This is an old post and sadly Filofax don't make the Flex anymore. However, I hope that you enjoy the nostalgia of reading about the Flex. Plus, it's interesting to see how some of my wishes came true – Filofax must have been listening!
We all use our planners in different ways so you may not agree with all of my points. But these are just the little alterations and improvements that would make the Flex work better for me:
- I know they designed the Flex to be simple and universal, but they had better start thinking of some new cover designs soon! I mean, there are endless possibilities - it hurts my head just to think about them. I would personally like to see something classy and feminine. I love the lace and leopard-print on the Temperley for example, it would be nice to have some similar fabric options for the Flex – that don't cost a fortune. Real leather would be great too. (They did indeed end up making a real leather version of the Flex!)
- The jot-pad is soooooo in the wrong place for me. I need it at the front on the left-hand side where I can have easy access to it. I don't want to have to search for it behind all of my notebooks, do I? There should have been slits on both the right and the left hand-side so that we can choose what works best.
- The pen-loops are rubbish. Mine snapped in the first week of purchasing my Flex. I was very upset and I haven't gotten round to buying a new pen insert because my Flex originally came with a black one to match the cover, but the replacements all seem to be grey! I don't like the grey - That's why I bought black.
- I wish there was a zip pocket somewhere. Just a small one for loose change, perhaps on the front or back of the binder.
- Sometimes I wish there was a built in or attachable concertina-style pencil case on the front, you know, for a rubber and pencil sharpener, sticky notes and other loose bits and pieces.
- I'd rather like to have the option of having a slim ring-binder insert that you could slip into one of the slots and use the Flex like a normal Filofax as well. But I guess it would make it too bulky. A slim optional insert wouldn't hurt would it?
- Filofax need to work on their insert collections for both the normal Filofax and the Flex. I think this needs a dedicated post all to itself though.
- It needs an elastic band around it to keep everything together! Then you could slip loose pieces of paper in between pages and not worry about them falling out when you take it out of your bag. (Little did I know that the Traveler's Notebook would steal my heart a few years down the line!)
- Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to slot or clip two or three Flex binders together to make an ultimate FAT one with lots and lots and lots of options! Perhaps not very portable, but fun for an option all the same.
- It might be nice to design a Flex with clear pockets on the front and back so that you could slip your own images, photos, paper or material in and transform the look of your Flex whenever you feel like it! This is perhaps my most genius idea so far, and if Flex by Filofax design something like this in the future I want my cut of the profits! (Filofax did indeed end up designing something customisable like this with the Clipbooks further on down the line, however, I did not get a commission! Grrrr.)
Well, I hope you have enjoyed my little review and suggestions for the Flex by Filofax. Let me know what you think, or if you have any ideas of your own, in the comments below - I can't wait to read them. (I ALWAYS reply to comments – even new comments on old blog posts!)
See you in the next post ...
See you in the next post ...
