hemingway and Chatwin > used, is just plain insulting to the buyer's intelligence.
> Lastly, I fail to see how a company like Modo, that would seem to care > about things like human rights and the environment, can justify having > their products even partially made in China. Paper manufacturing and > printing is a notoriously toxic process, and the only reason the > Chinese can do it so cheaply is their total disregard for polluting the > environment.
> It's also common knowledge they treat most of their factory workers > like indentured servants, and the working conditions in most Chinese > manufacturing plants is inhumane at best. Even though Modo must be > saving significantly on costs by moving some or all production to > China, I did not notice the retail price of your products coming down. > Nor would I want see that. I'd gladly pay even more for "il > originale," if it's still available. I'm sure I am not alone in > my sentiments.
> I hope that you will consider these concerns and reply promptly. I > appreciate your attention to the matter.
> If it's a help, the paper strip label for those printed and bound in > China have the usual orange color on the front, but then changes to red > as it wraps around the left binding and the back.
> But I've never yet discovered what the sometimes green strip label > means, sometimes on both the moleskine and the Cahiers (softer cover).
Every type of notebook has a different color. Orange is lined. Green is plain. Pale blue is music staff lined. Yellow is squared (graph paper). Magenta is storyboard layout.
There are a few others, but basically, you can glance at the size and color and know what's inside. I like small and green... i.e., pocket plain.
I've read through all these comments. It makes me wonder - I purchased my first in Austin in March 2005. It's a lined pocket notebook, carried in briefcase and back pocket. The pocket in the back has split and the cover has seperated from the spine in the back as well. It's never struck me that it's matched the reputation i've read about. So, I'm now suspecting that I have a Chinese edition. It would be well that either the current owners of Moleskine's shape up, or find an alternative, at least for me. I've been quite pleased, thus far, with some notebooks from a Canadian Hardware/Woodworkers/Garderners company, Lee Valley Tools. I have their logbook X2 and another notebook. They don't get quite the abuse of the Moleskine, but they aren't pocket-sized either.
The Lee Valley log book is great. I actually carry my large Moleskine notebook and my large 18 month planner around in the green leather cover Lee Valley sells for the log book and/or the Harvard Planner it also sells.
I have had the same kind of problem with my pocket notebooks since the second reporter's notebook I used.
It pisses me off that no one from the company seems to have replied to any of us who has written. Perhaps they have been too busy arranging for the sale too the French.
The French may again meet their Waterloo or, for Canadian content, their Plains of Abraham, if they do not bring the Moleskines up to snuff.. I will not have my name and recommendations attached to a second rate product, and just as I have done all I can to promote Moleskines, the new owners may be assured that I, and I suspect others, will do all we can to find and recommend other products if the shoddy quality persists.
An advertising executive friend of mine spent some time analyzing the Moleskine phenomenon on the web, and concluded that the value of word of mouth on various groups came at least to the high six figures in US dollars. I would hate to have that kind of advertising power turning people away from my products.
brook...@gmail.com wrote: > I've read through all these comments. It makes me wonder - I purchased > my first in Austin in March 2005. It's a lined pocket notebook, > carried in briefcase and back pocket. The pocket in the back has split > and the cover has seperated from the spine in the back as well. It's > never struck me that it's matched the reputation i've read about. So, > I'm now suspecting that I have a Chinese edition. It would be well > that either the current owners of Moleskine's shape up, or find an > alternative, at least for me. I've been quite pleased, thus far, with > some notebooks from a Canadian Hardware/Woodworkers/Garderners company, > Lee Valley Tools. I have their logbook X2 and another notebook. They > don't get quite the abuse of the Moleskine, but they aren't > pocket-sized either.
Well, now I'm pissed off. I recently ordered four pocket ruled notebooks and a large sketchbook. Turns out that all the pocket notebooks are made in China. I never even thought to look. After all, who would have ever suspected that Modo y Modo would pull such a stunt? Certainly not me. I got these from Moleskine USA and I'm rather upset with them, too - so much so that I will never purchase anything from them again.
I certainly hope the French buyers will stop this nonsense immediately, and return Moleskine to its former quality. If not, well I guess I'll have to find something to replace Moleskines. I really don't look forward to that process.
Now that I've ranted about this major annoyance, does anyone know where I might be able to purchase a small stock of older NON-Chinese pocket ruled notebooks and pocket sketchbooks - mint in the original packaging, of course?
soon after i discovered the M's being made in China, i went to a nearby borders and bought some that are not made in china to stock up. even in the same stack of one type of moleskine on the shelf, most of them were that of made in china already. i don't know what's happening, or what will happen with the purchase of modo e modo by the french company, but if they decide to continue producing the notebooks in china, then i believe that a number of things may/will/should happen: - price of the notebooks should go down due to lower labor costs - moleskine may lose its very meaning to a large number of current users as well as the notebook itself - if the quality of the paper doesn't improve, many may defect to another brand(s). as for me, i buy and use cahier for writing with certain ball point pens of mine, and i use ruled pocket notebooks to write/sketch with my fountain pens because they feel right to me for different pens i use.
but the thing that'd not be cool for me is that i haven't come across any other notebooks that are as durable and simple as Moleskine...so it'd be very hard for me to go to another brand :S
but, in retrospect, i did notice an increased availability of Moleskine notebooks at local bookstores recently, which may coincide with the time they started to make them in china? i wonder...
> Well, now I'm pissed off. I recently ordered four pocket ruled > notebooks and a large sketchbook. Turns out that all the pocket > notebooks are made in China. I never even thought to look. After all, > who would have ever suspected that Modo y Modo would pull such a > stunt? > Certainly not me. I got these from Moleskine USA and I'm rather upset > with them, too - so much so that I will never purchase anything from > them again.
> I certainly hope the French buyers will stop this nonsense > immediately, > and return Moleskine to its former quality. If not, well I guess I'll > have to find something to replace Moleskines. I really don't look > forward to that process.
> Now that I've ranted about this major annoyance, does anyone know > where > I might be able to purchase a small stock of older NON-Chinese pocket > ruled notebooks and pocket sketchbooks - mint in the original > packaging, of course?
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