26 March 2013

Free For All Tuesday No 112

Tuesdays are your chance to ask any Filofax related questions you might have.

So fire away and we will collectively try to answer your questions or offer opinions.

28 comments:

  1. I've recently started using an A5 -- I love it, but it's definitely not portable. How many Filofax devotees use multiple ones, e.g., an A5 for desk and a personal or pocket to carry around? If so -- how do you integrate the info? Many thanks for opening up to posts for Free For All Tuesday!

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    1. I have used an A5 for years, but I agree about the portability issue. I take it to work every day, which is easy as it is in a wheelie case, but going out at other times is more difficult, and if I don't take my diary, I am sure to need it. I have tried a personal size Filofax but it isn't quite small enough, so am currently trying out a small Paperblanks diary. I keep the diaries together at work and make sure they contain the same diary information, but since I keep so much stuff in the A5, that is what I still grab when going out because I know what I need will be in there. I'm still experimenting, but I am not sure that 2 diaries is working for me.
      I would be interested to hear how other people manage multiple diaries / filofaxes.

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    2. I also found the A5 too big and the pages of the personal too narrow. That's why I turned to the Franklin Covey Compact inserts (the fit the Malden btw). For me it's the best of both worlds: portability and decent writing estate!

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    3. I suppose it depends how much information retrieval you need when you are out and about.
      Most of the time I work from home, so my A5 lives on my desk, but I am now taking care to make sure than any new accessories like bags can accommodate it. In fact I was out bag-buying at the weekend and I think the person in the bag-shop was rather bemused at me trying a combination of A5, camera, sketchbook, Mini Kendal, paints and so on to see if I could use it as both a work-bag and a sketching-bag (but not simultaneously).

      My Mini really just contains plain paper so I can carry shopping lists and so on around in my pocket. I really don't need it as a diary, so I've removed that paper section completely.

      I don't think they need to overlap diary-wise. Having different functions is fine for me.

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    4. I so agree on the portability of the A5!

      I love the size of my A5 Malden and use it as my Mothership, which stays in the kitchen and is the holding place of ALL information for my family, addressbook, calendar, etc. Toooo big, even for my Timbuk2 messenger!

      I use a personal black Malden for my wallet and portable calendar. I found these inserts: http://www.filofaxusa.com/store/diaryrefillsdetails.asp?productId=2372 and they meet my needs really well! I love the horizontal arrangement - easier to write in - and all I need to keep with me while I'm out and about is a time schedule for my family, anyway. The stinker, though, is that Saturday and Sunday are squooshed to the size of one column - GAH! I have 4 athletes and a husband who travels, so arranging meetings or students would be really difficult for me without at least a timed schedule. I always worry about people slipping through the cracks! ; )

      I have, however, purchased a FC binder with 1.5" rings because I'm rather protective of my A5 Malden (my first filo!) and she's getting a bit full... And this one will be even *less* portable!

      I forget who mentioned it, but using a pocket as a notebook is BRILLIANT! Perfect for shopping lists or phone numbers or shops to visit or those clever ideas that come to us from out of nowhere as we're sitting at a traffic light!! : )

      Have a good day, all!

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    5. I found a great solution to this about 18 months ago. I put my A5 in a big box under the desk and it's still there......

      No use having an organiser you can't carry.

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    6. I'm currently experimenting with adding a Personal size as my "on the go" binder with my main binder being my A5. So far I am only using the personal for appointments and shopping lists, and it is working ok. It's only been a couple of weeks that I started doing this, so i'll have to see how it works out in the long run.

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  2. Not really a question, more an observation. Has anyone noticed on the UK Filofax website that when you click on the new Peru binder there is a product video at the bottom of the page. It's an Aqua Malden! Looks quite nice.

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  3. I've found the very best leather cleaner, that works on almost ALL of the Filofax leather organizers. The only ones that can't use it safely are: suede, nubuck and fabric with leather trim.

    I bought this "miracle" at the online Coach Leather goods, online site of www.coach.com. You can also get it at the many brick and mortar Coach stores. It costs $10, and is a clear liquid. Almost gel like. I have used it on my Cuban, Malden, and even my Finchleys. It put a mirror like sheen that was amazing--and it seems like it has brought out the leather's skin variations. The only one I am not going to use it on is the Ostrich. I have heard before that cleaners and conditioners should not be used on authentic "skins" like that one.

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  4. A question for Tim, if he's reading this. Do you think a 20mm ring assembly would fit the A5 Flex, which you converted? There's a supplier selling ones with a screw-top rivet (for non-practical people like me), but I wondered if it would be too wide? Thanks

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    1. Paul's question follows a post I wrote on 11th and 12th of July last year. It was about fitting a very slim ring mechanism (13mm) inside a Filofax Flex cover to create a very slim and compact A5 organiser. It has worked very well and since July the only change I've made has been to upgrade to one of the new leather Flex covers.

      Paul - whilst it would be physically possible to fit a 20mm ring set, I wouldn't recommend it. Anything more than 13mm (or maybe 15mm at a pinch) would cause the pages to stick out of the cover, make it difficult to close the cover neatly and make it difficult to use the inside Flex pockets. If I wanted a 20mm organiser/ planner, I would opt for one of the standard Filofax offerings as they now produce several models with this ring size in A5.

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    2. I had exactly the same question, Tim (submitted yesterday as a reply to your original post).
      Question remains: where to find a 13mm or 15mm ring set, ideally in FF A5 hole sizes?

      A FF 20mm ring binder still remains... too fat:
      - Boston: 41 mm thick?
      - Luxe: 35 mm thick
      What's the use then of buying a 20 mm ring system :(

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    3. I have a 15mm ring binder in an A5 Flex that I lynched from a Snopake binder (2 ring though) that I bought for a couple of quid. I'm hoping to make some form of post about it, but I don't currently have a blog, may have to resurrect an old one!

      Pages don't stick out from the A5 'Filoflex' that are in the binder. The thin Flex notebooks are great, I bought some random printed notebook from Waterstones and that sticks out a bit, but its not too much of an issue.

      The Flex is fat now, so I used the eyelet holes in the binder mechanism to thread a loop of elastic through each for a double Domino style closure.

      So in short, yes to 15mm binder rings :)

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    4. Thanks Tim. 13 or 15 would be perfect, so I'll keep looking !

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    5. Holly, a post would be great!
      I am quite sure that you could have it published here as a guest post?

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    6. Yes Holly we would welcome a guest post if you are willing to do one.

      Steve

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    7. Wonderful! I shall get writing and some pictures together :)

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  5. Since this is my first comment on this blog, I might introduce myself first before asking the first question. My name is Katharina and I'm a 29 year old Student from Germany (due to that, please excuse my English).

    For my sports I have to carry some documents with me (some credit card-sized, my ID card etc.), including one in A6-Format. I was wondering, if there was a Filofax I could fit all of that in, especially the A6-sized document.

    So if you have any ideas... :-)



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    1. Hello Katharina, and may I welcome you to Philofaxy.

      Filofax do not make organisers in A6 page size format... but Mulberry do. The Mulberry Agenda, is A6 size.

      http://www.mulberry.com/#/storefront/c5501/c6598/

      The only disadvantage is the price... considerably more than more Filofax organisers!

      Steve

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    2. The price for the Mulberry is maybe a little bit to expensive. It doesn't have to be an A6-Binder though, any (Filofax-) Binder where I could fit the A6 in would be fine!

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    3. The A6 document? How many pages is it? You could fold it and it would fit in to a Filofax Personal size, which is 171mm x 95mm, where as A6 is 148 mm x 105 mm so Personal size is only slightly narrower but much taller.

      A6 is of course half A5, so it would easily fit in to that size Filofax without folding. But if you are carrying this size around a lot of people aren't keen on 'bulk' of the size of an A5 organiser.

      Steve

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  6. Has anyone ever used the Kokuyo Campus Loose Leaf Paper A5 in an A5 Filofax? The Kokuyo loose leaf paper has 20 holes. I wonder if they align with the 6 rings of an A5 Filo. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Chella, did you ever get this question answered some other way I'm currently looking at this paper and asking the same question.

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    2. Hi Chella,
      Have you tried Kokuyo Campus A5 paper out? How did it work? Thanks.

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  7. Will Filofax be restocking the Malden in colors other than black and grey? I checked the U.S. site and it has the Personal in those two colors and no A5's. There was some mention of a new aqua color but I am inquiring about the ochre and purple in both sizes.

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    1. Pensandleather.com says you can reserve A5's, ready to ship mid-April. The personal size says "have one ready to ship", then under that it says "out of stock". A quick phone call could have you in business with both?

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    2. Thanks for the information Cassandra. I will check that website. I am a bit hesitant to buy one that has to be delivered because of the recent ring problems that people have discussed. I'd rather see the planner in a store. I did find a different personal Filofax, and the employee told me that he would have it in stock at some point. I don't know if that will happen because it could be discontinued. Anyway, thanks again.

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