Like a lot of people, I often do a lot of online shopping, and Ebay is a site that you can often find some great things on. It's only recently I have recently started using it, and I've been surprised with the amount of rare Lush products (review coming soon), books, high-end makeup, music...generally everything you can buy for low prices.
Unfortunately though-and my friends will confirm this- I often end up buying things I don't really need, just because they are at a low price. This that I am about to review is probably another one of those- though it is one of my favourite purchases ever, even though it is pre-owned and a little battered.
I found this filofax organiser one night on Ebay, and managed to win it at the last minute without really thinking about what I was going to use it for. Filofax is possibly the best known organiser company, that people refer to when talking about diaries and ring-bound planners. They also create premium leather purses and suitcases, but are most famous for the personal organiser.
This, essentially, is a leather ring-bound folder designed to keep a diary, notes, and contact information in. However it is customizable, and you are able to buy and print inserts for literally anything, whether you want to use it to keep an eye on your finances, or you just want a place to keep all your pieces of creative writing in one place.
There are all sorts of different materials, textures and colours available, from PU to luxurious buffalo leather. There are 6 different sizes as well, so there will be one to suit you, whether you want a purse sized one for jotting down quick notes and numbers, or a desk-sized one for journalling or keeping appointments.
The Finsbury filofax is a pebbled, grained leather, which is quite rigid at first, but like all leathers, softens up with continuous use. As I bought mine second-hand, it was already reasonably pliable, which for me was ideal as I could start putting things in the inner pockets right away. The layout of this a5 planner has 2 large slip pockets, 5 card slots, one translucent I.D slot and a notepad pocket in the back cover, which can alternatively be used to keep paper in. The A5 filofax is a pretty big binder, and is ideal if you enjoy doing a lot of writing. However, it can get heavy to carry around, so if you don't need as much space you may benefit from buying something smaller. I plan to use this organiser to keep blogging information in, as well as ideas. It is also being used as a diary.
My particular model is in the colour pink, which is now rare and discontinued, however if you keep an eye out on gumtree and Ebay, you may be able to pick one up. An alternative to this colour is Raspberry- which is part of the Finsbury's regular line. I was pleased I managed to get the pale pink colour, as it ties in with my blog-theme nicely and is a pretty shade that is definitely not in-your-face or loud. It is cute and feminine, but smart enough that you wouldn't feel silly using it at work or college.
As my binder was second hand, and marked used, I was aware of the slight damage that came with it. The popper clasp and Filofax logo on mine is slightly worn, and the top and bottom of the spine is scuffed. I am really not at all bothered about this though, and most likely as I use it all the time it will become more worn. As well as this, I plan to throw it in my handbag now and again and feel less cautious about it, had it been a brand new (and expensive) item.
The binder rings in a Filofax have often caused issues to buyers, for misalignment and gaps. A gap in the rings can cause the pages being turned to catch on them and rip. With this organiser, I was fairly lucky in that there is only tiny 1mm gaps in the bottom two rings which cause absolutely no issues. However, if you buy a brand new one and you find gaps, return it to the company as they will be able to either fix or replace it with no extra charge.
As I previously mentioned, this particular colour has been discontinued, but an a5 Finsbury costs around the £80 brand new. It is definitely worth shopping around for this product though, as new ones are available on Amazon for around £50, and I bought mine second hand from Ebay for £18. It is a very steep price brand new, but is mid-priced when it comes to Filofax organisers and is the cheapest leather option available.
Overall, this is probably the best organiser I have owned. Although I've bought brand new Filofaxes for a lot more, cheaper filofax copies, and smaller organisers, there is something about this worn-leather, pink one I like more than the others. I would recommend seeking one out for yourself if you are interested in buying a high-quality, customizable planner.
9,5/10
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