A Mini Review Of The Bindertek Barrister Binder

So, the Bindertek Barrister Binder I order for my custom stamp sheets came in. I thought I would share some pictures and comments on the binder.

Bindertek makes a whole mess of different solid colored binders, but their slip cases are only in black. I ordered the Barrister binder, because it was black and had a nice design on the spine.



The bottom part of the spine has a metal reinforced ring in it, to make it easy to pull the binder out of the slip case:



The binder I got was a 2" binder. The sides are completely black.



The binder is also pretty stiff and the edges opposite the spiine do not touch when the binder is left closed. The binder may loosen up over time, but I really don't have an issue with the way they sit now.



The bottom edge of the binder, the side that slides against the bottom of the slip or shelf is metal reinforced, which is a nice touch.




The interior of the binder reveals that this is an office binder and not a scrapbooking/collecting binder, as you can see from these photos:




The binder rings are D rings mounted to the back of the binder, and not the spine, which seems to be the standard with binders these days. The rings open easily using the handle on the bottom, and the whole mechanism seems top notch.



Overall, I think the binder and great and seem extremely durable. The only thing I don't like about them is the writing on the inside, which I cold probably cover over by gluing a thick piece of cardstock over it.

The 2" three ring binder cost me $14.00. The slip case was another $10.00 and shipping was $6.26. I signed up for their mailing list and got a 10% off coupon, so the binder cost me $27.86 to purchase, which is a little cheaper than a Lighthouse Vario F binder. Sadly I don't have a Vario F to compare it against.

Overall, I give the binder an A-.

I really like the pull ring, metal reinforcement and flat-laying rings (rings attached to the back flap of the binder instead of the narrow middle piece). That stated, I think I will stick with my bargain basement binders for now.

Excellent review apastuszak. What size of sheets does this binder hold and what are the overall dimensions?
Thanks.

The binder holds 8.5x11 US Letter sheets.

It looks like the binder is 11 1/4" wide by 11 1/2" high and 2" deep.

It's actually a little smaller than 2", I think. I moved volume I of my Mystic Heirloom album into the binder and it's way more snug than it was in the Mystic Binder.

I also took the Mystic binder and put it in the Bindertek slipcase. The binder slides in about a 1/4" too far and makes the sides buckle slightly.

Very nice review -- thanks for taking the time to do the narrative and photos.

KirkS

I obviously have way too much time on my hands...

Apastuzak, I decided to make my own stamp album like many here on the forum. I am really liking these binders and thinking about making them the ones that I use. I was wondering now that a few years have passed, do you have any update to your review? Still loving them? Thanks!

Still a great binder. Though I think I would save a few bucks and go with the solid color binders.

http://www.bindertek.com/thsl2bi.html

I learned today that the Bindertek binder doesn't survive falls very well. The binder was in it's slip case on my buffet in the dining room. It appears one of the cats walked by a knocked it onto the dining room floor. The slip case ripped at the seam along the top. When I pulled the binder out, the top rivet holding the rings in place had completely ripped through the cardboard the binder is made of.

So, my son and I took a drive to Staples and I bought a 1 1/2" Staples brand "Better Binder."

The binder is a hard plastic that is somewhat flexible, and all the joints are black rubber. It appears to be sturdy and I don't think the rivets would pop out in a drop test, since they're going through plastic and not paper. The rings inside are also back mounted D-rings that use the, in my opinion, superior ball and socket closure.

The binder is flexible, though. So, if you're used to a binder with a nice stiff cover, this binder may not be for you.

I'm going to see if some epoxy can be used to fix the Bindertek binder. The rivet that ripped through the cardboard is bent and doesn't want to straighten out, so it may be a lost cause. We'll see.

If you want a quick overview of the Better Binder, I found this video on YouTube.