This was an absolutely wonderful surprise – in every way!
A couple of months ago I wrote an article about Galen Leather here. Galen Leather is a company I have always loved – both on Etsy and their own website.
I was particularly enamoured by their pen holders and tabs:
But I also loved their TN covers
After I had written the blog article I sent the link to Galen Leather and let them know I loved their products. I usually do this after I have written or reviewed a product, in case the company would like to link to it.
Galen Leather (and this is very unusual) then offered me review samples of any cover I would like, including charm. I was blown away as I usually buy my covers myself.
I chose
- purple A5 cover with green elastic, a bus charm, and stitching
- green standard cover with purple elastic, a car charm, and stitching
- In case the charms I wanted were sold out, I chose a lock and a key charm as my second choice.
Today I had a UPS delivery and it was my package from Galen Leather! I didn’t even know they were on the way so it was a wonderful surprise!
My opinion of these covers is in no way influenced by the fact that I received them at no charge to myself. My first loyalty is and always will be to my readers, who use my reviews to decide whether a product is for them or not.
But I was staggered at the quality. Compared to many other sellers, these covers are not pricey ($32 for Regular Size). But the leather! The packaging! The perfect stitching! The boxes! The presentation! It was not at all what I expected.
They came via UPS courier, in a plastic mail envelope. Inside that, the boxes were carefully bubble wrapped.
The boxes themselves are gorgeous. Made to exactly fit the covers, they are of really thick quality cardboard (nicer even than Mulberry and Gillio boxes) and printed in a lovely classic font. I really liked this touch. The colour of both boxes is the same. It was just the light here that makes the standard size look lighter. These are the kind of boxes you use as display items and never throw away!
When you open the boxes you are immediately hit with the most wonderful smell of leather. The covers have thick paper bands (printed in the same font) wrapped around them. Another quality touch you would not expect in this price range.
The purple is a beautiful deep violet and the green is a lovely deep grass green. I chose the bus and car charms as a play on my name. The charms are brass and have no sharp edges or jump rings that could scratch or dent the binder. However, because the top of the charm is not flush against the leather, it may hook and catch on things in your pocket or bag. If something gets under them and pushes them back at an angle, they could scratch.
The covers are absolutely beautiful and you can see this is quality leather. It has subtle texture in places but is obviously chosen carefully as to provide a good surface for the dye, which is absolutely uniform all over the leather. It is sturdy and firm, yet very very light (always a good thing if you carry lots of paper in it). The leather will soften with age – I love it when the corners start to bend inwards as you use a binder or TN, and begin to lovingly hug the contents.
The stitching is an optional choice and is purely decorative as there are no internal pockets, but I added it because I love the extra detail and finishing touches it gives to products. The stitching is perfectly executed and done in nice thick thread, to give the cover a rustic feel. It may become grubby with use, but that has never bothered me in my other notebooks or binders with this option – the Filofax Belmont for example.
The inside of the covers are finished in the same colour as the outside. You can choose your elastic colour and charm.
I had a really hard time choosing colours. I veered between undyed and pink and blue, back to my two trusty favourite colours, purple and green.
And then inside were also the extra charms which they kindly sent (a lock and a key), the story of Galen Leather, an Evil Eye charm with each notebook, spare elastic for each notebook and a small certificate stating who made each book and when, care and cleaning instructions and information about the leather.
I know I am not alone in thinking that nice packaging, boxes or dust bags, small notes and little extras really add to a purchasing experience.
Galen Leather make:
- Traveler’s notebooks
- Moleskine covers
- Hobonichi covers
- Field Notes covers
- Composition notebook covers
- iPad covers
- Computer sleeves
- Wallets
- Luggage tags
- Keyrings
- Passport covers
They offer many colours, sizes and charms. And there are optional extras such as embossing and stitching.
And if that was not tempting enough, in the Etsy store they have BAGS!!!!
I want to thank Galen Leather for letting me review these lovely covers. I think I am going to now buy a green pen loop for my purple cover and a purple one for my green cover!
