The 5 Best Hardcover Notebooks for 2020

If you need a notebook that goes everywhere that you do and can take a beating, then you’ve got to have a planner with a hardcover. This is the kind of notebook that will still look new when the year is getting old.

Because we understand what you need, we undertook a comprehensive survey of hardcover planners. The result is that we’ve discovered the best hardcover notebooks that are available today.

We considered aesthetics, namely, does this notebook enhance your professional appearance? We also looked at how durable the notebook is, the quality of the paper and whether or not it lays flat when opened.

The results of our endeavors are described below. One of these notebooks may become an indispensable ally for your busiest days.

5 Best Hardcover Notebooks:

1. Thick Classic Notebook with Pen Loop – Lemome A5 Wide Ruled Hardcover Writing Notebook with Pocket + Page Dividers Gifts, Banded, Large, 180 Pages, 8.4 x 5.7 in

This sturdy offering from Lemome is well regarded by consumers, and with a price of less than $20, it’s an affordable option. Available in several colors, you’ll be able to coordinate this notebook with whatever professional image you want to convey.

The elastic pen loop ensures that your favorite writing instrument is always at hand. With page dividers, you’ll be able to easily navigate through the various portions of your notebook. A handy pocket lets you corral small bits of paper and other important items.

An elastic band ensures a secure closure, but when it’s open, the lay-flat binding serves you well. Each book is equipped with 90 sheets for 180 pages of drawing, note-taking, journaling, planning and more.

Users note that the paper is quite thick and resists any ink bleed-through or ghosting. However, there do seem to be issues with the binding failing and pages falling out.

With a bargain price, this notebook from Lemome is worth a shot. The cover is durable, but sometimes the binding doesn’t hold all of the pages.

2. Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook (Navy) – 249 Numbered Pages

This notebook is an excellent planner thanks to its stickers, blank table of contents and numbered pages. You can use the dotted pages any way you like. From taking notes to drawing or journaling, this is a wonderful notebook.

Inside the back cover, is an expandable pocket for receipts, business cards, and other small items. The book further is equipped with elastic strap closure and a page marker.

Dotted pages are versatile as you can use them as you would lines, squares or even blank pages. In all, this notebook has 249 pages and has dimensions of 5.75 by 8.25. The attractive hardcover is sturdy and well-made.

The manufacturer notes that the book is bound with thread and lies flat for easier writing. Eight perforated sheets are included.

For a notebook with some 250 pages, the Leuchttrum is slim. Users say that this is achieved with thin paper. Many of them describe excessive bleeding and ghosting.

This notebook looks great and has nice features. However, the thin paper may be a serious detriment.

3. Clever Fox Dotted Hardcover Notebook

An undoubted bargain at less than $10, the Clever Fox Dotted Notebook offers a simple and elegant solution. In fact, we think these are the best hardcover notebooks available.

Features like a hard, faux leather cover in a variety of attractive colors make the Clever Fox tough to beat. Additionally, it has a pen loop, an elastic closure, and three ribbon bookmarks. Colorful sheets of stickers make it easy to highlight events and celebrations. Best of all is the thick, 120 gsm paper.

The Clefour-millimeterNotebook lays flat for easy use. The four-millimeter dot grid layout can be used in any way you imagine. Altogether, there are 127 pages in this notebook. With a money-back guarantee, it’s hard to go wrong with this product.

One quibble with this notebook is that the ribbon bookmarks do tend to fray at the ends.

With an affordable price, great style and reliable functionality, the Clever Fox Dotted Notebook is a favorite and highly recommended.

4. 2 Pack Classic Ruled Notebooks/Journals – Premium Thick Paper Faux Leather Writing Notebook, Black, Hard Cover, Large, Lined (5.4 x 8.3)

If you’re looking for basic, affordable notebooks, then there may be a good choice. You get two for just under $15, with each book featuring lined paper. The cover only comes in black, faux leather, so if you looking for a genuine leather journal check out this list of 10 great leather journals.

Each notebook is equipped with an elastic strap for closure in addition to a single ribbon bookmark. Special binding ensures that these notebooks lie flat when opened.

This makes it much easier to write in them. Sized at five inches by 8.25 inches, this hardcover notebook is small enough to take everywhere. Each notebook has a total of 60 sheets for 120 pages.

Reviews say that the paper is thick and smooth, making it easy to write on and minimizing bleed through. Moreover, the size is ideal for tucking into a bag. Some users were nonetheless disappointed by the absence of a pen loop while others noted that the elastic strap closure could be tighter.

For the budget minded, these notebooks may be ideal, but these items from BooQool are lacking some basic features.

5. Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, Large (5″ x 8.25″) Squared/Grid, Black, 240 Pages

Moleskine is one of the most respected names in paper notebooks for college students. Accordingly, the quality of this item is almost assured. You may choose features such as ruled, dotted, graph and plain paper, and the cover is available in several hues.

Priced under $20 and featuring 96 sheets for a total of 192 pages, this is a more costly alternative than others on this list. Its features include a ribbon bookmark, acid-free paper and an elastic strap for closure. An expandable inner pocket is included for holding small items. This Moleskine notebook lies flat when opened and has 70 gsm paper.

Most reviewers are pleased with this product. However, it is worth noting that the 70 gsm paper is nowhere near the thickest on this list. This translates to problems with ink bleeding and ghosting on subsequent pages.

Reviewers note that the quality of Moleskine’s paper has been on the decline in recent years, and this notebook is no exception.

Conclusion

Plenty of hardcover notebooks are available, but they aren’t all of equal quality. The ones that are listed here have been thoroughly tested and found to be among the superior offerings in this category. However, the Clever Fox Dotted Notebook came out ahead of the rest in our reviews thanks to its quality, durability and numerous features.

If you demand a great deal from your notebooks, then you should insist on the very best. Take a closer look at the Clever Fox Dotted Notebook today.