When you've been bullet journaling as long as I have (10+ years), you go through a lot of notebooks and you learn a few things about what works and what doesn't.

While I should have a favourite brand that I'm loyal to, one of the things I look forward to when finishing one note book is getting to know the quirks and foibles of the next, new notebook.

Here are some things I look for when I buy a new note book...

Paper style

1. Lined. This is the most common kind of pages but I don't like it since it doesn't tend itself to a landscape page orientation or much in the way of graphic organization that you need for some spreads, The good news is these are so common you can probably get one for free as a promotion.
2. Plain. Great if you like to sketch and are very artistic, but without any structure to the page, these notebooks are next to useless for me.
3. Dot Grid. This is the gold standard for bullet journals. The dots are unobtrusive for when you are free hand writing, drawing or whatever, but they are there with regular spacing when you need it. You can draw straight line to divide pages, make tables or even draw simple shapes.
4. Graph. I personally like this one since it has a lot of the advantages of the dot grid. The lines are more intrusive but I don't mind; maybe it's because I'm an engineer. When I was little, I loved graph paper and used to draw spaceships and pretend they were blueprints. When I journal on graph paper, I feel in touch with that kid.

Size

I would say I'm A5 for life, but I suppose there have been some exceptions. A5 is big enough for me to fit in a good density of information, but small enough to be fairly portable.

Paper Thickness

I'm not enough of a stationery nerd yet to know everything about paper grades, and I confess I don't pay attention to those numbers when buying mostly. I have been burned by seeing ink bleed-through in some notebooks. It lessens legibility of the current page when the evidence of the previous page is marking up the background. At the very least, I should try to feel the thickness and try to judge it that way before buying; which won't work for online purchases.

Extras

• Numbered pages. While I always want the pages undated (it's a notebook which needs to be versatile in what the pages are used for - not a dedicated planner), I'm fine with the pages being numbered in advance so I don't have to do that manually.
• Pen loop. That way my pen is never far, though I have found a solution when the pen loop is not included.

• Back pocket. These sometimes have extra stickers or stencils to help liven up the journal or aid with organisation. I haven't really made huge use of these in the past, sometimes I store a business or appointment card in them.

• Bookmarks. At least 2 is good, there's always pages I want to refer back to often and quickly.

As I mentioned, I'm always looking forward to a new notebook experience, but some favourites from the past include:

• Leuchturm 1917 (the "official" Bullet Journal product uses a variant of these)
• Moleskine
• Lamy (I got one in Nashville with Nashville branding - it had graph paper)
• Denk Zettel (found this one in Germany)
• Baronfig. Their 'Confidant' notebook is a non-standard size, but they sell a 'Clear Habits Journal' (from James Clear) that I adored.