Some brands always give you two pen loops on an A5 organiser, others only give you one no matter what size organiser it is.
I was prompted to think about this issue the other day when I was using my Lefax City 10/6 slimline organiser which doesn't have a pen loop, or a clasp.
I was only using it to carry my diary insert pages until the end of the year to my French class and I had other pens in my folio so it didn't matter that it didn't have a pen loop.
If you do have the choice then what do you go for?
- One or two pen loops?
- Elasticated or not?
- Same size or big and small sizes
- Placement on the back or front cover in terms of height?
Decisions decisions!! What would you choose?
As a left-hander, I much prefer a pen loop at the front of an organiser, so it’s on the left when first opened.Having the pen clip onto the spine (as with Filofax Clipbook) works well too.
ReplyDeleteMy main criteria for an organiser: no pen loop or clasp.
ReplyDeleteAnd my preference is two pen loops, and elasticized. I absolutely love having a very good uniball one or sarasa deep black ink pen, and one frixion erasable for appointments that change.
ReplyDeleteOh, pen loops. Most people want one, but it's actually a very complicated topic. If there's a pen loop that you can't use, it's worse than having none.
ReplyDeleteI think the most clever solution is what I call "pen loop lock". Two pen loops at front and back in offset positions. You slide in the pen to close the organiser.
There are also different types of loops: A "center" loop that is supposed to clasp the pen, or "top position" where the clip of the pen is supposed to go over the pen loop. However, depending on the clip design, this can damage the pen loop. The pen loops of the Balmoral 10CLF are sort of a combination of both, but at the end the pen is held by the clip scrubbing along the top of the pen loop. And you can't use pencils, as these would just slip through.
Speaking of the pen loop alone, I think a combination of a visible leather part and a less or not visible stretchy part is the best solution. Pen pockets are also nice, but there's the danger of the pen slipping out when held top-down.
Hans
The single pen loop on my Filofax Pocket Bridle is so narrow as to have been unusable, except for pencils, since it was bought back in the day.
ReplyDeleteMy primary Filofax is a Personal Sherwood with 25mm rings, but I also have an identical one without the gilt corners on the front, with 30mm rings, in storage. I chose the Sherwood because it is plain black and, more importantly, has two pen loops.
ReplyDeleteAccording to FiloWiki (a fantastic resource), the Sherwood has two 9mm pen loops. I keep a Parker Jotter ballpoint pen and a 0.5mm Pentel P205 pencil in them. I prefer to write in pencil when out and about.
The Pentel P205 is a great pencil, though I prefer the 0.5mm Uni-ball Kuru Toga M5-1017 Self-Sharpening Mechanical Pencil, which is just a little too big for the Sherwood's pen loops without stretching them, as it's about 1mm larger in diameter than the Pentel P205.
The P205 is nice and does fit the Pocket Bridle at a pinch. Just ordered a P207 though as I find the 0.5 line too thin. PS Trivia from a Pencil Nerd (moi), the P205 was the favoured daily of Robert Petroski who wrote the definitive book 'The Pencil'. Trust me it's a great read.
DeleteI never liked two pen loops until I got a Malden A5 as my work filo. Now I keep my pen in the right hand loop, and in the left it's the highlighter of the month. I use the highlighter on each day's date in my notes section. Makes flipping through old notes really easy.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, I’m not very fussy about pen loops on a Filofax. But—of all things—one of my loveliest Winchesters has a loop that only fits a Lamy Spirit (!). It’s enough to drive you to despair. And I don’t really dare to tinker with the loop itself. Or has anyone had any positive experiences doing that?
ReplyDeleteI carefully soaked the loop on my pocket Windsor and was able to stretch it enough to fit a Zebra F-301. But it only had to be stretched a teeny tiny bit.
DeleteThis would mean something like that could become the ultimate pen loop tool?
Deletehttps://www.ebay.de/itm/166599158028
Hans
Hello Hans! Hello wjmtv!
DeleteIt is truly remarkable how little importance was apparently attached to pen loops at Filofax for so long! However, it is also questionable whether today’s elastic loops will stand the test of time...