Monday 13 April 2015

Webster's Pages colour crush planner review

I will start this by saying I wasn't looking to buy a new planner! I was perfectly happy in my bright pink Original Filofax but I had seen the colour crush planners everywhere and they had piqued my interest.  Then on the Thursday before Easter Create and Craft dropped the price to £19.99 and I couldn't resist placing an order!  I received the parcel the following Tuesday which is pretty speedy considering Friday and Monday were bank holidays so that was a nice surprise.

I have taken lots and lots of photos for you because I want to show you all of the different inserts that come with the planner.


It comes in it's own pretty box

First view inside

Colour crush planner in white & the stickers that come with it

Gold interior and inspirational dash

Another dashboard so you can choose your favourite

First divider - write it down


This section has space for your thoughts, ideas
and dreams

Second divider - memory keeping

This section has pages for recording things that happen
each month, sketches, quotes & memories

Third divider - lists to love

This section has space for your to do lists, monthly goals,
meal planning & shopping lists 

Fourth divider - staying inspired

Pretty paper with a positive quote

I absolutely love these Dream Big pages, they're so sweet!

Fifth divider - calendar

Monthly tabs

A month on two pages overview with a section for notes

Behind the month on two pages inserts is more space for
notes and reminders

You also get a week on two pages diary & this
gold spotty page marker

Quote on the last page, a clear pocket, elasticated pen
loop & a little notebook that slots in the back

The back view

Webster's Pages logo on the spine

View from the top, look at those massive rings!

So far so good right?  Here are a couple of things I am not so happy with.

There is a gap...

... in the top and bottom rings

and the finish feels kind of cheap

The gaps on the rings are small and so far the pages aren't catching on them.  I have tried repeatedly opening and closing the rings to see if that would fix the problem but I haven't seen any improvement.  The gaps aren't big enough for me to complain or want to return it to Create and Craft but they have annoyed me a little, especially when the planner was tucked away safely in it's own box.  Also maybe I am being overly picky about the finish?  I feel like I got what I paid for at £19.99 but if I had brought one at the full price of £39.99 I wouldn't have been impressed. 

I do like the range of inserts that come with the planner, they are all pretty and practical but I haven't been won over by the binder.  Here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros
  • wide range of inserts supplied 
  • comes with a choice of dashboards and two sets of dividers
  • the rings are gold
  • the rings are bigger than the rings of a personal size Filofax
  • it is pretty
  • comes in it's own gift box
  • colourful and fun
Cons
  • gaps in the rings
  • cheap finish
  • the black pen loop looks out of place on the white binder
  • expensive if you buy one at full price

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this planner.  I can throw it into rotation with my other binders and use it as and when the mood takes me but I don't think I would buy any more of them unless the quality improves. 

Do you own one, am I being a bit harsh?




16 comments:

  1. Great review thanks. I've been seeing these planners about & loving the dividers, pretty pages & the range of colours. Like the ring size too. I loved the clouds Mrs Brimbles painted onto her blue one. Sorry that the finish isnt great ( but in a way I'm relieved it's one less thing to yearn for haha). I hope the gap doesnt get any bigger..xx

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    1. Thank you! Mrs Brimbles cloud one looks so amazing, it's fabulous!

      I hate to break it to you but I think you can buy the inserts separately if you don't want the planner as well so they could be added to your wish list ;)

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  2. Ohhh I know, I saw them- my fave has sold out but loved that whole range of designs & the cloud charm ( at least Cal can make me one similar). My wishlist is growing ever longer & if I ever do have any pennies to spend, I shall be dangerous!! x

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    1. You should get on Twitter next week and try to win some goodies during National Stationery Week, I got some nice things last year :)

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  3. I really want a Websters but I only love to use A5 planners, hopefully one day soon x

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    1. I am so sorry I missed your comment Kara! I have heard a rumour that Websters are going to be bringing out an A5 size soon so you might be able to get one later in the year ;)

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  4. Like you I bought a WP for £19.99 mainly because of all the hype. I wanted to see what they were all about and I loved the hot pink colour. I too was very disappointed. In fact I have moved back into my Finsbury and have listed my WP on ebay. The quality is just not great. I feel like I have to"baby" it just in case it gets damaged in my handbag. The split leather is lovely and soft but clearly way more insubstantial than the filofax. Fortunately my rings were ok but the finish is cheap. For £19.99 I would rather buy the Filofax Domino.

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    1. Hi Shirley, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was disappointed. That said I am using this binder at the moment and I'm not having any trouble with the gaps in the rings and I do like the extra space they give me. Also because I don't love it I don't feel the need to baby it like I do with my favourite Filofaxes, but this is just a stop gap binder until I can save up enough to by myself a 30mm ring Van der Spek custom planner.

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  5. :( I just recieved mine and the snap closure button came off the leather strip as I went to open the planner. I'll try to super glue it back on with epoxy, sucks because I just got it. BUT it is very pretty.

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    1. Oh no! That's so disappointing :( Can you not exchange it?

      You are right though, they are pretty.

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  6. I know this post of yours is several months old, but thought I'd comment. I bought a WP planner this past weekend, and am love it but yes, there are a few flaws I'm not happy about. I have already lost the little decorative leather tag because the chain that it came with does not stay shut. And it's a dumb idea to have it looped around the clasp anyway... that'll just slide right off! And on my gold polka dot plastic piece that acts as a bookmark... the polka dots are "sticky" and are rubbing off on everything. When I took the planner out of the box, that piece was in the back against the vinyl pocket. So now the dots have transferred to the vinyl pocket... not good, or attractive. And the dots have transferred to the page where I had it marking this week.

    On a good note, I like that the pages are a little thicker and I can write on them with Sharpie fine point markers without it bleeding through!

    Personally I LOVE the leather! I got the caramel one, and it's actually more like orange but that's OK... orange is my favorite color, anyway.

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    1. Hi Tammy, thanks for your comment!

      I agree the tag on the clasp was impractical, I lost mine a couple of times before I just took it off and popped it back into the box. I used mine for a few months while I saved up to buy a Van der Spek organiser with 30mm rings and since I moved into that I haven't looked back! I have taken lots of the inserts out of the Webster's planner and put them in my new one so in future I think I will buy the inserts and not the binders themselves.
      I know they are releasing some new colours very soon and they look lovely, I am hoping this new wave will be an improvement on their first collection.
      There must have been some kind of fault with your page marker, I have bee using mine for six months without any kind of transfer. It is a shame because I really like the gold spots on it.

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  7. I have been using mine since January and the leather is already pulling off on some spots just from being on my purse!

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    1. Oh no Wendy! That's so disappointing! Do you think the retailer would exchange it for you, it sounds like a fault?

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  8. Yes you're right. I love the planner but first day of use the gaps were so big, paper kept getting caught so when I tried to fix it the ring actually snapped right off. So I had to remove the other side which want hard so the paper wouldn't keep getting caught. So now it's a 5 ring binder, Still functional but huge eye sore. Wouldn't purchase again...

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    1. That's terrible! It might still be functional but I really wouldn't be happy with having to make it a five ring binder, I think I would have asked for a refund.

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