Friday, February 1, 2013
To Filofax Or Not To Filofax, That Is The Question...
I have published a few posts on my Filofaxes including pictures. I have a black Personal Holborn and red A-5 Domino and have enjoyed playing with them. I've enjoyed, and still enjoy, reading various Filofax blogs, watching Filofax videos, and looking at pics of other people's set-ups on Pinterest, Flickr, and Tumblr.
Slowly I have run up against a problem though, and that is Filofax simply does not play well with others.
I live in the United States, and for the most part, if you want Filofax binders or refills you have to purchase them by mail or find a store (few and far between here) that carry them. On the other hand you have Day-Timer, DayRunner, Franklin Covey and Avery who are all interchangeable. They are also easily available from Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, etc... I've noticed also that while Filofax binders are pretty (and expensive), the inserts are very limited. The refills and inserts and "go withs" for the others are varied and really very pretty. Filofax is the only one that won't fit. I had decided to move to a larger size, call it A-5 or Classic or Desk Size, depending on the brand, basically it's 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 paper. And after much consideration and shopping I've decided to go non-Filofax. I'd already gone to the non-Filofax paper with my Franklin Covey Blooms refill for my Holborn. It's funny that they make the Personal size fit with the other brands (more or less) but not the A-5.
I know there are some who will turn up their noses at my choice but I guess one of the really wonderful things about growing older is that I simply don't care what others think. If it floats your boat to pay large sums of money, and wait a week or more, every time you want to purchase anything have fun. I'll be happy with my easy to find, incredibly varied array of binders, inserts, papers, dividers, pockets, pads, pen holders and refills.
Of course I still prefer British TV, so in a way it all works out in the end :)
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I live in the US as well and couldnt agree more. I have a personal finsbury that I am using at the moment that does not have a single filofax insert in it! Everything in it is either from Day Runner or Day Timer purchased from my local Office Max and Staples. I also have an A5 finsbury that just sits in my drawer because nothing else fits in it and I hate the quality of the filofax paper. I have been considering selling the A5 and purchasing a beautiful green leather desk size binder that I have been eyeing on the Day Timer website.
ReplyDeleteI thought about trying the A5 but I'm in the US also and nothing fits. So if I were to switch to a bigger size, I would go with FC or Day Timer since those inserts are readily available.
ReplyDeleteYou have to do what works.
I live in the UK and have the opposite problem!
ReplyDeleteFilofax is reasonably available on the high street (although some stores have drastically reduced their stock) but the range of Franklin Covey and DayTimer products is limited in the UK and only seems to be available on-line. Fortunately I have a friend who ships stuff to me from the US that I can't buy here!
I can see that A5 would be a big problem in the US as your standardised paper size is different to our system.
Agreed on all accounts. If I wanted the larger size and lived in US, I'd go with the Classic size as well. I'm now using Franklin Covey Compact, bought on eBa, and ordered the FC inserts from Franklin UK. The shipping takes foreve, so I'm grateful to undergo this ordeal only once a year!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the US and use an A5 filofax. I use the calendar that cAme with my binder, but I prefer to make the rest of my inserts and I really don't mind at all. However, I do wish they were interchangeable because I also have a franklin covey and it would be nice if I could transfer sheets from one binder to the other. Can't have it all, I suppose!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the US as well, and I use an A5 Filofax. I also wish they were interchangeable. But I prefer the Filofax binders - they have more options that are sleeker and more streamlined. I like to carry my book with me everywhere, and most of the daytimer and FC binders seem so huge and bulky - although I have been eyeing the FC Giada binder. I tend to make my own inserts for the most part so it's not a huge deal to me. But I do wish Filofax made a better hole punch.
ReplyDeleteI've been look at the Giada too. At the moment I'm thinking of grabbing a Day-Timer Pink Ribbon. It's microfiber (not the great leather feel...but it's light) and I love that some of the money will go to breast cancer research. I thought I saw a nice Filofax A-5 hole punch on Amazon...it was very pricy though...or maybe it was the Filofax site itself.
DeleteThank you all for your comments. I too have made inserts when I was using my Filofaxes but didn't want to have to. The fact that I was using a single hole punch didn't help :) One thing I love about the whole Filofax/Organizer movement going on right now is the amazing amount of customization that everyone is doing. So much creativity! It's become an art-form like SMASH books or scrapbooking. It certainly makes each day special when you are planning it in an organizer that you've made your very own.
ReplyDeleteYay! You all get what's been a big pet peeve of mine for months! I was a FC person for over 20 years but I always wanted a Filofax. So last year I dipped one toe in and well, all ten have gone in since then. I love love love my personal Filofax binders (their slimmer profile) but I do find that at times I miss the FC compact pages which are wider and easier to write on. But for now I'm set up in a Filofax with their paper. However, I really question why I purchased 3 A5 binders which I also love except for the same reason you all cited above. I love all the options available here in the US for the 7 ring binders. I especially love the Martha Stewart page protectors (I'm a huge page protector fanatic!) that come with 2, 4 or 1 pocket. Great for recipes, photos, memorabilia, ephemera and the like. Which of course you can't use in a Filofax A5. Also, I simply cannot print my own pages as much as I love all the downloads available for free. I simply can't stand when my pages or holes are wonky, misaligned, etc. or the 2 sided printing fails. So, printing out my own inserts is just not an option. I recently picked up a 1990's era 'old school' FC binder off ebay...you know the ones: classic zip purses with a front pocket and shoulder strap. LOL I used to have one of those way back and got rid of it. Found a nice leather one at a reasonable price on ebay and just use it as my home/crafts binder. Now I can add inserts till my hearts content and I only have to run out to Staples to do so. Yet, I still can't part with my lovely Filofax A5 binders. Not sure why. Maybe some day...
ReplyDeletei have a daytimer malibu that I absolutely love. Has dayrunner inserts. I'm considering purchasing another malibu but in the smaller size to use more like a wallet and daily though jot down binder.
ReplyDeleteI have the Daytimer Malibu desk planner in Plum along with the Malibu leather tote in Plum and absolutely love it! I couldn't be happier with the Malibu collection. The leather is soft and luxurious. I'm a loyal Daytimee girl all the way. :)
ReplyDelete