Two months in my Plotter... and why I'm quitting

[@aPLOTTERnamedKARL]

I am utterly obsessed with my Plotter, it's been a real game-changer for me (though I don't use mine as a planner). But I am so appreciative of your candid and authentic presentation here. I struggle to find creators that aren't scared to give their honest take on popular stationery items, or, if they are more forthright, it's just for rabid gate-keeping (what constitutes a commonplace book, bujo, etc.,). Plus, you are so right that the majority of Plotter content = unboxings. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for expressing your opinions and pointing out some pretty significant flaws with a few features of the Plotter. And I wish Designphil, who widely distributes their Midori and TN products, would begin offering Plotters to the international market! We need more content beyond "Oh it's such pretty leather"; it's kinda hard to make informed purchasing decisions about whether it's actually worth it on a practical level. There's a lot of Japanese channels I find helpful, but it would be cool to find more English-speakers who, like you did here, offered specific breakdowns of how the inserts/accessories are working out for them. 🙂

[@tortagialla]

Thanks for sharing!

[@chronicfish]

Couldn't have said it better! 👏

[@ffotograffydd]

I’m a leatherworker by trade, and I’d say don’t let anyone fob you off with leather that has holes, unattractive scarring, etc. Yes, that happens with a natural material, but reputable leather companies will pattern cut around holes, unacceptable blemishes, etc. We also don’t use leather that is excessively ‘fluffy’ on the back, or that has a weird smell, both are signs of poorly tanned leather. You did the right thing by returning the cover that had damage.

[@moniqueme1600]

Plotter is for planning. Actually planning like ring bound planners are. You sound like you want scrapbooking, not planning. Ring bound planners have a wonderful history dating back to the 1920s or even before that. Those of us ring bound planners have figured out how to archive our sheets. I wouldn't want to carry a bound planner that I could not move around the pages or take out the pages or gets too fat with adding photos etc. I love Plotter and I am so glad it exists for those of us that love ring bound planning but wanted something easier to carry with lovely rings and leather.

[@meganregel3441]

So as someone who loves their bible-size Plotter and has used it every day for nearly a year, I'm glad you posted! The Plotter use case is really narrow - it really wasn't designed to do what you wanted it to do and anyone who may want to use it similarly should watch your video. I think ultimately it's audience is really small - most folks would be much better served by a less expensive rings system with bigger rings and/or bound books. That said, the pages aren't meant to be archived forever, just for the length of a given project. (And even then, their archival thing is silly. A cheap binder is a better option.) It's only meant to carry the bare minimum essentials and 80 pages is only if you use only their proprietary, very thin paper with no other inserts. My Plotter is my strictly utilitarian, non-decorative, temporary information-only notebook and it's not good for anything else. (Also, fwiw, I got my Plotter before other binders with similarly small rings existed in the US, and I'm a lefty who hates big rings more than I like saving money. Now there are much less expensive options with tiny rings available.) Also fwiw, I found a really similar leather A5 cover with 0.5-inch rings on Amazon that has worked really well - and was only $40. Alas, I've never found a personal/bible sized one! Everything I've found has some kind of closure and/or huge rings.

[@katsmith8263]

I have the tiny rings that are slightly bigger from the Filofax that are removable from the Filofax, they are attached to a plastic board, the leather could be bought and cut to the size to create the "plotter" for a cheaper price

[@Clauaub]

Hi! Would you share the link for the A5 small ring binder please? Thank you

[@guitarchitectural]

I'd love to know which tiny ring options you have found!

[@JeremyWalla]

Some valid points. I moved into a mini 5 as my daily driver wallet and inbox / Todo lists. I have to say it is the absolute best option for carrying everything I need at hand. And it looks damn good doing it. I daily get someone noticing it. I also carry a mini as a daily reflection commonplace book and love that as well. I don't think that the system really works as a journal in my opinion. I am sticking with the bullet journal v2 or a rhodia web book dot grid as my daily journal and planner. Thanks for the in depth look at the plotter system.

[@inkyfingers1045]

I Love my Plotters. I use my mini 5 as a wallet love love love it I used a little project manager things to put things in that I don't want people to see when I open my notebook private things like financial. It's so nice because I can put a grocery list on it and then throw it away where if I was using a notebook it would just be ugly in it. I also have the Bible size I'm bad about stuffing so it doesn't allow that it always looks nice people always ask me where I got it because they think it's beautiful and I only keep the papers in there that are prettier look nice if I miss one up I can just take it out.

[@PaperLychie]

Thank you so much for this video!! I really appreciate your honest review of this super popular product. I’m using a Filofax as my main messy planner and I was so tempted by the plotter system… but the costs and the fact that it stores few papers inside are a big con for me. As I said, rings are my messy planner and at the end of the year I throw away the papers inside, even because all the infos I wanna keep are in my TN inserts, sometimes it seems like repetitive infos, but I love journaling and keeping memories, so it’s a fun hobby for me and I love that at the end of the year I can store away all the inserts!

[@domdow2884]

Thank you for this real review

[@katsmith8263]

16:50 i have used filofaces since 2013 and i have each and every page since then. No issues with archiving. You just need to buy the the set of 3 rings or the very cheap binder

[@mybibliofiles]

Your candidness is really refreshing and you have nothing to apologize about. Thanks for sharing!

[@the_stationery_writer]

Thank you so much 🥲

[@LorenMJ]

So….. can I have it? 😂😂

[@marydetray6776]

I find it to just be boring and FAR too small (capacity wise) to really be a planning workhorse. I don't get the hype around Plotter.

[@GirlGeekLovesStampin]

Your pages seem to fit different from mine....for some reason my pages turn much easier...so maybe you got something flawed (paper bug?)

[@seemownay]

I ditched my Plotter after two months too and the setup was nice, but it wasn't as great as I had hoped for. So I went back to the Weeks.

[@seemownay]

Ah, yes, the different holes punched. I cut the papers bigger, hole punched, cut them really close to the holes and then made the pages cut to the right size because even with a hole punch you can't get it right.

[@seemownay]

Continue with my thoughts and replies: yes, to the overengineered planner inserts. I thought I was going to get a little more space than the Weeks but I ultimately felt like it was even less. Even with the stupid quote in the Weeks.

[@the_stationery_writer]

Ahh thanks for watching! I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while 🥹 I’m honored.

[@melissalam2879]

Would you want to sell any of your plotter system parts?

[@tortagialla]

Thanks for sharing, I really appreciate it! I like videos that show use in general because pure hauls make it hard to actually ‘review’ anything at all! I think as with most planners it’s a very individual issue because what works for one might not for another!

[@kulecka]

Was yours this dark when you got it? It looks grey on the website.

[@the_stationery_writer]

I have found that the color varies wildly. The most recent A5 one I just got (see my recent video) is a very pale blue.

[@herlindahuskey]

Thank you for sharing your experience/story … I really appreciate your review… As a hospice worker and a super small writer myself, I can’t wait to get my hands on a mini 5 plotter… I will be using mine for patient care notes… It should fit nicely into my scrubs pockets… A calendar for work schedules and possibly a 2 mm grid memo pad for my notes… It’s lightness, portability, is a big win for me…

[@shethewriter]

Thank you! Finally an in depth review on this product. I'm surprised at how tiny the rings are for the price point. Seems like it's more flash than substance; not for me when there are so many more practical/still luxury alternatives out there.

[@KaitlinGrey]

Really really enjoyed this video! Thank you for sharing how your preferences and thoughts evolved 🙌🏻

[@emptyoften]

I really appreciate you having made this video. Thank you! For my purposes (a few pages of todo’s and quick notes that won’t need to be archived) it looks like it would work for me. I would be concerned about the sharp corners of the metal bar on the cover damaging delicate items in my bag or even the bag itself since I typically put items in the same place.

[@MariekevanBuytene]

Thank you for this video; it helped me make up my mind. I like ring binders because with a hole punch I can put things in them such as postcards, but a Plotter will probably be too thin for that, so am going to stick with my compact Filofax. Cheers!

[@migueloxamendi4284]

Excellent points. Good review and you've highlighted some valid issues I've not seen others raise.

[@katsmith8263]

You're right about the size of tge pages. I like the A5 size mych more, and the Standard TN for my planner/bujo even more tgan the A5. What are you going to use?

[@the_stationery_writer]

Right now I’m testing an A6 setup (will be a hobonichi original paired with a blank companion book)

[@SpyStaMia]

I almost forgot - as of July 2024, the “buy-in” for a PLOTTER in A5 is £280 ~ $360 with all the accessories … 😮

[@the_stationery_writer]

Yeah the price is honestly insane to me. The leather is not “that” nice.

[@SpyStaMia]

@@the_stationery_writer I’ll ask someone to gift it to me … LOL!

[@SpyStaMia]

I was going to reference with time stamps but I was driving … Thank you for your video as I agree with most of it but specifically … 1. The lack of TUTORIALS! 2. The PRICE OF THE BINDER! I feel like the two little girls felt about the “9 quid for ****** ice cream!” 200 + quid for a piece of leather and a shiny piece of brass with hoops? This is why BuJo works and this needs more clarity. Your comments needed to be said … 👍

[@the_stationery_writer]

I do wish there was a good alternative for small ring binders though that didn’t cost so much.

[@SpyStaMia]

@@the_stationery_writer - I am testing the PLOTTER approach, but not using their binder. I found a 13 mm ring leather A5 binder on Etsy for a 1/4 the price and going that route; the paper kits are ok priced from PLOTTER but the lifters and else begin pushing it. A full compliment of refills is £75~$95 without the ‘bespoke’ binder!

[@the_stationery_writer]

Which shop did you get it from?

[@CuratedMonotony]

Ty for sharing your review. I’ve been curious about these as I’ve seen them on socials more and more.

[@inkyfingers1045]

Where did you buy your date stickers

[@the_stationery_writer]

They’re called Himekuri and they make a lot of different designs! I got mine from Yoseka but they’re usually only available around the time planners come out (end of the year) and usually sell out.

[@inkyfingers1045]

@@the_stationery_writer thank you