The best suggestion I ever got for what to use for a sketchbook was from Alex Toepetti, (who at that time was lead key cleanup artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation). Printer paper and a clipboard. His thinking was that, 1) you're not worried about leaving frayed edges by tearing-out bad drawings so you're more adventuresome with trying stuff that might not work; and 2) You can choose the surface smoothness/roughness you like best... and change it up if you ever feel so inclined. I took that idea a step further and made my own, purse-sized sketchbook that I can thread-in/out any kind of paper I want. (Currently, I've got smooth paper for character ideation, toned tan paper for development sketches, and some lightweight Bristol paper for inks (or watercolor)... all in the same book! ( a quick walkthrough if you want to see it: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1M4BlEr4m0/?igsh=MXc5cXd1Z3R0ZjNvNQ== )

Hey Tommy! Congrats on filling up those sketchbooks!! I've used both the Strathmore and Canson XL Recycled sketchbooks and they're great for everyday graphite pencil sketching! I primarily use Moleskine Art Sketchbooks, Canson XL Pen and Ink, and Strathmore Toned Tan for general graphite sketching. I’ve really enjoyed the Canson XL Pen and Ink Sketchbook with the brown cover for every day pencil sketching. It has an ultra smooth, bright white finish which I love for graphite sketching, as well as for pen and ink. A smooth surface paper really helps for laying down even shading, and allows for smudging/blending with stumps. The paper weight is thick enough to also handle pen and ink without bleed through or feathering if you want to try inking over your pencils at some point. I also use the Moleskin Art Collection Sketchbooks as my every day, carry everywhere sketchbook. They’re great for pretty much all sketching media! I’ve used graphite, ink, watercolor, gouache, and alcohol markers all in the same sketchbook with no issues. They are a bit pricy, but they’re consistent heavy weight paper and they take everything you can throw at them. For pencil sketching you really can't go wrong, I'd try to find whatever is on sale at your art store to try out as many options as you can so you can start to dial in what you like. That said, sketchbooks with quality paper can really make a difference in your art, even for study. Quality paper is pricier, but worth it when you're not struggling against the materials. Here’s a playlist link to the 12 Days of Proko from last year which was all about Sketchbooks! Take a look to see what other artists are using, and how they like them! Hope this helps! https://www.proko.com/12days

Currently Im using Handbook Journal co. watercolor books. The paper is nice for wet mediums and it’s got a durable cover. Moleskine sketchbooks have nice thick paper as well, and a slightly smoother texture. If you’re just using pencil and like a thinner paper, I really enjoy Flexbook blank notebooks too.