Saturday 21 November 2015

filofax Cross & filofax Classic personal organiser Pink, Blue, Chocolate, Natural, Black, Wine Red, Tomato

filofax Classic or Cross + ADDITIONAL PICTURES

The Cross model filofax was launched several years (circa 2004) and featured many derivatives, such as a purse, bag and and the usual sizes of organiser. After a few years the model name changed to the Classic, I say that it changed as I have not been able to see any much difference between the two.
The Italian leather organiser has been available in many colours over the years and thus appeals to both men and women. With plenty of storage and the ability to lay flat after a little use( I am referring to the personal size here), the Cross or Classic organiser is a practical choice. 
There is one negative point and that is the fact that many examples I have seen and owned, appear to crack where folded, whether it is at the back or the front. The cracking is like a glazing and is due to a coating that is upon the leather, which I am guessing lifts from the surface of the leather. This produces the white-ish cracking appearance which is more evident upon the darker colours.
I have a personal Classic in chocolate of which I have removed the coating using an aerosol shoe cleaner and much elbow grease, as well as a microfibre cloth. I believe that it is the solvents within the cleaner that has softened the coating and allowed me to remove the coating from the organiser. The result is a smooth non cracked leather Classic filofax that doesn't bug me now. I cannot recommend this as a form of treatment however, because some solvents or cleaners may differ and could cause permanent damage. The earlier Cross versions seem to suffer less, that could be just an observation of the few I have seen. Never the less this model does have great appeal and is good to hold and use, with some great colours.
Different colours were launched at doifferent times, therefore vary in availability and even a special edition was launched, named "ROSE" and featured a printed red rose with green stems upon a natural background. The Rose is quite sought after and a good condition personal size can fetch over £100.
Some pictures below from my collection.
Tan, Chocolate, Teal, Black, Natural, Pink in Personal size CROSS, plus Black and Wine Red in slimline CLASSIC                          
Personal size CROSS in baby pink 
Tomato Personal Cross



Sunday 15 November 2015

filofax Lyndhurst deluxe leather review

The Lyndhurst is only available in black leather and in zip form only. The soft deluxe leather is durable and elegant with leather inside and out. Available in most sizes (Mini, Pocket, Personal, A5 & A4) using a zip fastener which has the benefit of keeping any contents secure and unlike some, this zipped filofax will lay flat after a little use (very practical).

The features for the Lyndhurst and are as you would expect, with card slots and a document sleeve internally, a single pen loop in most sizes (A5 & A4 have two) plus a useful external sleeve upon the front of the binder. The rings are standard size as it is a slimmer style zip binder compared with other zipped filofax models, the Finsbury, Durham, Guildford, Cuban and Holborn in Personal size all use the larger 30mm rings, consequently making them larger overall.
Filofax has produced the Lyndhurst for a number of years now, so you would think that plenty would be available on auction sites, however this is not the case. They are not rare but availability suggests that they are used and kept hold of, therefore the Lyndhurst remains a desirable and practical choice. 







Top to bottom - A5, A4 & Personal x2