I have been a longtime Moleskine fan, but their recent (lack of) quality has left me unhappy with Moleskines. I've tried a few others from Amazon that claimed to be higher quality paper, all of which left me disappointed and out $10 to $20 a pop. I was about to give up hope when I ordered these.(Disclaimer: this was absolutely NOT sponsored, nor did I receive this product on any sort of a discount. I didn't know that it's possible to wax poetic about a notebook until this showed up at my door, but Northbooks does, indeed, inspire that.)I can't emphasize enough how great these notebooks are. They're the kind of notebook that makes me want to fill them up. It's a really satisfying notebook experience. If that sounds weird, you obviously haven't met your notebook soul mate yet.The paper's definitely thick enough to prevent bleed through. Ghosting is so minimal, you really have to look for it to notice it. I've only tried some generic 0.4 microliners and the Uniball Air (my go to pen), but if the paper stands up to those, I'm sure it'll stand up to most everything else. You might have a problem with regular felt tips, but you need pretty heavy paper to avoid that.The binding is sturdy, BUT not as sturdy as other reviewers have claimed. I did break the spine on the second page in of my first notebook because the reviews made this notebook sound like it's made from steel. It is not. You will break the binding if you act like it's indestructible. That said, I do think this will be sturdier than a Moleskine cahier, which is the most similar notebook I've used recently (though it uses a different binding system).In a direct comparison to Moleskine, obviously you get more bang for your buck, page wise. Northbooks also has thicker paper and a sturdier cover. The lines are crisper with Northbooks. This paper doesn't have any sort of shine to it, so gel type pens don't sit on the paper for a moment before sinking in. In fact, I just realized this, but going back through my notebook for the last few weeks, I don't have any feathering or smudges *at all.* I usually get some when using a ruler with my Uniball Air, but I can't see a single one. It's kind of mind blowing for a stationery nerd like myself.I don't know. I just really love these little notebooks. This will be my go to for the foreseeable future, and gladly so!