This is a really awesome binder, but you have to know what you're getting into here to appreciate it. The Kokuyo Campus Slide is comparable to a one-inch binder, but it's B5 with 26 holes, and that paper can be pricey sometimes. However, I fork over the money for it, because I find B5 the perfect size for taking class notes in college. It's big enough to write a lot, but not so big that it takes up a huge amount of room in a backpack, tote bag or even a large purse. Unlike American binders with covers that are typically vinyl covering cardboard, this notebook has a thick single swath of plastic for a cover. It seems on the thin side, but it's deceptively strong. Two of my American binders ripped apart well before the end of the semester. This Kokuyo binder has gotten some wear but it mostly looks new despite the heavy usage I put it through. One of the nice things about the binder is that you also get a set of five dividers, ten pages of Sarasara paper and a clear plastic pocket sort of like a sheet protector, to hold handouts. Very few American companies give you goodies like that with a notebook. I was able to keep my notes for different classes separated from day one, thanks to the provided dividers. The dividers are in vivid colors, and have thoughtful lines on them for you to list what you're keeping in a section. But the real star of this notebook is the famous slide mechanism for opening the plastic binder rings. Why has no one thought of this before? Instead of having to pull on a lever, or tug on rings, you slide a button, and the rings literally slide apart. When you want to close it, you slide the button in again, and the rings slide closed. No more fingers pinched in metal rings! However, be careful about overloading the binder with too much paper, or the slide mechanism may not be as smooth as it could be. I wouldn't put more than about 50-75 pages in it at a time. Another nice thing about the ring mechanism is that the rings are made in such a way that they fit together snugly, no getting off-kilter and causing pages not to turn smoothly, unlike crap American metal rings. I don't care how much one pays for a binder made in America, but it will NEVER have rings that don't get offset after a month of routine use and start catching on paper when you turn the pages. With the Kokuyo, pages turn smoothly time after time after time after time. Another thing I like about 26 hole paper is that if one hole gets torn or loose, the rest of the holes keep the paper in place. I have yet for any pages to loosen or start hanging outside the edges of other pages, something that drives me nuts with 3-hole binders. Thanks to the ring system and how well the rings close, paper simply stays neater in this binder than in others. If Kokuyo ever makes one of these in a 2-inch size, I will be all over it. Update: The A4 binder works as well as the B5, and is worth getting. The only downsize is that it seems to be a bit thinner than this one and is probably better for presentations. It doesn't come with the clear pocket, either, but it does have two pockets on the inside covers. You can put an A4 notepad in either, for writing on the go. Maruman makes a Smooth-to-Write notepad with the pre-punched holes already, so you can bring extra paper with you!
