As you know I recently bought the A5 Malden Filofax Organiser. In the paper catalogue it is shown as having 30 mm rings. Likewise it was shown on the website UK and DE as having 30 mm rings.
I thought perfect, but when I bought it at the shop I looked at the organiser and thought is that 30 mm? I should have compared it to a Finsbury A5 which I know has 30 mm rings.
Where do they measure the 30mm? Looking on the website they don't mention how the measurement is made.
So when I got back to France and looked at the Malden in detail compared to the Finsbury, I quickly realised that the ring size is in fact 25 mm not 30 mm as advertised. The ring size measurement is in fact the internal diameter not the external diameter measurement.
Here is a Pocket Finsbury being measured with my measuring calipers, and it is 19mm as it should be. Remember I was an engineer so this sort thing is fairly natural to me!
When I first discovered the error with the Malden, I was naturally disappointed, so I emailed Filofax UK customer service to point out the errors on the UK and German sites and in the catalogue. I got a reply quite quickly thanking me for pointing out the errors on both websites and in the catalogue.
I heard tonight that the catalogues are being corrected by hand! They have already amended the UK website. But when I checked the German site just now, they have removed the Malden A5 from the site completely! Sorry people blame me!!!
I still love the grey Malden so much I have no intention of returning it. I could have returned it for repair complaining that you fitted the wrong ring set... but I suspect that wouldn't have worked!
Our own price guide has been amended... and I warned Iris of Filomanic to alert German buyers as soon as this came to light.
Filofax UK have been very gracious in saying sorry about this and they are sending me a complementary 2012 diary insert for sending them the corrections, so I'm not too disappointed.
I will take my measuring callipers on future Filofax buying trips... me I trust no one!!!!!
Update: It seems my Malden along with other early A5 examples were fitted with 25mm rings instead of 30 mm rings. I have been promised a replacement soon...
I have noticed this before also. If memory serves I made a comment not too long ago in reference to the 1/2" ring size on my 5CLF1/2 and my Guildford Slimline, advertised as 1/2" rings, not the same. I don't have a caliper, but would bet it is the same, I.D. vs. O.D..
ReplyDeleteThat 5cms could make a lot of difference to a packed diary.
ReplyDeleteI am dithering over the A5 Amazona, dithering because of the 25cm wide rings,but I love the Amazona look.However, that is not a decision I have to make at the moment, and I do love my Graphic
A5. Maybe when you have found the near perfect binder and system, it is time to enjoy it and not keep tweaking away by buying new binders!!! A bespoke service would answer all Filofax problems of which is THE binder to choose. Just think there is such little choice in A5 at 30cms now.
Hope you are not too disappointed with your grey Malden not having 30cm size rings Steve. It is such a lovely binder. I'd love to know how the 25cm compares with 30cm. Is there really a lot of difference??? Or do you hardly notice???
@butanben 30cm rings would be roughly a foot in diameter....I hope you mean 30mm!
ReplyDeleteDave the Pedant......
yes I *know* this only loosely fits under 'ring sizes' and I *know* I missed free-for-all Tuesday (was in London on business), but I'm going to post this here just to say that the A5/Personal dilemma is back with a vengeance Chez Popely. I have my rather-poor-quality Strata here on the desk beside me and I'm trying to give it an opportunity to convince me that it would be an OK format to have as a carry-around tool evenings and weekends as well as on work time. Now I have seen this afternoon on ebay, for the first time, a boxed set of the Filofax Pro System (A5 binder and 'pro' inserts I am assuming) - has anyone ever seen one of these, or owned one? It must be old stock because so far as I know they don't do them any more. Additionally, if anyone *has* ever seen one, does it come with any kind of documentation on how it is 'supposed' to be used from the point of view of the courses which FF still, so far as I know, run? If there is a book or booklet in the box, I would *love* to have sight of one.
ReplyDeleteOver to you folks........thanks in advance
Oooooops apologies Dave!!!! What was I thinking!!!! Grounded with a cold and sore ears today, and feeling a bit wuff and under the weather.It's obviously gone to my brain too!!!! There again, given the amount of paper work we teachers get through,maybe 30ft rings would be nearer the requirement, let alone 30mm!! Maybe my Freudian slip was trying to tell me the TRUE size of Filofax I need. Haaa Haaa!!
ReplyDeleteThe "Pro" system is just shorthand for their Time Management Professional system that I use and is fully available at http://www.filofax.co.uk/timemanagement
ReplyDeleteThe system is standard A5 and comes with a small user booklet.
I wish filofax would come out with a 40mm or better still a 50mm ring A5 version, my Finsbury is stuffed to bursting, I use a week on 2 pages diary but really want/need to move to a page per day. Currently I just don't know how to manage this, I've already removed some stuff which I haven't really wanted to do!
ReplyDeleteYes a 40 or 50 mm ring is now more practical for us filomains.
ReplyDeleteYou can get 40mm ring A4 organisers from Van der Spek!
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