Overall rating
Size: | A5 |
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Colours: | Black, Brown |
Cost: | $74.00 USD |
Personalisation: | Yes |
Country: | USA |
Available from: | www.holtzleather.com |
For: | Wholegrain leather is the real deal, two tone stitching and sturdy workmanship |
Against: | Inside cover pocket unsecure, pen holder, notebook usability |
First Impressions
Introducing another leather journal from the USA. The journal was packaged neatly and came in a vintage style cloth bag. Upon first glance, this is a very high quality leather which boasts that true leather smell. What a pleasure! The family behind HOLTZ leather company take pride in using “All American cowhide, that ain’t no SISSY-FIED leather, with a rustic look and feel, just like the old days” and we’re pleased to say this is all true.
Our leather journal showed some marks and scratches on it, but this is testament to the fact HOLTZ uses wholegrain leather, which can show “bug bites, scars, branding marks, barbed wire and wrinkles”. The two-tone stitching on this leather journal looks very sturdy and adds to the ‘solid’ character of this product.
As a consensus we were a little let down by the thin “Brand Book” notebook included inside. We felt HOLTZ sacrificed using a proper width A5 notebook (for which this leather journal sleeve is designed), to include the pen holder along the centre spine. The notebook provided was very narrow at 3.5 inches, and its tiny page count of around 50 left an awkward amount of ‘flappy’ leather when the notebook journal was closed. A HOLTZ representative told us this would decrease as the leather softened during use.
1 Week Review
The leather on this notebook journal smells amazing. It’s has that distinct “Yeah that’s real leather” smell that everyone loves. The quality of the leather is very high, and it actually softened up a little during my one week of use.
Because of the way the inside cover pocket is cut, it’s somewhat loose, and doesn’t really ‘hold’ any receipts or important documents safely unless the leather journal is closed. The narrow pen/pencil holder in the centre is quite thin and only useful for pencils and very narrow pens. This is something I’m noticing time and time again with leather journal pen holders.
Whilst the included “Brand Book” notebook was usable for small writing sessions, we felt this leather journal could really benefit from an A5 sized notebook with at least 200 pages. We actually took an A5 notebook from another journal and placed it inside, and it fit perfectly. The journal then closed tightly with no loose leather, but the middle spine pen holder was now inaccessible.
It must be said that at $8.00 USD for 3 extra “Brand Book” inserts, they are great value, and most won’t mind too much. We enjoyed taking this product to cafes and restaurants, and even using it on the boardroom table during various meetings.
Criteria Review
Quality
Features
Usability
Charm
Value
OVERALL
7.8
“Solid design with classic full grain leather”
Conclusion
The HOLTZ leather journal is a brilliant hand-made wholegrain journal, with a fantastic leather smell. Its inside cover pocket and pen holder don’t excel at their purpose, and we felt the included notebook was lacking width and pages. However, this is still a solid product, and one of many fine leather products the HOLTZ Family offer through their online store. We’d consider buying one just to use the amazing leather sleeve and using your own A5 notebook inside!