Guest Post - Planners from Thailand - Amanda

It seems that the large Thai department store 'Isetan', and the large 'B2S' stationery stores have an immense collection of planners from a number of local Thai manufacturers. What caught my eye, specifically, was that they have the B6 size I've been searching for. The brand name is 'Theorem' and their website is www.diarylover.com. Theorem also makes a Pocket size (A6) and an A5 size. All the models appear to use 20 mm rings and mostly come in 'Genuine Imitation Leather', however I did manage to find a leather model and some lovely colours. So below are some pictures of my finds.

I've also included a picture with a Filofax insert to show the additional paper area that the B6 size provides. B6 is very popular as a paper size in Asia and I can see why. When you compare the picture of my Personal Holborn to the B6 Theorem size (they call it A6 for some reason, but it is actually B6 size paper), you can see that for barely any increase in planner size, you get almost 20% more writing area.

The size is somewhere between Personal and A5 and I'm finding it quite liberating to have a lightweight planner that gives 'planner real estate' that seems as luxurious as A5 but in a Personal size. By the way, the hole spacing is Filofax standard and so it was easy to swap into. Both planners were fairly inexpensive, being about $30 US each.

If you're visiting Bangkok in Thailand, you might enjoy a day at the giant Central World complex, searching through the amazing collection of planners in the B2S and Isetan stores there. Unfortunately it seems that Theorem does not ship outside Thailand. My hope however is that Messrs Filofax and Van Der Spek are inspired to try the B6 size and open up the immense Asian market with a planner that has the quality and luxury of both brands. Unfortunately 'Genuine Imitation Leather' doesn't do it for me, so I'll probably retreat to my Filofaxes and, begrudingly, return to Personal size paper at some stage. But in the meantime - so much space!!

Real leather in Red and 'Genuine Imitation Leather' in Purple (sorry the photo colour is not very representative).

Note the band which allows notes, or tickets to be carried. (not a feature I'd use!) The clasp is magnetic and also operates like a clamp (as show in image 3).

The planner lies flat, has 3 useful card slots, a see-through pocket and a document pocket.

The layout of the month per view, compared to the Personal Filofax inserts. The pink shows the additional area that B6 provides. You receive month to an opening, week to an opening, notes and an addresses section. Additional plain refills (100 pages) were around $3.50 US.

The back pocket and some of the 'Genuine Imitation Leather' stitching. You can also see the placekeeper ribbon, although a 'Today' ruler is also provided.

Comparing the size to the Personal Holborn. As you can see the Theorem is very comparable to some of the Filofax models in size.

The leather model compared to the Holborn.

Thank you to Amanda Monroe for an interesting post about yet another size of organiser.