Office Supply Geek - 15 Dec 2008, 10:15 pm
Well I complained about not having a place to review stuff, so I should at least contribute something. I've already posted my Uniball Power Tank review before the creation of these new review sections of the forum, so Ill post my notebook review instead. :)
Really no need for breaking the review into two parts now, but when originally written that's how I did it so I want to keep things in context.
Also, please note that you can find the videos and pictures that accompany the original post on my blog. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the video to post so I decided to just leave that and the pictures out.
Circa Bookcloth Notebook - Pt. 1
Part 1 of this review will consist of my initial thoughts on the notebook itself, I will focus on the actual functionality in the second part of the review.
So for my first review I wanted to start with the item that was probably most responsible for my recent re-obsession with pens, notebooks, desk accessories, and other office supplies. After a long period of being unimpressed with the available notebooks and journals out there, I had pretty much given up and decided that most of them were the same, and not anything that would help me be more organized and efficient.
One of my co-workers who swore by the Levenger brand (not just the Circa Notebooks) showed me his notebook, and after a few minutes of flipping through the pages and mulling it over, I decided I might be willing to give it a try. That night I went home after work and spent 2 hours on the Levenger site looking at all of the options, I was still a bit apprehensive, however I gave myself a few days to think it over and finally found myself on the site again that following weekend with the intent to buy, which I thankfully did. My purchase included the notebook in this review, along with a smaller version of it (the junior size) and a handful of accessories that I will blog about in a later post. Ever since then, I hesitate to think just how much money I have given (and will continue to give to) Steve and Lori Leveen, the husband/wife co-founders of Levenger.
When my package came in the mail I was immediately impressed with a few very simple, yet pleasing elements of what I found inside. The signature green box with matching elastic strap in which my notebooks were enclosed was an indication of the care and pride put into the Levenger product. Once inside the box, I discovered that my notebook was nestled inside a soft cloth enclosure that resembles a mix between a thin fleece and a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. In addition to the box, I found a packing slip stored in an envelope and sealed with a Levenger branded sticker. Inside the envelope when I reviewed the packing slip, it was reassuring to see the packing slip hand initialed by a Levenger employee next to each item in my order to assure that nothing had been missed.
The Circa Notebook comes in multiple materials, including leather, bookcloth, and plastic, with all of them using the disc binding system. This system allows for the quick and easy addition or removal of pages from the notebook, which was a key selling point for someone like me who was working out of multiple coil bound notebooks with no way to reorganize as things changed, or most likely as I misplaced one notebook or set of notes for a short period of time.
Upon my initial inspection I was pleased with the look and feel of my new notebook, and was already imagining how much my organizational skills would be enhanced by the freedom to move my notes around on the fly. The construction quality of this notebook is superb, and you can just tell that it is something that was designed and built to last a long time, even with daily use.
The outside cover of the notebook is a soft cloth material that has a slight bit of padding underneath it to give the notebook some body. The inside of the notebook cover is lined with leather in both the front and back. On the inside front cover you have 3 pockets, one larger one that runs the entire height of the cover, and two smaller ones on top of that which are half the size. The longer pocket is large enough to fit a standard size letter envelope with some extra space, while the two smaller ones can hold something the size of an index card. On the back inside cover on the edge there is an elastic pen loop that so far has been well suited to hold any pen I’ve tried using with it. You will also find an elastic strap that can be used to hold the entire notebook shut, or you can also use it as a place holder so you can quickly flip open to a specific location in the notebook.
The notebook comes with 60 sheets of 60 lb acid free stock with a grey annotation ruled layout in standard 8 1/2″W x 11 1/4H size. The plastic rings that act as the binding mechanism are a 1/2″ in diameter, and this size notebook uses 11 of them.
I think that wraps it up in terms of the overall look, feel, and makeup of the notebook. I look forward to part 2 where I will review my success in actually using the notebook to become more efficient and organized at work.
Levenger Circa Bookcloth Notebook - Pt. 2
This is the 2nd part of a 2 part review on the Levenger Circa Bookcloth Notebook. I will attempt to answer some questions that I received regarding the first post, however the main objective of this post will be to review the functionality of the notebook itself. In addition to posting individual pictures with this post, I am trying a quick video to show the notebook in action.
First let me start with a quick overview of the pricing for both the notebook and accessories that are covered in this review. As previously mentioned, the Letter Size Circa Notebook comes with 60 sheets of 8 1/2″W x 11 1/4″H paper, and it also comes bound with 11 of the 1/2″ discs. One of the nice things about the paper is that is a heavier stock, and most pens I have written on it with write very smoothly and show no bleed through or feathering. The price for this set up at time of purchase was $58 + shipping. In addition to the notebook itself, I also purchased:
-1 package of plastic multi-colored dividers (5 for $12)
-1 package of plastic multi-colored pocket dividers (5 for $12)
-1 page finder/ruler ($4)
-1 set of large 1″ discs (22 for $10) note that only 11 are needed for this size notebook
-1 2008/2009 fold out calendar, no longer available on Levenger site
The grand total for this notebook…$96 + shipping.
One item that I did purchase but did not include on the cost above was the desk punch ($58) which allows you to punch any documents you have which were created on regular paper. I will be doing a separate review on the punch at a later date, but I do find it to be an essential item to have if you use this notebook in a work setting. I have found many occasions where I have punched emails, calendar pages, and other documents so I could have easy access to them in my notebook.
The first thing you will notice in the video is that when I open the notebook, you can see some storage areas on the inside of the cover. For size comparison I have included a standard size No. 10 business envelope in the larger pocket, and in one of the two smaller pockets I have places a 4″ x 6″ post card. I typically do not like to store too much in either of these three pockets because I don’t want the notebook to become unruly, plus they are a little on the tight side, so trying to slide too many sheets of paper in there probably would not work so well. On the other hand, if something is made of a thicker stock such as the post card I have shown, it makes it much easier to slid into the pocket.
Next you will notice on the right hand side, I have placed one of the plastic multi-colored (blue) pocket dividers. This divider will hold multiple 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper, along with any other smaller items. I only use one of these dividers, right in the front of my notebook and have saved the remaining 4 for other Circa notebooks I will be setting up at a later date. I like using that as my main storage compartment in the notebook as opposed to the pockets on the inside of the cover. I will usually store things in that pocket that I have printed at work and need to bring home so I can punch them (a second punch is coming soon so I have one at home and one at work) and place them where they belong in the notebook.
As I flip past the pocket divider you will see the one page, fold out calendar. Each month on the calendar is represented by a horizontal row, while the days of the week run across the top in columns. I purchased this not knowing if it would be particularly useful and practical, and have come to find out that is has been neither. I am sure that some people might find great value in it, but for me and my needs it just didn’t serve much purpose.
The next flip of the page reveals the first of five plastic tabbed dividers. In my particular set up I have the first section of my notebook dedicated to the multiple recurring weekly meetings that I attend regularly. For me this was the major win in getting to be more organized at work. Between the page layout and the ability to add and remove pages, I was able to have a system that would allow me to keep all of my weekly notes together for the same meetings. This method is much more effective than having a coil bound notebook where I had to flip all over the place to find my notes from previous meetings. I now was able to keep everything in chronological order in their own section of my notebook, and broken out by the different meetings. I was now much more efficient when it came to following up on issues from previous meetings and having a quick refresher on what we last spoke about. Following is a sample of a notes page:
Using this method, I create similar notes/follow up items for all of my other weekly meetings to help stay organized. As you can imagine, using this method is much more organized than my previous method where my notes would end up in multiple sections of the same notebook, or even different notebooks over time.
The rest of the notebook is dedicated to different projects and evenly divided between the tabs. Nothing incredibly complex in nature here in terms of organization, however it still creates a very flexible system where I can insert (using the punch) meeting handouts and emails regarding those projects so that all of my project info is together at all times.
The next thing shown in the video is how simple it is to remove and add a page using the Circa binding system. With one hand and very little effort you can remove a page, and with similar effort you can place it in any other section you want. The paper that comes with the notebook has stood up well to being moved several times. I think this can be attributed to the heavier weight of the paper, and also the soft edges where it is fastened to the rings. I prefer this system much more than the classic 3-ring binder system for many reasons. You will also notice that in the video I show an invoice from something (yes, more pens) that I bought online. The purpose of showing this was just to give a visual that even paper which is not the heavier stock Levenger brand still functions well with the binding system.
The biggest reason that I prefer this over the spring loaded ring system is that it is so much easier to just pull out and re-insert a sheet. No need to struggle (ok, I’m not weak or anything, but those 3-ring binders are a pain) to open the rings, or live in fear of catching a finger in the thing when it is time to close them back up. I also find that having multiple smaller contact points with the fastening system minimizes the amount of movement that you get from the individual pages, which is nice, it gives the notebook a very clean cut and tight feel.
As I flip my way through the rest of the tabs in the video, I finally come to the page finder/ruler which is the same thickness as the plastic dividers. I tend to move this around depending on what my calendar looks like during the day. I usually leave it strategically placed so I can just flip open to whatever my next meeting is and begin taking notes or working on related tasks.
The last part of the video shows the pen loop in the back. As I stated in the previous post, the pen loop has held up well and been able to hold any pen I’ve placed back there. The pen in there for the video is my Libelle Chromatic Rollerball in the Gunmetal color. I selected this pen because it is probably the thickest one I own, so I wanted to show the flexibility of what fits. You will notice however as I flip each tabbed section back I am fumbling (intentionally) with the tab and the pen. Depending on the size of the pen, you may need to adjust the tabs by tucking them under your pen so that the notebook closes properly. I don’t find this to be a major issue because once you do it, everything lays neatly and nothing is bent or ruined.
One thing I will note which is just a personal pet peeve is that my black bookcloth cover is somewhat of a dust magnet, so if you get annoyed by little specks of dust like I do I would highly suggest picking a color other than black!
In summary, I do believe that investing in this notebook has been a great choice. Although the cost is a little on the higher side, the organizational improvements and conveniences that I have gained in my work life are very noticeable, not to mention that the quality and the durability of these products are second to none. For the few months that I have been using my notebook I have had multiple people that run the range from Administrative Assistants to Vice Presidents inquire about it and ask for the website so they could find out more. For anyone who is on the fence about this system, I would urge you to take a look at the Levenger site where they offer a starter kit for $40 which lets you get a hands on experience with the product. In addition to the starter kit, they also give you a $40 gift card which is good for a future purchase. If you like the starter kit, the $40 gift card is a great way to upgrade yourself to one of the Bookcloth or leather covers, and really begin to take advantage of all that the system has to offer.
EDIT: I forgot that I had one question regarding the ease of moving a large number of sheets at once. The simple answer is that it is not easy. I think anything more than 8-10 sheets at once needs to be done in smaller sections. I generally don’t see this as a problem though because for the most part, any of the reorganizing I have done has been one or two pages at a time, even during my initial set up. I think the nature of the notebook makes it such that you don’t suddenly decide you need a mass move.[/b]
Really no need for breaking the review into two parts now, but when originally written that's how I did it so I want to keep things in context.
Also, please note that you can find the videos and pictures that accompany the original post on my blog. I had a hard time figuring out how to get the video to post so I decided to just leave that and the pictures out.
Circa Bookcloth Notebook - Pt. 1
Part 1 of this review will consist of my initial thoughts on the notebook itself, I will focus on the actual functionality in the second part of the review.
So for my first review I wanted to start with the item that was probably most responsible for my recent re-obsession with pens, notebooks, desk accessories, and other office supplies. After a long period of being unimpressed with the available notebooks and journals out there, I had pretty much given up and decided that most of them were the same, and not anything that would help me be more organized and efficient.
One of my co-workers who swore by the Levenger brand (not just the Circa Notebooks) showed me his notebook, and after a few minutes of flipping through the pages and mulling it over, I decided I might be willing to give it a try. That night I went home after work and spent 2 hours on the Levenger site looking at all of the options, I was still a bit apprehensive, however I gave myself a few days to think it over and finally found myself on the site again that following weekend with the intent to buy, which I thankfully did. My purchase included the notebook in this review, along with a smaller version of it (the junior size) and a handful of accessories that I will blog about in a later post. Ever since then, I hesitate to think just how much money I have given (and will continue to give to) Steve and Lori Leveen, the husband/wife co-founders of Levenger.
When my package came in the mail I was immediately impressed with a few very simple, yet pleasing elements of what I found inside. The signature green box with matching elastic strap in which my notebooks were enclosed was an indication of the care and pride put into the Levenger product. Once inside the box, I discovered that my notebook was nestled inside a soft cloth enclosure that resembles a mix between a thin fleece and a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. In addition to the box, I found a packing slip stored in an envelope and sealed with a Levenger branded sticker. Inside the envelope when I reviewed the packing slip, it was reassuring to see the packing slip hand initialed by a Levenger employee next to each item in my order to assure that nothing had been missed.
The Circa Notebook comes in multiple materials, including leather, bookcloth, and plastic, with all of them using the disc binding system. This system allows for the quick and easy addition or removal of pages from the notebook, which was a key selling point for someone like me who was working out of multiple coil bound notebooks with no way to reorganize as things changed, or most likely as I misplaced one notebook or set of notes for a short period of time.
Upon my initial inspection I was pleased with the look and feel of my new notebook, and was already imagining how much my organizational skills would be enhanced by the freedom to move my notes around on the fly. The construction quality of this notebook is superb, and you can just tell that it is something that was designed and built to last a long time, even with daily use.
The outside cover of the notebook is a soft cloth material that has a slight bit of padding underneath it to give the notebook some body. The inside of the notebook cover is lined with leather in both the front and back. On the inside front cover you have 3 pockets, one larger one that runs the entire height of the cover, and two smaller ones on top of that which are half the size. The longer pocket is large enough to fit a standard size letter envelope with some extra space, while the two smaller ones can hold something the size of an index card. On the back inside cover on the edge there is an elastic pen loop that so far has been well suited to hold any pen I’ve tried using with it. You will also find an elastic strap that can be used to hold the entire notebook shut, or you can also use it as a place holder so you can quickly flip open to a specific location in the notebook.
The notebook comes with 60 sheets of 60 lb acid free stock with a grey annotation ruled layout in standard 8 1/2″W x 11 1/4H size. The plastic rings that act as the binding mechanism are a 1/2″ in diameter, and this size notebook uses 11 of them.
I think that wraps it up in terms of the overall look, feel, and makeup of the notebook. I look forward to part 2 where I will review my success in actually using the notebook to become more efficient and organized at work.
Levenger Circa Bookcloth Notebook - Pt. 2
This is the 2nd part of a 2 part review on the Levenger Circa Bookcloth Notebook. I will attempt to answer some questions that I received regarding the first post, however the main objective of this post will be to review the functionality of the notebook itself. In addition to posting individual pictures with this post, I am trying a quick video to show the notebook in action.
First let me start with a quick overview of the pricing for both the notebook and accessories that are covered in this review. As previously mentioned, the Letter Size Circa Notebook comes with 60 sheets of 8 1/2″W x 11 1/4″H paper, and it also comes bound with 11 of the 1/2″ discs. One of the nice things about the paper is that is a heavier stock, and most pens I have written on it with write very smoothly and show no bleed through or feathering. The price for this set up at time of purchase was $58 + shipping. In addition to the notebook itself, I also purchased:
-1 package of plastic multi-colored dividers (5 for $12)
-1 package of plastic multi-colored pocket dividers (5 for $12)
-1 page finder/ruler ($4)
-1 set of large 1″ discs (22 for $10) note that only 11 are needed for this size notebook
-1 2008/2009 fold out calendar, no longer available on Levenger site
The grand total for this notebook…$96 + shipping.
One item that I did purchase but did not include on the cost above was the desk punch ($58) which allows you to punch any documents you have which were created on regular paper. I will be doing a separate review on the punch at a later date, but I do find it to be an essential item to have if you use this notebook in a work setting. I have found many occasions where I have punched emails, calendar pages, and other documents so I could have easy access to them in my notebook.
The first thing you will notice in the video is that when I open the notebook, you can see some storage areas on the inside of the cover. For size comparison I have included a standard size No. 10 business envelope in the larger pocket, and in one of the two smaller pockets I have places a 4″ x 6″ post card. I typically do not like to store too much in either of these three pockets because I don’t want the notebook to become unruly, plus they are a little on the tight side, so trying to slide too many sheets of paper in there probably would not work so well. On the other hand, if something is made of a thicker stock such as the post card I have shown, it makes it much easier to slid into the pocket.
Next you will notice on the right hand side, I have placed one of the plastic multi-colored (blue) pocket dividers. This divider will hold multiple 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper, along with any other smaller items. I only use one of these dividers, right in the front of my notebook and have saved the remaining 4 for other Circa notebooks I will be setting up at a later date. I like using that as my main storage compartment in the notebook as opposed to the pockets on the inside of the cover. I will usually store things in that pocket that I have printed at work and need to bring home so I can punch them (a second punch is coming soon so I have one at home and one at work) and place them where they belong in the notebook.
As I flip past the pocket divider you will see the one page, fold out calendar. Each month on the calendar is represented by a horizontal row, while the days of the week run across the top in columns. I purchased this not knowing if it would be particularly useful and practical, and have come to find out that is has been neither. I am sure that some people might find great value in it, but for me and my needs it just didn’t serve much purpose.
The next flip of the page reveals the first of five plastic tabbed dividers. In my particular set up I have the first section of my notebook dedicated to the multiple recurring weekly meetings that I attend regularly. For me this was the major win in getting to be more organized at work. Between the page layout and the ability to add and remove pages, I was able to have a system that would allow me to keep all of my weekly notes together for the same meetings. This method is much more effective than having a coil bound notebook where I had to flip all over the place to find my notes from previous meetings. I now was able to keep everything in chronological order in their own section of my notebook, and broken out by the different meetings. I was now much more efficient when it came to following up on issues from previous meetings and having a quick refresher on what we last spoke about. Following is a sample of a notes page:
Using this method, I create similar notes/follow up items for all of my other weekly meetings to help stay organized. As you can imagine, using this method is much more organized than my previous method where my notes would end up in multiple sections of the same notebook, or even different notebooks over time.
The rest of the notebook is dedicated to different projects and evenly divided between the tabs. Nothing incredibly complex in nature here in terms of organization, however it still creates a very flexible system where I can insert (using the punch) meeting handouts and emails regarding those projects so that all of my project info is together at all times.
The next thing shown in the video is how simple it is to remove and add a page using the Circa binding system. With one hand and very little effort you can remove a page, and with similar effort you can place it in any other section you want. The paper that comes with the notebook has stood up well to being moved several times. I think this can be attributed to the heavier weight of the paper, and also the soft edges where it is fastened to the rings. I prefer this system much more than the classic 3-ring binder system for many reasons. You will also notice that in the video I show an invoice from something (yes, more pens) that I bought online. The purpose of showing this was just to give a visual that even paper which is not the heavier stock Levenger brand still functions well with the binding system.
The biggest reason that I prefer this over the spring loaded ring system is that it is so much easier to just pull out and re-insert a sheet. No need to struggle (ok, I’m not weak or anything, but those 3-ring binders are a pain) to open the rings, or live in fear of catching a finger in the thing when it is time to close them back up. I also find that having multiple smaller contact points with the fastening system minimizes the amount of movement that you get from the individual pages, which is nice, it gives the notebook a very clean cut and tight feel.
As I flip my way through the rest of the tabs in the video, I finally come to the page finder/ruler which is the same thickness as the plastic dividers. I tend to move this around depending on what my calendar looks like during the day. I usually leave it strategically placed so I can just flip open to whatever my next meeting is and begin taking notes or working on related tasks.
The last part of the video shows the pen loop in the back. As I stated in the previous post, the pen loop has held up well and been able to hold any pen I’ve placed back there. The pen in there for the video is my Libelle Chromatic Rollerball in the Gunmetal color. I selected this pen because it is probably the thickest one I own, so I wanted to show the flexibility of what fits. You will notice however as I flip each tabbed section back I am fumbling (intentionally) with the tab and the pen. Depending on the size of the pen, you may need to adjust the tabs by tucking them under your pen so that the notebook closes properly. I don’t find this to be a major issue because once you do it, everything lays neatly and nothing is bent or ruined.
One thing I will note which is just a personal pet peeve is that my black bookcloth cover is somewhat of a dust magnet, so if you get annoyed by little specks of dust like I do I would highly suggest picking a color other than black!
In summary, I do believe that investing in this notebook has been a great choice. Although the cost is a little on the higher side, the organizational improvements and conveniences that I have gained in my work life are very noticeable, not to mention that the quality and the durability of these products are second to none. For the few months that I have been using my notebook I have had multiple people that run the range from Administrative Assistants to Vice Presidents inquire about it and ask for the website so they could find out more. For anyone who is on the fence about this system, I would urge you to take a look at the Levenger site where they offer a starter kit for $40 which lets you get a hands on experience with the product. In addition to the starter kit, they also give you a $40 gift card which is good for a future purchase. If you like the starter kit, the $40 gift card is a great way to upgrade yourself to one of the Bookcloth or leather covers, and really begin to take advantage of all that the system has to offer.
EDIT: I forgot that I had one question regarding the ease of moving a large number of sheets at once. The simple answer is that it is not easy. I think anything more than 8-10 sheets at once needs to be done in smaller sections. I generally don’t see this as a problem though because for the most part, any of the reorganizing I have done has been one or two pages at a time, even during my initial set up. I think the nature of the notebook makes it such that you don’t suddenly decide you need a mass move.[/b]