05 August 2011

Filofax College Week 6 - Choosing the Perfect Filofax


Morning Filofax College Students!

Today’s lesson is going to be Choosing the perfect Filofax!

Now I'm rubbish at finding the perfect Filofax but, I have a formulated way to find it, which should help you get it the right size and all set the way you want it!

So we will go through a few steps, and some advice I have been given in the past, and if I remember who gave me the advice I will let you know who gave it, I am going to go over all the steps you should take when choosing your “perfect” Filofax, and you will need to write down your answers as you go, as to know which is the perfect Filofax for you, there will be extra steps to take along the way! I screen shot some images off Filofaxes website to help you!

All your answers to each steps write below in the comments it will be interesting to see what you put!

Step 1 - Choosing the right size

size
comparison

So as you can see, each line points to the corresponding size of Filofax, so the first thing I would like you to do, this is some advice that came from the Filofax King, Steve AGES ago! It is out of the sizes you think are best suited to you, grab a plain sheet of paper a ruler and pencil, draw out the size of the pages you would like to try, then see if there too small, too big or too awkward for you!

Once you have drawn the sizes, I would cut them out to compare, and remember the actual binder part is bigger than the pages, so you have to remember how bulky it is going to be in your bag, man bag, briefcase etc.

So which size did you choose: _________

The most popular size I believe is personal, as it’s the in-between size, and it fits in a bag but still has enough room for writing, even though the rings can be a bit of annoying sometimes!

Step 2 – Zipped or Unzipped


ring or
zip

I know it has about rings but we shall cover that in a minute!

So I will tell you the pros and cons about each type. (In my opinion anyway)

Zipped


Pros


Keeps all your stuff tidy, can put things like smart phones inside.
Pages do not get easily damaged as they are protected by a zip.
Can have loose pages inside.
A lot safer

Cons


It usually makes the organise a bit heavier
More expensive then than the unzipped version
Less colours and styles to choose from!

Unzipped


Pros


Cheaper
Easier access
Lighter
More Styles
More Colours

Cons


Things can fall out easily
Pages can get damaged
Loose pages are not as safe

The next thing that is part of the same section which will concern you is, Ring sizes, they come in the following sizes: -

Mini – 13mm & 11mm
Pocket – 19mm & 15mm
Personal – 23mm & 30mm
Slimline 11mm & 13mm
A5 – 25mm & 30mm
A4 – 25mm

(If anyone knows of any other sizes let me know)

So you need to know how big you want the rings and how bulky you want it, how much paper you need to carry, I know the rings are important but not the most important part.

So are you going for Zipped or Unzipped - ___________

And what size rings do you prefer - ________________

Step 3 – Colour


This is really easy to cover, what colour would you prefer to have it in, as they come in so many colours but then depending on the other options you choose it can really affect it, so what is the colour you prefer? _____________

Step 4 – Have a look


If possible try to go to your nearest Filofax stockist to have a look and a feel, or if you know someone who has lots go have a touch of theirs, I'm sure they would let you.

If you do not have a nice display like I have locally: -


If you are unable to do that, go on their website and do a little research, its is very useful to look at the descriptions as you are deciding on the perfect Filofax for you!

description

As you can see in the above description for the Finsbury Personal, it tells you all the different pockets it has, and also the size of the rings, also above that is the material, if its leather etc. On the other side it has a list of inserts for you to know if you need to buy any extras.

It can help you with the next step.

Once you have an idea of a few Filofaxes you like, you can go on the Philofaxy Flickr Group page and search for them to get some pictures of them being used which is really good for helping you to choose the ultimate Filofax! 

Out of the Filofaxes you have looked out, which are the Top 3 in your lists which could be your perfect Filofax?                                       1. ______________
                                                                                    2. ______________
                                                                                    3. ______________

Step 5 – Choosing inserts


After you have decided on your Filofax you need to buy a lot of inserts (well you don’t need to its personal preference, but it can be helpful to get all you need, its nice to have somewhere to go to in a box or something with a stock pile).

So what extras would you order? ________

Step 6 – Choosing your Diary


This step was last with Laurie, here is a link to the post, CLICK HERE!


Which diary layout would you choose? ________________

I am looking forward to seeing all your ideas of perfect Filofaxes and all the bits you want for them!

Your homework is due by 19 August 2011!

Look forward to seeing the comments below!

Your Headmaster Imy

6 comments:

  1. this looks like a good, meaty post. I'll have to read it later tonight (damn work intruding on my blog browsing!). But one thing that I didn't see on your list for zipped is a con: they won't lie flat. I noticed in Rori's Cuban Zip review(s) that she had trouble with it's not-flatability.

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  2. terriknits - it is it took me a while

    well some zipped organisers do lay flat but the personal cuban zipped doens't it appears i have the A5 cuban and it stays flat :-) x

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  3. what a great post, Imy. That's a good tip about getting a paper the size of the potential Filo. (I do that with bags etc. to figure out how big/small a bag might be.) I wasn't quite visualizing the size of the A5.

    Ring size - really? There are some personal binders with 30 mm rings? I didn't know that.

    And the A5 zip Cuban lays flat? Oh noooooooo! That will tempt me now. ;-)

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  4. Terriknits - the a5 cuban zipped lies pretty much flat and when your using it it lies even flatter :-)

    Yeah personal filofaxes can have 30mm rings and some have 23mm, but its lovely but its VERY heavy, its as if your carrying a cow! lol

    But i love it, i wish it came in pink!!!! i dont use her any moe as she is too heavy maybe i will for the conference if i do get to go :-) xxx

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  5. my zipped personal Finsbury lies flat too!

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  6. You're right Imy! The A5 was until recently also available with 20mm (Adelphi) and 35mm rings (Finsbury Zip), but now it has to be either 25mm or 30mm (or of course 0mm = Flex!) LOL. Tim

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