A Flexible Notebook from Filofax
I review the Fliofax Refillable Notebook
Wouldn’t it be good to have the convenience of a notebook but with the benefits of a ring binder?
I make many notes and have a variety of notebooks. There are times, though, that I would like the option of being able to manage my notes and move them around within a notebook, and to be able to add new pages within what’s already been written. I would also like to remove pages no longer needed or possibly, contain information that is confidential and needs to be destroyed, or stored more securely.
Please note that I have no affiliation with Filofax and have paid normal prices for my Filofax products.
Filofax Refillable Notebook
With this desire in mind, I was delighted to discover the Filofax Refillable Notebook. These notebooks have a twin wire spine system to which the notebook paper attaches. Unlike rings, the spine does not have to be opened. The paper has a cut system that allows sheets of paper to be removed and added with a little applied pressure. The holes in the paper have a slot that allows the wire to pass through. To remove the pages, it requires lifting from the top or bottom edge to remove the paper from the wires. When pulling from the long edge, or when turning the pages, the paper stays firmly in place.
The Filofax Refillable Notebook covers are made in vinyl and available in two sizes, A4 and A5. I have purchased two A5 notebooks. They all come complete with an elastic closure. The normal price currently on the Filofax website is £18 when purchased with dividers, including 56 pages of 100gsm fountain pen-friendly paper and a rule/bookmark. With just the paper, they can be purchased for £11.99. The A4 size is £30 and £18.99 respectively. There are occasional clearance and sale prices to be found. The front divider has a useful pocket.
The notebooks are available in a range of colours and designs. As is to be expected with Filofax, there is a range of inserts, and refills can be purchased. Thirty-two sheets of A5 notebook paper is £4.75, and A4 is £5.60. You can choose from plain, lined, dot grid, and squared. Other options for planning are also available on the website.
The notebooks have the advantage that they do lay flat and will fold back on themselves, which is ideal for notetaking whilst holding the notebook in one hand. As a fountain pen user, I can confirm that the paper is excellent, and I have had no issues with feathering or bleed-through.
Filofax do produce an excellent range of accessories for their notebooks, such as dividers, sticky notes, stickers, and more. I have purchased an A5 storage binder so that I keep pages long-term and still retain the use of the notebook rather than buying new notebooks each time one would be filled. That being said, in my opinion, for some uses, such as journaling, it is better to use standard notebooks to fill and keep, rather than removable paper.
The refillable system is ideal for notetaking and having sections that can be moved, to suit one’s needs at the time, without having to open and close rings. It is ingenious. Filofax produce a hole punch for the refillable notebooks. I purchased one, and it enables me to add my own sheets. These could be sheets that have been printed from my needs, or just for different types of paper.
The cost of refills isn’t excessive, but a saving can be made by punching your own paper. The cost of the punch is currently £34.90, and it really is a heavy-duty piece of equipment. Keep in mind, though, it is only recommended to punch two sheets of paper at a time. Industrial-scale punching is therefore not possible.
I really do enjoy using the Filofax Refillable Notebook, and I hope you have enjoyed this review. To find out more visit Filofax.com.