Discbound notebooks have become quite popular over the past few years (for good reason!) however some readers have asked if there are alternate refillable notebooks that don’t have discs. One that I’ve found is the Filofax refillable notebook.

Quick facts

• Size: A5 pages. The cover is a bit bigger at 6.25″ wide x 8.5″ high
• Softcover
• Wire binding
• 4 divider Tabs
• Reposiitonable bookmark ruler / page marker
• 56 double sided lined pages
• Cream paper

Let’s take a closer look!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whHqg5a6QT4

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The Cover

The cover is a soft bendy material that’s likely get get dirt / scuff marks but probably won’t actually bend like laminate or cardstock covers can.

This is the Vista Blue version from the Saffiano series. I wanted the gold version but it was sold out 🙁 There’s also red, rose gold, orange and green. Their other notebook collections come in other colors too.

 

The cover is integrated with the twin loop wire binding.

Approx 0.5″ thick

Lined pages

The notebook comes with lined pages only.

Pull the pages out and snap them in just like you would with a discbound notebook:

This is how many extra lined pages were tucked into the back of the notebook. The rings aren’t big enough to add extra pages unless you take some out. I couldn’t find another version of the notebook with bigger rings either.

Because the notebook is already at capacity, when you fold the pages back they tend to ‘unclip’ from the binding. I’d take some pages out before using to stop this.

Tabs

The tab / dividers are a good idea however the tab part is so small that if you write on them you won’t be able to read it, plus they’re hard to grab. Since the cover extends beyond the tabs, it would make sense if they made the tabs bigger.

One of the tabs has a pocket:

Removable Ruler page marker

The built in bookmarks extends slightly over the top of the notebook so you can find it easily.

Pen Testing

The paper feels smooth – no issues writing on it however, the paper is very thin and prone to ghosting.

There was major ghosting for the MAMBI stamps – they bled through not only the page I wrote on, but also partly onto the page underneath that.

I don’t recommend using the Frixion pens and highlighters with this paper, when I erased it tore thin layers off the page (paper feels scratchy now where I’ve erased).

Does it have a compatible punch?

The Australian Filofax websites has a punch for $75 AUD plus shipping. However it has a recommend punching a maximum of only 2 pages at a time… I do up to 10 with my ARC and up to 5 with my MAMBI punch. Punching an entire planner 2 pages at a time will take a very long time.

Read more: ARC by Staples versus MAMBI – Which discbound system is better?

You can pull out and refit the pages just like you would in the Happy Planner or ARC or any other discbound notebook. The difference is that this notebook has fixed wire binding, not discs. It seems there’s only 1 size wire binding so you may need to use multiple notebooks to fit everything.

Read more: Guide to Discbound Planners & Frequently Asked Questions

You can purchase extra refill paper including colored paper! 60 sheets of 120 GSM A5 size colored paper costs $8.95 AUD

Pros of the Filofax Refillable Notebook

• Lightweight
• Multiple cover colors to choose from
• 4 Divider tabs (including 1 with a pocket)
• Built in page marker / ruler
• Add on refill pages including colored paper in lined, graph and dot grid formats
• Comes with some extra lined refill pages
• Multiple page sizes to choose from – A4, A5, pocket, 7.25″ wide x 6.25″ high
• Re-positionable pages
• Pocket folder
• Bendy but durable cover (might get scuff marks over time but it won’t bend like laminate or cardstock cover)

Cons of the Filofax Refillable Notebook

• It needs bigger rings – there seems to be one size only
• The tabs are small and hard to grip. If you write on them you’ll have to write really small
• Cream paper
• Thin paper that’s prone to ghosting and pen indenting (only 100 GSM)
• Very limited refill pages – mainly dot grid and lined. I couldn’t find weekly or daily inserts etc.
• Expensive punch that can only do up to 2 pages at a time

Would I use this notebook?

If I didn’t already have numerous other discbound notebooks (see my reviews in these posts), then yes I would. However now that I’ve had a taste for discbound and there’s so many pretty refill list and notes pages with the happy planner, plus I can easily add my own printables using a punch I already own (and the MAMBI punch is cheaper than the Filofax), I’ll be sticking with discbound notebooks.

I think this would make a good notebook for a school student or if you need something small e.g. occasionally use undated inserts or a daily planner, but I wouldn’t use this notebook to plan an entire year. The notebook comes with 100 pages and is already at capacity – it you’re ok with a quarterly planner, a 6 month planner or maybe using this as a project planner.

More refillable notebook reviews

• TUL Student Planner Discbound Notebook
• Dokibook Discagenda Planner Review – A5 Diva
• 10 Discbound notebooks for planning or bullet journaling

Planning tips

• Favorite dual tip highlighters for planning (roundup) 
• The 3 things I plan digitally instead of using pen and paper
• 50 cleaning task reminders to add to your planner

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