I have used the Leuchtturm brand of bullet journal for years. However, there are so many different brands and style of bullet journal. I decided I would buy another bullet journal brand and compare it to my Leuchtturm journal. I found the Stationery Island bullet journal on Amazon and thought it would be perfect for this experiment. If you are a bullet journal lover like me, or you are thinking about starting a journal and not sure what would be right for you, I am hoping this post is helpful to you.
I am going to compare each journal based on price, page gsm, bookmarks and expandable pockets, contents pages, range of colours and carry out bleeding and ghosting tests.
Price
The price of a bullet journal can often influence your decision on which one you purchase. The Leuchtturm journal I purchased was £12.99 on Amazon. I have also purchased a Leuchtturm journal through Ryman’s at £16.50 or the official Leuchtturm bullet journal at £19.95.
I found a brand called Stationery Island on Amazon and it was £8.99, it is a much more affordable dotted notebook.
Leuchtturm ** Stationery Island ****
Page GSM
The higher the page gsm the thicker the paper. The thicker the paper, the less ghosting and bleeding will occur in your notebooks. The Leuchtturm dotted journal has 80gsm. The Stationery Island bullet journal has 120 gsm. The paper in the Stationery Island bullet journal is remarkably thicker.
Leuchtturm ** Stationery Island **
Bookmarks and expandable pockets
In the Leuchtturm bullet journal has 2 bookmarks and an expandable pocket in the back. In the Stationery Island bullet journal also comes with 2 bookmarks and an expandable pocket in the back of the journal.
Leuchtturm **** Stationery Island ****
Contents Pages
The Leuchtturm bullet journal has contents pages to help utilise your journal and find certain pages more efficiently. These pages have been really helpful. The Stationery Island bullet journal does not come with content pages.
Leuchtturm **** Stationery Island *
Range of colours
The Leuchtturm bullet journal is available in a vast range of colours, neutral colours or bright colours. The Stationery Island journal comes in a variety of colours also. There is one for everyone.
Leuchtturm **** Stationery Island ****
Bleeding and ghosting
The Leuchtturm journal has some bleeding and ghosting when using my finalisers and brush pens. When using the same pens in the Stationery Island journal as you can see there is next to no ghosting. This journal is definitely the better choice for avoiding ghosting and it impacting your designs.
Leuchtturm ** Stationery Island ****
Although Leuchtturm is one of the most well known brands of bullet journal, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Stationery Island journal performed. For me, the Stationery Island journal is great value for money and has almost the same positive features as the Leuchtturm bullet journal.
Ooo the stationery island journal held it’s own really well! Xx
I would choose that over the Leuchtturm I think xx
This is such an interesting post Lauren, and super helpful for those thinking of starting a bullet journal! I always assumed Leuchtturm was the best journal to use as I see them everywhere – however, it looks like Stationery Island is a very good competitor! I’m impressed at it’s affordability, thicker pages and the fact that it doesn’t bleed through, it looks as good (if not better) than the Leuchtturm. Thanks for sharing your experiment, will have to keep an eye out for Stationery Island products in the future, it sounds like a great brand! <3 xxxx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
I normally use Moleskin but I’m super impressed with Stationery Island’s journal! It seems to really hold it’s own.
Jess | https://jessrigg.com
Yeah such a great surprise it’s so good!
I was so shocked by the stationery island one! Definitely better page gsm and I like the pages are more white too!! Thank you for reading and commenting Bexa 🖤xxx
I was not aware of these two brands of Bullet Journals. I did not know about page gsm. Now, I will be looking into page gsm whenever I paper items. The Stationery Island Journal sounds like a good deal.
It’s definitely a good idea to look at page gsm. Anything from 100+ is a better quality! Thank you for reading and commenting Dev xx
Deb* xx
The Stationery Island Journal is such a good one! I didn’t know about…. Quite impressed!
I didn’t either until I did some research! It’s such a good bullet journal and so affordable!
Hey, thanks! That’s pretty informative. I’ve only just begun to figure out hand-lettering, and bullet journals look fun. I appreciate the review.
Glad you found it useful. I love all the different lettering! Xx
If you don’t want to spend as much the stationery island bullet journal is better than the Leuchtturm in my opinion. The page gsm is so much better x
Yeah the stationery island ones are on amazon at £8.99 so much value (better) in my opinion x
I was a little leery about reading a journal review comparison but I applaud you! The writing was engaging and the way you compared each feature of the two books easy to follow. Stationary Island is such a pretty name!
Aww thank you so much!!!! 🖤 that is so sweet of you xx
🙂