In Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series, I traced the history of “pocket slim” Filofax models– pocket size, with no snap closure, mostly having smaller rings and no pen loops. But after poring over every catalog in the Philofaxy archives to build up my chronology, there are still some “pocket slim” models I can’t identify.

I’ll start with what must must be the oldest one. I found this Filofax on eBay (and know at least one reader also spotted it there!). The exterior is leather, with a texture that reminds me of the faux leather on Moleskine notebooks. It is also pretty similar to the leather of the pocket slim Lincoln Filofax I own. Inside, it is lined with fabric, has 11mm rings, and has no pockets at all. It says it is made in England and has a product code of UIB– not sure if that is a number 1 or capital I, but I haven’t found this model number in any catalog, and can’t even figure out how it might relate to the number/code system they used in the early days– the closest I’ve seen is the A1 and N1 numbering for “Jottas” in the c. 1979 catalog. The rings are just like the ones in my oldest kid leather Filofaxes, so my best guess is that this dates from the 1970s or early 1980s, sometime before they re-introduced their pocket size as a more upscale wallet-style organizer.

This next Filofax caught my eye due to the striking color– the mustard yellow seemed so unusual! The style here is just like the kid leather pocket organizers from the late 1980s, but the leather is a bit different, and it has a stiffer construction, similar to the iguana leather model I covered in part 1. There are no codes stamped inside the pocket, and the inside just says “Filofax England.” This was another purchase from a seller in Japan, so I suspect it was a special model made just for that market, probably around 1990 or 1991. One feature that threw me off was that it has the 6-ring configuration of models dating from 1994 and later, but close inspection shows that this is likely due to the rings having been replaced at some point, as you can see that the backplate has been cut to fit the smaller distance between the tabs. And if you really squint, you can see faint traces of the original 4 rings pressed into the leather.

The final Filofax from my collection is another enigma from Japan. This one just says Filofax on the inside front cover, and there is a debossed “F” logo in an oval on the front instead of on the spine. It’s a lovely design in smooth black leather, with a decorative seam near the spine. Inside there’s a secretarial pocket and a full-length pocket on the left, and a full length pocket with credit card slots on the right. The leather inside has more of a grainy texture. With what seems to be an original 6 ring design, and no “made in England” noted inside, this seemed likely to date to 1999 or later. Not having a model name stamped inside suggested it was pre-1998, but I thought that might have been different for Japanese variants.

I went through all the catalogs trying to match this design up to any of the UK/US models– some candidates that had a seam in the design were the Hamilton, the Durham and Kensington from 1999, the Dorchester and the Hampshire, but I ruled them all out as being too different in leather, pocket designs or other features. My best guess is that this is a variant of the Filofax Richmond from 1998–1999— some sizes in the Richmond don’t have a side seam, but the Deskfax version did. The A5 Richmond had a side seam and the same kind of credit card slots. The description of the Richmond made it sound like it had a totally different leather with a grainy texture, but I realized that the texture might match the interior of mine. (See Filowiki for the best photos of various Richmonds.) I think the outside probably used to have that texture too, but has worn into a smoother and shinier texture due to many years of use– it’s developed a nice patina, with scuffed corners and areas that were probably compressed from being kept in a pocket. This Filofax has a really nice shape– it’s narrower and taller than any of my others. I was using it for a little while but it’s such a unique part of my collection, I started to feel a little paranoid about losing it! It’s one of my favorites, and I can tell its original owner must have loved it too..

So what about other brands? Filofax has never been the only company making pocket size leather looseleaf notebooks. In the 1980s and 1990s, similar notebooks were available from European makers like Succes and Luxindex, among others I’ve seen listed on eBay. And today there are a growing number of alternatives:

Plotter : this brand has gotten a ton of attention in the stationery world due to their snazzy design. Read my Plotter review here. These are expensive, due to high quality leathers, and don’t have the built-in pockets some users might prefer.

MeePlus: their Slim Pad is a Plotter imitator at a lower price. I haven’t tried one but they seem to get good reviews from others.

Raymay/DaVinci : another Japanese brand that I’ve covered in detail: Raymay DaVinci Notebook Review. They make various sizes, some of which are very tiny, slim and pocketable, but won’t work with other brands’ inserts in the typical pocket Filofax or Plotter sizes.

Jillargean: this is a Chinese maker who sells via Ali Express. I saw some praise for these on Instagram, and since the price was under $30, I had to give one a try! I will post a more detailed review soon, but these are a surprisingly good value, at least when there isn’t a huge tariff fee tacked on. Quality may be uneven (I had to return one) but overall I was rather impressed.

If you have a big budget, there are also Japanese brands like Ashford, Kawacoya, Luddite, Knox, and Brelio that offer some very luxurious- looking leather looseleaf notebooks. For US buyers, shopping may be a challenge but eBay or Amazon have some listings. For the last few months, the unicorn in this category has been a special edition “Bindex by Nolty” ring binder notebook– the outside is made of the same leather as the Nolty Gold. This was announced in fall 2024 as an exclusive item only available in-store at the Nagasawa Stationery Center (whose Nagasawa Journal Style webstore is a great place to browse high-end Japanese brands). I just noticed that it is now available on Nolty’s own website, though with shipping and tariffs the cost would probably be over $250. It’s also on Amazon, for the jaw-dropping price of $350 (which at least includes free shipping).

If you want something cheaper, there are non-leather options like the Pilot and Brunnen notebooks I’ve reviewed: Pilot B7 Binder Notebook Review, Notebook Review: Brunnen Pocket Looseleaf.

The availability of all these other brands makes me optimistic that the “pocket slim” looseleaf notebook format is becoming more popular. I know some people love big, fat, jam-packed planners, and sometimes larger formats are what you need– even I recently started using a personal size Filofax too. But a small, slender ring binder that can be slipped into a pocket will always be a handy and practical companion. I hope you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the world of pocket slim Filofax organizers and similar alternatives. Let me know in the comments if you have your own favorites or know of other models that I’ve missed!

Other posts in this series:

The History of the Pocket Slim Filofax: Series Introduction

The History of the Pocket Slim Filofax: Part 1

The History of the Pocket Slim Filofax: Part 2

The History of the “Pocket Slim” Filofax Part 3