Two other ladies picked up multiples of these babies while I was in @michaelsstores this morning. We chatted a bit and I found out that the new zipper planners were 60% off. After one of the ladies told me that she heard that these planners are a limited edition and that Michael’s will not be bringing them back,I picked up three, two for me and one for my 11 year old daughter.  I’m thinking of gifting one of my two to my oldest daughter to keep up with her soon to be very busy schedule, but we will see. The covers are just so cute!

A couple of the planner covers have the year 2017 on them. I avoided those because I don’t want a date or year on the cover. Seems limiting and I can’t see myself in 2019 with all new inserts working in a planner with 2017 on the cover.

I’ve seen so many posts about the ‘look’ of these planners, but nothing much about what’s going on with the inserts, quality and overall functionality of the planners, so I am giving my two cents worth with my initial review of the zipper planners.

My Initial Review

The Good

• Cover designs are gorgeous. Michael’s has figured out that the planner community is not to be taken lightly, and designed planner covers that speak to the never ending quest for cuteness by the typical planner addict. There is a design available to suit most tastes.
• Good quality paper. Most of the time the paper quality of planner binders that come with inserts leaves a lot to be desired. I prefer a nice sturdy paper that will take ink well and not bleed easily. I have not ink tested the paper in these planners, but based on the touch test, the paper quality is quite nice…not butta… but hearty.
• Super cute dividers.  The tab dividers are a nice weight cardstock with laminated tabs. The designs on the dividers are shown on the back of the product packaging (box) and do not disappoint! As I flipped through the dividers I found my self thinking Oooo and Ahhhh… I didn’t say it out loud, but you know what I mean.
• Well chosen fonts, colors and graphics. If you are already a part of the planner community, you know there is a certain style that a real planner girl loves to see on planner stickers, planner inserts, and anything planner related. Recollections nailed it! The fonts are complimentary, the colors are vibrant where then need to be and soft and unobtrusive when the design requires something a little more low key.
• Dated and undated versions are available. Depending on the planner cover design you choose, dated and undated versions of the planner inserts are available. As one of my planner buddies said, at 60% off, this planner is worth the $11.99 for just the inserts. The inserts measure 3.5″ x 7.5″ which is not the standard personal planner insert size of 3.75″ x 6.75″. The inserts are quite slender, but I think you may be able to get your standard personal size inserts to work also.

The Bad

• Feels cheap. With a retail price of $29.99, I was surprised that the cover feels like a low quality vinyl.  The stitching is a little ragged in places and it does not look like there was much attention paid to the quality of the stitching.
• Does not lay flat. The biggest problem I’ve found so far with this planner is because of the way the zipper is sewn into the planner. The planner only opens naturally to about a 45 degree angle. It feels like something might break or be damaged if you force it open more, however I did force and nothing was destroyed. It still does not naturally remain open, so further training may be necessary, but I think the spine may also pose a problem. I haven’t been able to get it to stay open and remain flat yet. So far nothing is broken… fingers crossed.

Overall this planner has the cuteness factor mastered, but it doesn’t appear that there was enough thought put into how the planner would actually be used. Functionality is extremely important. If it doesn’t work, it’s a deal breaker. I actually considered returning the planner, which is something that I have never done. I decided to instead try to train the binder cover to open as it should and hope for the best.