Levenger Circa Discbound Planner Review (Pros, Cons & Video Walkthrough)
I love discbound planners so the Levenger has long been on my wish list!
Quick facts
- Size: 5.5″ wide x 8.5″ high (multiple sizes to choose from)
- Disc binding
- Softcover (personalisation optional)
- This belongs to page in case your planner is lost
- Dates at a glance
- Neutral inside pages (you pick)
- 2 page weekly spread (starts on Monday)
- 2 Page monthly calendar (starts on Monday)
- Monthly notes and to do list pages
Let’s take a closer look!
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Mentioned in the video
- Dimensions of the horizontal layout = 4.6cm high (bit more than 1.75″). Erin Condren size boxes are about 1.9″ high so you will need to trim.
- Guide to Discbound Planners & Frequently Asked Questions
The Cover
The cover is a glossy matte / cardstock with a see through frosted cover over the top to protect it.
I wasn’t a fan of any of the cover designs – there were hardly any to choose from, they were boring and the font for the text personalisation looks like boring Arial. I don’t really like the cover I ended up choosing. The colors aren’t very nice. I’d probably DIY my own cover instead.
Approx 0.5″ thick
Monthly to do and notes
At the start of each month is 1 notes page and 1 monthly to do list page.
The style of the Levenger inserts is very gender neutral / simple layouts like the ARC.
Related: Why I use the Arc Planner instead of binders
Monthly Calendar
The monthly calendar is different to most. Weekends are combined so all of the boxes are wider than normal. However you don’t get much space for the weekend.
Lined writing space <3
US holidays are pre-printed but in very small font that doesn’t take up much room.
Weekly Planner
Starts on Monday (consistent with the monthly calendar).
Dates at a glance
Yearly Planner
This is one of my all time favorite annual planning layouts. Space for projects, goals and most importantly – due dates!
If you need more writing space, you could convert the birthday’s and anniversaries page into project planning / monthly lists. It’s quite roomy with only 3 months per page.
Tabs
There are no tabs with this planner although you could add your own. The cover extends beyond the pages so tabs would be protected.
Pen Testing
Despite being really bright white and smooth paper to write on, it’s let down by the ghosting and bleed through. For the price of the planner, I expected the paper quality to be better.
Is the Levenger compatible with other discbound?
Yes the ARC punch works with it. The Levenger have their own punch but I opted not to buy it since the ARC works fine and it would be super expensive to ship the Levenger punch to Australia. The Levenger pages can also be removed and used with the MAMBI discs. i.e. Levenger is compatible with MAMBI and ARC.
Related: Guide to Discbound Planners & Frequently Asked Questions
Pros of the Levenger Planner
- Multiple page sizes
- Multiple disc sizes
- Can personalise the cover with your name or other text
- Weekly and monthly calendar both start on Monday (consistent)
Cons of the Levenger Planner
- Not many cover options and they’re not very nice
- Limited inserts to add to your planner
- Expensive
- Not readily available
- Weekends don’t have much planning space in the monthly calendar
Would I use this planner?
I love discbound planners so it’s an automatic yes from me because of the discs. However, I was a bit disappointed. The cover isn’t that nice, it’s only thin cardstock and the inserts are very basic and generic. You could just as easily make your own discbound planner for cheaper (see this post for a tutorial). The paper quality also isn’t very good.
When compared to other discbound planners I’d probably choose The Happy Planner as it’s cheaper, prettier and there are more options. Plus the paper quality is better (and thicker) so not prone to pen ghosting.
More Discbound Planner Reviews:
- TUL Student Planner Discbound Notebook
- Happy Planner Budget Edition Review
- Planner Organization: Why I use the Arc Planner instead of binders
Planning Tips:
- How to easily print printables double sided (duplex printing tutorial)
- 50 Category Ideas for Color Coding Your Planner
- 10 Reasons why I plan using printables (and why you should too!)
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You should try the Circa SmartPlanner instead. It comes with tabs and has a slightly different weekly layout with room for appointments and notes. The pages are also thicker and very pen-friendly with minimal ghosting. I keep trying different planners each year but always end up going back to this one.
Odd that the same company has different paper types. I’ll look out for a sale for the SmartPlanner 🙂
I love Levenger! For starting out, I recommend their Circa sampler, which costs $40US and includes a $40US Levenger gift card – so how awesome is that? I don’t know if that’s an option for anyone outside of the US, but thought it worth a mention. The real beauty of Levenger is in their upgrade Circa notebooks and folios and in their metal discs. Their leather and cloth-bound covers are gorgeous, although you definitely want to wait for a sale, as you mentioned. Fortunately, Levenger has frequent sales. Some of their inserts have a color version, such as their meeting notes page which has fairly subtle blocks in shades of pale green on quite heavy paper. Highly recommended!