The Chameleon was introduced this year at about the same time as the Malden, but in a larger range of sizes (A5, Personal, Pocket and Mini), were as the Malden is currently only available in Personal and Pocket sizes, but we hear it's coming out in mini size next year..... watch this space.
The Chameleon sits at a price point in the range between the Finsbury and the Malden and I think it represents very good value for money, it has some interesting design features that sits itself apart from the rest of the current range.
The main improvement on the Finsbury is the interior, it is in full leather, which in the long term I would think is money well spent. It only comes in four colours: black, red, raspberry and spring green. Personally I like the black, but I know a lot of you will like the raspberry and spring green, but I think the range of colours is wide enough to appeal to most peoples likes across the spectrum of tastes.
I'm not sure why, but the pen loop is on the left hand side (front cover) rather than the traditional right hand side (back cover) on all sizes, except the A5 which has two pen loops front and back as usual. May be this model was designed by a left handed person?
However, the placing of the pen loop on the front cover has it's advantages, if you take the pocket and mini sizes and you were using them as wallet/purses, then the pen no longer gets in the way of the zip pocket which is inside of the back cover, a plus point I think.
Thinking of that use again, if you look at the number of credit card slots on the inside of the front cover, there are a grand total of five on the pocket and three on the mini, that is another plus point compared to the Finsbury which only has two card slots and an id card pocket. The Malden has two vertical pockets and a small zip pocket.
Ring size on the Chameleon is very similar to the other models at it's price point. In some cases the Finsbury is a size bigger, but this might not be a deal breaker for some people.
I have to say it's a nicely appointed model with a lot of plus points going for it. I've not had the chance to 'hold one' or look at it in detail, so folks tell me your thoughts on this model.
I am lusting after this model in a mini, spring green. :O Thanks for showing the differences. I DEFINITELY know it's love now and lot lust. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful model, leather is softer than my pink finsbury. It feels more luxurious and the pattern is more interesting. I think it is definitely an attention grabber although I don't think the raspberry colour is serious enough for work so I will stick with damson adelphi.
ReplyDeleteLeslie it IS love! I couldn't part with it even though it was the wrong size and not what I ordered :-)
CB: The big question...does it lie flat?! Also, is the texture rough or more like pebbled leather?
ReplyDeleteMy kingdom for a retailer...
I also have a raspberry chameleon. The leather feels much nicer than the Finsburys. I have to agree with CP that it's a very outspoken girly colour. I totally see why the Adelphi would look more sophisticated and serious.
ReplyDeleteIt does not lay flat right out of the box, however, it does stay open and thus beats the personal Finsbury or Classic. The only downside of the personal Chameleon is that pen loop. Although they've added some stretchy material to the leather, it is impossible to squeeze in the thinnest pen. I managed with an old-fashioned wooden pencil, but that's not really the kind of writing equipment I use (or wanna be seen with ;-)). I'm reluctant to force the loop wider, because I'm really afraid that it would break off or tear at least.
I just wanted to add: the leather on the Chameleon is buffalo, like the Malden. The print on the leather looks like tiny hearts, and gives the leather a textured feel. Brigitte at the Filofax shop showed one of these to me and I could not believe how buttery-soft the leather is! The Raspberry one is calling my name...
ReplyDeleteYvotchka I second everything that Jotje says. I don't have a problem with it not lying flat as it doesn't close. Plus I have seen pictures on Flickr of someone doing filo training (it was so funny) so that is always a possibility. My skinny bic medium pen can fit in the pen loop but I agree it is quite stingy! I find its location a bit disconcerting as well so overall the only downer is the pen loop.
ReplyDeleteWhich filos lie flat straight out the box? A feature on all of those... Possibly? Although my ban means I can't buy anymore anyways :-(
Laurie you should so get one :-) belated bday present maybe? I got mine for a good price on ebay.
ReplyDeleteFYI, I'm posting this here as it has been quite a few posts since the last friday's free for all. For those of us in the US and Canada, Filofaxusa has a deal on right now, 25% off all non-dated paper & essentials. the code is FALL2 and expires at the end of October.
ReplyDeleteI bought the pocket Chameleon in spring green and the color is luscious. I have seen several folks posting pictures of their Chameleons that include pastel tabs, but mine came with plain. The FilofaxUSA site says it comes with colored tabs, but the picture has plain. Has anyone ordered the Chameleon in the USA and gotten the pastel tabs?
ReplyDeleteOh, and mine came with a black ruler instead of frosted, and no note pad :-(
ReplyDeleteI like the leather, but I would not call it soft since I have a Finchley and Belgravia for comparison and they ARE soft.
Mine came with frosted ruler and pastel tabs. Then again, I don't even use those tabs, I prefer the cream ones ;-)
ReplyDeleteA personal filofax that lays flat out of the box is the Domino! And the Malden (but that's hearsay, haven't yet experienced that myself, since I'm STILL waiting for my crimson Malden to arrive ...)
Compared to the Finsbury, the leather is supersoft ... ;-)
Yes, the Malden (Pers.) lies perfectly flat.
ReplyDeleteOther Filos that lie flat are:
- Mode Pers.
- Guildford Pers.
- Domino Pers.
- Urban Pers.
- Metropol Slimline
My Fresco (Pers.) didn't lie flat right out of the box, but it only took some days of using...
Thanks Jotje and Iris. Although my
ReplyDeleteA5 Domino lies flat the personal sized one is misbehaving! It will need training.
Petra you should contact filofax USA and tell them that you got the wrong coloured tabs. The Chameleon advertised on the UK site has plain inserts so I was delighted when the order from ebay turned up with pastel ones :-)
hi everyone just a quick question is a portable hole puncher any good? made some dividers and they need to be ,,punched,,
ReplyDeleteLeslie: Amour ou convoitise? Pourquoi pas tous les deux?
ReplyDeleteColin i just got in A5 and personal sizes. I can only punch one page at a time and it required superhuman strength to punch through a slightly thicker index card. It is convenient though but I will need to get something more substantial. Should be ok for your dividers if the paper is thin.
ReplyDelete