The Compact Holborn has 15mm rings, in comparison with 23mm in most personal Filofax. It has a nice, slim profile. The brown is a nice chocolate color; there is some shadowing in the photos.
Inside front has six slots for credit cards
Standard business cards don't fit
There is a deep pocket that opens from the left
There is one that opens from the right.
The right-opening pocket is harder to access, but one is less likely to lose things out of it. Inside the pockets is fabric, but note the rest of the interior is leather, which will wear better especially under the rings.
I use three top tabs (lists, diary, plans), with lined sheets in the first and last sections. In the diary section I have a fold-in yearly overview with this diary.
Shipping from Filofax France adds to the cost, but this is the format that works for me. The compact holds everything I need as I have a separate work planner that stays on my desk.
The back has the same left- and right-opening pockets as the front and nothing else. You can see the smooth leather between them
Note that there is no zipped pocket as in the personal Holborn. The pen loop is elasticated on the side showing in the photo and you note is sewed to the outside of the planner edge so it doesn't interfere with the pages-though I don't have side tabs. A Sigma Micron fits nicely in the loop, which was tight the first couple of times I used it but is fine now. A Lamy Safari could be forced in but would be a struggle. (And not healthy for the pen loop.)
Ummm. . .boring, but this is the back so the tour is complete.
Thank you Marcia the Compact Holborn is available from Filofax UK
I began reading this with trepidation as I have just ordered one of these in wine and dreaded that there might be something wrong with it...the absence of a zip pocket is slightly disappointing but otherwise it looks fabulous. Thankyou for this post :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this thorough tour of this binder. The Holborn leather is so smooth and soft, the Holborn range is my current favorite.
ReplyDeleteI considered the compact for ease of putting in my handbag and to be honest i'm glad I didn't, I don't think the sideways pocket OR the lack of zipped pocket inside would work for me and i've managed to fill the 23mm rings already without recieving any extra inserts yet!
ReplyDeleteI really like the Holborn but I bought the compact recently and it had a little of the surface missing where the clasp meets on the back ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/77558175@N04/ ). It had something similar on one of the corners.
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned it I was told it was a characteristic of the style and they were nearly all like that.
You might all think that it is nothing but I thought it might be a weakness and it might get worse over time so I still don't have a compact and am out of pocket on the postage.
I have been a bit put off mail order now and as that is where the better prices are I may have cured my filofax buying addiction!
Hi Sydney! No missing spots on mine and it is wearing really well. My binders get banged up a lot as they are tossed in a big bag with all sorts of things. I live in Nebraska, in the middle of the U.S., and mail order is the only way I ever get any planner stuff at all as there isn't even a nice stationery store within several hundred miles of here. Part of why I love Philofaxy is looks at other binders I will never see in person.
DeleteWhat model is the green Filofax the Holborn is on?
ReplyDeleteI guessed that this could be a Zopaz in Dark Green... ???
DeleteSaffy, it is an older Filofax called a Tejus. From photos of the Luxe I would say it is a similar pattern on the leather to that. It really is not shorter than the Holborn, just a quirk of the photo angle.
DeleteP.S. Realized I should say that I am Marcia, replying to you all with my screen name only might be confusing as that is mstraat.
DeleteThanks mstraat, the leather pattern looks very similar to the Topaz as Maus suggested and the Luxe. I wish Filofax would bring back this colour it has been on my wish list for many years.
ReplyDeleteI used this model for a time and although very lovely I thought that my Guildford Pocket was a better option for my bag. I was worried about the security of the full length pockets on the Holborn but I needn't have. The pockets are quite secure and if you want to put some notes in it, the pen loop on the right side makes that pocket as secure as a zip for papers. The rings are small and if you only need a month to a page and some references and writing sheets it seems fine. I agree though about the colour choices. My only real problem was that it didn't have a fastener. Why they designed it that way I don't know, but it's very annoying in your handbag because things wiggle into the pages. I think it might be better suited to a pocket than a bag.
ReplyDeletep.s. I'm waiting on the new slimlines from Filofax (along with everyone else I imagine!) since I'm pretty much committed to the extra A5 writing space you get.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone help with a link to purchase a Rapesco style A5 punch? I'm afraid Filofax's approach to punches is one of the great disappointments.
I'm not sure if they have an A5 punch, but I emailed their customer service from their website to locate one for personal size and their service was outstanding. I am in the U.S. so they really went out of their way helping me.
DeleteAmanda, The Rapesco 6PP punch doesnt do A5. Check Amazon and read the negative reviews from lots of people who thought it did. Steve has done a post on PUNCHES in the FAQ tab. I bought the Rexel 420, half price from an Amazon.co.uk seller. Its abeast and chomps its way through over 30 pages. It only comes with 4 punch heads. I have just ordered two more for £25 inc postage. I'm planning a guest post on it when the heads arrive and I can test it with all 6 heads. I think you can use ones liek the Rapesco 6PP but only IF you turn the paper round and just use one end. A bit time-consuming for me. Here's Steve's post on punches: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2010/07/will-normal-filofax-punch-work-for-a5.html
DeleteI just saw in the picture that there appears to be a fastener on yours Marcia. Mine didn't have one. Maybe it's a factory second (got it from WHSmith though). Does anyone know about variations like this?
ReplyDeleteThis is a compact and so it has a fastener, which I didn't think to point out. The slimline doesn't have a fastener and is listed as 13mm rings, in contrast to the 15mm in this compact.
ReplyDeleteMarcia, thanks for a great tour :)
ReplyDeleteThe Holborns are gorgeous & a close second to the Maldens for me, but I'm not sure I could stick with a brown or black filo though.
It looks like theyre bringing out new colours soon, also the Wine Holborn is stunning
DeleteI don't think Filofax can win on binders. I prefer a brown or black that will last for years, once I find what I need. If I do have color I prefer unobtrusive; the Tejus was on EBay but had it been the red one recently on Adspot I wouldn't have bought it. My experience with shoes has been that colored leathers don't wear as well, nor do glazed ones, which made me wonder about the Malden. Haven't seen one in person so I don't know if that is the type of leather on it or not. And I am apparently way in the minority, but purple is my very least favorite color. :-)
DeleteThanks so much for this review! I've been seriously considering moving to a Compact size and this was the one I had my eye on. The lack of a zipped pocket is a dealbreaker for me however, as I use my Filofax as a wallet. I guess I'll pick up one of the Compact Chameleons that are on sale instead. I'll probably get the Personal Holborn as well in case I don't like the Compact size.
ReplyDeleteHi Marcia,
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the review and esp the detailed pictures. I've been using a slimline executive for years now which seems to be discontinued but crucially appears to have only 11mm rings (?!). It's got a bit small for me but 23mm is way too big and I wasn't aware of the compacts with 15m rings. On the basis of your review I have ordered a Holborn Compact from Filofax UK today (just made the 20% off deal which closed at 4pm today).
What I would like to ask though is where did you get the diary inserts - you appear to have 'week to a view' with appointment slots? I've searched everywhere and can't see them for sale.
They are from Filofax France. They have wonderful, wonderful customer service; I get orders from them as quickly or even more so than from Filofax USA, where I'm located.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Marcia - won't hurt my attempts at learning french to have the days and months in french too!
DeleteOh boy! This review is making me want one. And my goal is to get a compact binder for each season. So the brown would be great for fall... Hmmm.
ReplyDelete