I like the Filofax notebooks, their simplicity appeals to me, and the fact you can incorporate the smaller pages into the larger notebooks without a problem. I also really like the paper Filofax use in these. I bought the Arc hole punch and haven't regretted it. To add another layer of complexity, there are some newer versions of the Notebook in the Garden/Indigo/Expressions/Confetti ranges which have a coated cardboard cover rather than plastic - just when you thought you were getting your head around the range.
Great review! The biggest feature (not mentioned) compared with a standard organiser or a Clipbook is that the cover fully folds back 180 degrees so these are great for notetaking “on the move” away from a desk. The elasticated closure (where fitted) can hold all the pages in place when fully opened back. The drawback I quickly discovered is (as you say) that the pages can start to fall out if removed and replaced more than once or twice.
That was a fantastic review! Thank you 🙏🏽 I’ve been using the discbound system for a little while and I have the same Arc punch you have but I saw the Filofax notebook on sale and thought I’d give it a go. So happy to hear I can use the punch I have already instead of investing in a second one.
That's a great review, thank you! I'm a user of discbound notebooks, and recently I learned of this Filofax system alternative, and was curious of some comparison. It looks like not many people compare them, so I was super happy you did it, and was totally not expecting that the Arc punch can actually work with the A5 ones! I'm still a bit curious of the actual wire spiral; is it totally separate from the actual cover, is it possible to disconnect them? I'm also wondering whether, in practice, the Filofax system is a bit more comfortable, or not really? Finally, I'm disappointed that the sizes for the smaller ones differ from the A-series paper. Also, in practice, I wonder what ended up being your personal favorite system for the time being - is it discbound, Filofax, ring bound, regular notebooks, or yet something else - and why? Thanks again for the great review!
Thank you - I'm glad you found the review useful! On the Filofax notebooks the wire is separate from the cover, but you would need to bend back the wiring to remove it - it's difficult to explain without a new video. For my diary I am currently using a book-by-book system (ua-cam.com/video/KulmM5ccYrM/v-deo.html), supported by an A5 ring-bound Heritage (ua-cam.com/video/Xr9hVw-TOXo/v-deo.html) and for notes I am working my way through the pile of bound notebooks which I have acquired; but if I had to choose between the Filofax Notebook and a disc-bound system, at the moment I would probably go for the Filofax system because it is more compact. Mind you, like many of us, my needs and desires change over time, so if you ask the same question in a few months time, the answer might be quite different!
@@GrahamRhind Thanks a lot for the reply, both for the explanations and for satisfying my curiosity! By the way, I got this feeling from the videos that filefax notebooks seem kind of more compact than discbound; though honestly I'm wondering how can this be - rings also are of different sizes, so I wonder if there's some trick to it, or it's only somehow a feeling. Now that I think, I imagine the wires have slightly less diameter probably because they can drop the "mushroom cap" extra rounding bulkness. I also assume maybe due to their elasticity/looseness they can slightly bend and/or move out of the way when laying the hand on the notebook, as well as maybe when closing the notebook? I'm slightly tempted to splurge on a Filofax Notebook just to compare and out of curiosity; but also I'm already well stocked on disks, and I kinda like they are more versatile and cheaper, and not proprietary. Though I do feel a bit of annoyance by their degree of bulkiness. Hmh 🤔🤷♂
@@czapkofan The systems are subtly different. In a disc-bound system the front and back covers are separate and are attached via the discs. In the Filofax system the cover is in one piece with the wire spine "attached" to it. The circle created by the wire is smaller than most circles created by discs, also because (as you say), the discs have the mushroom profile at the rim which isn't required in the Filofax system. This means the paper in the Filofax system can be held a little closer to the spine of the notebook than a comparable disc-bound system. So the disc-bound notebooks are always just a little larger than comparable Filofax notebooks.
Hello can you fold them back to back in a 360 ? Especially the A4 ? Because I have read that you can do so with the covers but not the papers inside which won’t make the whole turn around the rings ! thanks
I like the Filofax notebooks, their simplicity appeals to me, and the fact you can incorporate the smaller pages into the larger notebooks without a problem. I also really like the paper Filofax use in these. I bought the Arc hole punch and haven't regretted it. To add another layer of complexity, there are some newer versions of the Notebook in the Garden/Indigo/Expressions/Confetti ranges which have a coated cardboard cover rather than plastic - just when you thought you were getting your head around the range.
Great review! The biggest feature (not mentioned) compared with a standard organiser or a Clipbook is that the cover fully folds back 180 degrees so these are great for notetaking “on the move” away from a desk. The elasticated closure (where fitted) can hold all the pages in place when fully opened back. The drawback I quickly discovered is (as you say) that the pages can start to fall out if removed and replaced more than once or twice.
Thanks, and you're quite right - I knew there was something I'd forgotten ....
That was a fantastic review! Thank you 🙏🏽 I’ve been using the discbound system for a little while and I have the same Arc punch you have but I saw the Filofax notebook on sale and thought I’d give it a go. So happy to hear I can use the punch I have already instead of investing in a second one.
Thanks! I'm happy that you found it useful!
That's a great review, thank you! I'm a user of discbound notebooks, and recently I learned of this Filofax system alternative, and was curious of some comparison. It looks like not many people compare them, so I was super happy you did it, and was totally not expecting that the Arc punch can actually work with the A5 ones! I'm still a bit curious of the actual wire spiral; is it totally separate from the actual cover, is it possible to disconnect them? I'm also wondering whether, in practice, the Filofax system is a bit more comfortable, or not really? Finally, I'm disappointed that the sizes for the smaller ones differ from the A-series paper. Also, in practice, I wonder what ended up being your personal favorite system for the time being - is it discbound, Filofax, ring bound, regular notebooks, or yet something else - and why? Thanks again for the great review!
Thank you - I'm glad you found the review useful! On the Filofax notebooks the wire is separate from the cover, but you would need to bend back the wiring to remove it - it's difficult to explain without a new video. For my diary I am currently using a book-by-book system (ua-cam.com/video/KulmM5ccYrM/v-deo.html), supported by an A5 ring-bound Heritage (ua-cam.com/video/Xr9hVw-TOXo/v-deo.html) and for notes I am working my way through the pile of bound notebooks which I have acquired; but if I had to choose between the Filofax Notebook and a disc-bound system, at the moment I would probably go for the Filofax system because it is more compact. Mind you, like many of us, my needs and desires change over time, so if you ask the same question in a few months time, the answer might be quite different!
@@GrahamRhind Thanks a lot for the reply, both for the explanations and for satisfying my curiosity! By the way, I got this feeling from the videos that filefax notebooks seem kind of more compact than discbound; though honestly I'm wondering how can this be - rings also are of different sizes, so I wonder if there's some trick to it, or it's only somehow a feeling. Now that I think, I imagine the wires have slightly less diameter probably because they can drop the "mushroom cap" extra rounding bulkness. I also assume maybe due to their elasticity/looseness they can slightly bend and/or move out of the way when laying the hand on the notebook, as well as maybe when closing the notebook? I'm slightly tempted to splurge on a Filofax Notebook just to compare and out of curiosity; but also I'm already well stocked on disks, and I kinda like they are more versatile and cheaper, and not proprietary. Though I do feel a bit of annoyance by their degree of bulkiness. Hmh 🤔🤷♂
@@czapkofan The systems are subtly different. In a disc-bound system the front and back covers are separate and are attached via the discs. In the Filofax system the cover is in one piece with the wire spine "attached" to it. The circle created by the wire is smaller than most circles created by discs, also because (as you say), the discs have the mushroom profile at the rim which isn't required in the Filofax system. This means the paper in the Filofax system can be held a little closer to the spine of the notebook than a comparable disc-bound system. So the disc-bound notebooks are always just a little larger than comparable Filofax notebooks.
Hello can you fold them back to back in a 360 ? Especially the A4 ? Because I have read that you can do so with the covers but not the papers inside which won’t make the whole turn around the rings ! thanks
Yes you can, and it lies flat.