Van Der Spek undyed binder – 11 months

Here is my undyed after 11 months of use. With it is the comparison piece of leather Petra sent me (which is kept in a dark cool drawer away from heat, fingers and light when I am not using it for photographs) and the pen holder which I have been using for the same length of time.

As you can see, the binder is a gorgeous light caramel colour with a fantastic patina. Marks and scuffs are blending in nicely. It is quite a lot darker than the untouched piece of leather and is also much darker than the pen case.

The pen case is at the dirty and scuffed stage now and does not have any patina. The difference in colour and patina despite the fact that I have been using them for the same length of time is because I handle my binder more than I do the pen case, which spends most of its time in the darkness of my bag. Because I use my planner as my wallet as well as a planner, it gets way more use than it would have if it had just been a planner.

I have never treated the binder with anything – no cleaner, no oil, no conditioning or moisturing products. Nothing. I don’t ever treat leather. Instead I rely on the oils from my hands to keep it soft, supple and moisturised. You can see from this binder how well it works.

If I get to 12 months in this binder, it will be the longest I have remained in a binder, ever. I have no wish to move out of it which is unprecedented. I also get more compliments on this binder than I ever have about any other one – ever.