Chris Davis is the owner and craftsman of Davis Leatherworks - remember the
funding project I had posted about? Currently, all the leather goods he makes - journal covers, dog leashes and collars, business card sleeves, etc - are hand cut, hand sewn, and hand crafted. Which is seriously awesome. He very generously shared three of his products with me - a
leather notebook cover, a
business card sleeve, and an eyeglasses case.
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| Awesome packaging! |
Warning: This is a picture heavy post! I think the pictures will do this more justice than my rambling.
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| Three goodies: the business card holder, the eyeglasses case, and the leather notebook cover. |
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| The backsides. |
See the funding campaign here!
Leather Notebook Cover - "Tawny" Veg-Tan
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| Left: new notebook cover. Right: Used notebook cover! |
This leather notebook cover is 3.5" x 5.5", and comes with a 3.5" x 5.5" notebook of assorted brands - it may be a Field Notes, Writer's Blok, Moleskine, etc.
My notebook cover arrived in perfect shape. It's a very simple design - no fancy doomahickies attached to it or anything. If you recall my complaints with the
Pelle leather journal, it was that it did not arrived polished. Chris's leather cover looked awesome. It's a nice soft cover - it holds its form but isn't stiff. You can bend it easily. It's just right for an on-the-go leather cover. The band was perfectly snug and the cover was perfectly aligned. Nothing needed adjusting. And it smelled of delicious leather - no weird chemical smells like the
Midori Traveler's Notebook (which, granted, does fade).
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| A classy stamp. |
The cover comfortably fits one notebook, but can handle two, if they are thinner notebooks. In the case of a
thick Moleskine, only one fits. If you want more space, you'll have to let Chris know in your order. Personally, I wanted this to use in my purse, where I always keep a
Field Notes memo book, so one is just right for me.
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| A simple design. |
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| Yes. ALL these refills fit! |
The back of the leather cover is stamped with Chris's logo. And again, unlike the
Pelle whose stamp was barely visible because it was poorly stamped, this logo is well done.
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| Seriously, don't you want one now? |
Bonus: If you need new bands for your cover, Chris will ship them to you free of charge. Classy!
The plastic-type elastic is really good. It's super snug and holds everything in place really well. I'm not too excited about the black plastic. I think it would have been nice if it was a different colored elastic - purely for vanity reasons. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the black - I just like colors and contrast.
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| Note how much simpler the elastic is attached to the journal. |
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| Good and snug. |
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| And with a Pelle replacement elastic too. |
The only thing I noticed was in a few spots on the inside cover, I could see the market that was used to outline the shape of the cover for cutting. I kind of rubbed it with my thumb to 'scuff' it up and it eventually went away. It was dark blue and almost not noticeable at all. I only mention it because I want to offer a thorough review. This does not affect the performance nor awesomeness of this cover. I am still totally floored by it! ESPECIALLY for the wicked price.
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| If you look closely around the edges, you can see some blue marker. It scuffs off, so you needn't worry. It's just something you might notice. |
Want to see what it looks like hanging out with a Pelle and a Midori Traveler's Notebook? Of course you do.
What's the difference between them? A simpler elastic band attachment method, and unfinished edges. This particular leather cover is designed for one refill, though I was able to squish two in (using the same elastic).
Price
Notebook Cover - $15.00 + $3.00 shipping and if you consider the fact that Chris includes a notebook with your cover, it becomes an even better deal.
You can also
contact Chris directly if you want something custom made - for a particular notebook perhaps!
If you are at all interested in this beautiful work,
see the funding campaign here and consider offering your support!
Contact & Connect With Davis Leatherworks
Browse the awesome website!
Facebook
Twitter
Etsy
Tumblr
Email
Peek at Another (Awesome) Review!
Comfortable Shoes Studio
Overall
I very much think you should go to
Chris's shop and check out the goods he has made. I am totally
blown away by the quality of all three of these products - the business card holder (review to come soon!), the eyeglasses case (review to come soon!), and especially the leather notebook cover. They all look and feel so professional, especially with the amazing hand-stitching work. All these products radiate quality! And if you're in the market for a Pelle or a Midori Traveler's Notebook, I can honestly say - the Davis Leatherworks notebook cover gives both of these a run for their money, and may even beat out the Pelle, if I had to pick between the two.
As Less mentioned in
her review, Chris does include a Bible quote with his products. However, it was not intrusive, and I did not feel uncomfortable with it. Plus, he's been an absolute pleasure to communicate with. If you are non-religious, or against religious speech, please don't let this deter you.
Full Disclosure: I was sent this sample to try out and review, but this did not influence my opinion whatsoever. I'd still be full of wonderful things to say!
Posts
14 comments:
He is an awesome craftsman. Great stuff!
Great review, I just ordered a notebook cover from Chris last night and this has me more excited.
Is that a soft cover Moleskine pocket notebook in the refill picture? Those are quite a bit thicker than the Field Notes size but it would be awesome if the cover were big enough to fit it.
I'm tempted to email Chris and see what he'd charge for a Midori sized cover. I'm guessing it would be cheaper than the Pelle.
Thank you! Oh I think you will not be disappointed with your cover! I imagine it would be cheaper than the Pelle too - that size is $45 I believe. He does better work than they do anyway hehe.
The soft cover Moleskine DOES fit. It doesn't leave as much leather overhang as it does with the Field Notes/thinner notebooks, but it covers it completely!
I said heck with it and ordered a cover for my Euro Trip.
Yaay! A Euro Trip certainly deserves a great leather journal.
very nice review! I really like this cover because it is very plain, without added "stuff". Personally, I do not care for the extra, decorative accents on the Midori and Pelle. you did a nice job of showing off this product, and the comparisons were very helpful. thanks again, and keep up the good work!
Thanks for hat-tip about this a couple of posts ago...just received mine in the post and LOVE IT!
Also, in the picture with all the different refills, what are the two green ones? I recognize the Doane, Jetpens, Field Notes, and Moleskine. Is that a Banditapple? What's the one with the rectangle outline?
Thank you! I'm so happy you liked it :) I agree though - the plain, simple, elegant design is what caught my eye the most. I don't care for all the added customizations of the others.
Awesome! You're the third person I've heard of that is pleased with Chris's work!
The little green book with the rectangle is a Writer's Blok - I've never seen them in this size anywhere so where Chris acquired it is a mystery to me! The other green is indeed a Pee Wee Banditapple :)
Hi Azizah, I just ran across this article again and again became quite smitten. So i bought it snd cant wait. i will do a written and vid review. i would love to be able to compre this to the other 2 popular kinds of leather covers but alas i only have this one thats coming. i also just received my TWSBI Diamond 540 in amber. It was the last one at Goulet pen. Definately see all these in my future. Have a wonderful holiday with kevin, your family, and your fabulous furlines. I love your furry kids.........-Heynewgirl
Hey Katherine!! I think you'll really like it :D It's a great alternative to the Midori or Pelle, seriously. It totally holds its own. Can't wait to see which color you got :D AND a TWSBI!! So awesome! I'm a huge fan of that too :D Please share your post/video when you're done. I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions of the cover :)
Happy holidays to you and yours :)
Hi - Thanks for your review. I discovered your site a couple of months ago...I really appreciate it. I would like to order one of these but I need to put three books in it. I know this will be a custom order, but I wanted to ask: What is the system for getting multiple books in the cover? I know Modori has a rubberband type thing to connect the books...is that how Chris does it? I you know, please let me know! Thanks. Mike
This particular cover is only designed for one notebook. I tried fitting two in and it just barely fit (I fit them in by putting both in through the same elastic. You can let Chris know you want to use it for more than one notebook - I suspect he cuts the leather a little larger. As for how they fit in there, I don't know what system he uses for multiple notebook but there's a link to his direct contact in the review. He's a really nice guy; drop him a line! I'm sure he'd be willing to chat with you about it :)
Hi
FYI - I found out that Chris is using a rubber band system similar to that used by Midori. He only charges $3 for it...currently they are sold out. This will allow someone to include three notebooks in the cover.
Mike
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