Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat quality binder
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2014
If getting an Avery binder, definitely go with the "Durable" model over the "Economy" and the "Heavy Duty" - here's why:
- The Economy use very flimsy cardboard and therefore the binders bend very easily. The material used to cover the binder is also thinner and tears easily. These binders are a total waste and I would not even use them for light use.
- The Heavy Duty have what they call a one-touch EZD ring. This means instead of two tabs to open the rings - one at the top and one at the bottom - there is only one at the bottom and it actually opens very easily. So easily that with little use the rings will actually develop gaps. Gaps obviously continue to get worse over time, make it so difficult to turn pages, and also cause pages to come out and tear where the holes are. In addition, the rings don't open evenly which also contributes to the gaps. With a tab on only one end it will pull one side of the rings with more strength than it pulls the other side. I'm not a fan of the one-touch EZD ring for these reasons.
- The Durable model - this model - is the one I prefer. For starters, the cardboard used is quite sturdy and will protect the contents stored in your binder.
-- The cover material is of decent quality and it takes very heavy daily use, often over years to cause damage such as tears. Some of the Avery Durable binders I have are easily 8 years old - a few others lasted only 3 years. It just varies on your usage.
-- The rings make a loud noise when opened and closed using the tabs - it is a very strong closure and they are very strong quality.In my experience they have not developed gaps in the rings, even when the binders are filled to capacity. Note that I only ever open/close the rings using both end tabs - I never pull or push on the rings themselves.
-- The d-ring does have a bit more of a slant than I prefer, but that's about the only real down side here. The larger the binder, the bigger the ring slant.
-- Binders have standard front and back pockets. They also have clear view pockets on front, back and spine.