Montana West Genuine Leather Journal Notebook for Women and Men Vintage Refillable Journals for Writing Handheld 6 Ring Binder Travel Journal Diary with Slide Open Pocket,2 Card Holders and 2 Pen

It took a minute, but this journal grew on me. At first I thought they sent me the wrong color, and it could still be the case, since it didn't quite look like the picture. But the leather feels like good quality leather, the paper is nice, and the binding feels like it will last. I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of this journal, and my favorite part is that it was made in the USA!

This is a well-made binder. The cover is soft and flexible. It just feels nice.

Love the cowhide and leather. It’s beautiful and the pages are nice.

Gf loved it

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This journal is well bound and the leather is good quality. The band to hold it together is both a cute detail as well as a function.

Not only does it look good, but this soft, supple, well-grained leather journal even feels good just to hold in your hands. The smell of tanned leather wafts up to please your sense of smell as well. It's a very satisfying product from a sensory experience perspective, which makes using it a delight.Inside the front cover, there are several pockets, but they are not gusseted, so you are limited to thin items like credit cards, business cards, or loose sheets of paper. There are also two loops which serve as pen holders, but they are not quite big enough to get my nicer, thicker, heavier pens in. They work fine for disposable plastic pens. The leather strap that wraps around to keep it closed is quick and easy to use and looks rustic and attractive.The binder is a 6-ring journal style binder finished in antiqued bronze, which is a really thoughtful touch. The supplied paper is thick and nice, and it takes ink well without bleeding through. It has an "artisan paper" feel to it, slightly rustic, matching the overall character of the whole product.They supply a lot of pages, enough to fill the ring to its useful capacity. I took some out for later use just to make it a little easier to flip pages quickly. I wish they had supplied a pair of thin wood covers for the front and back of the paper, however. Writing on the front side of the first page with the whole stack of paper behind it was no problem, but when I flipped the page and wanted to write on the back side of the front page there was nothing hard behind it to write against. I cut a piece of cardboard to put between the cover and the paper to have a writing surface. Once you're 25 or 30 pages in this won't be a problem any more, but I think the addition of front and back stiff " writing surface pages" would be a nice addition to the product.

The first thing that hits you when you open up the package is the wonderful leather aroma. If you are a person who sticks your nose inside a pair of leather shoes and inhales deeply, you will love this journal. Other journals say they are leather-bound, but it's just not the same as this. To have the look, feel, and smell of the leather all in one package is unique. I got this for a teenage grandchild, because I want to encourage them to write. This is a "unisex" journal that anyone would be excited to be gifted. The pen loops are different sizes, but that's on purpose because pens are different. The pockets in the inside front cover are thoughtful. The paper is quite substantial. I wrote a note to my grandchild on the first page, and my gel ink did not smear and did not bleed through. The binder mechanism works well. Because the journal came with more than enough paper, it's difficult to turn the pages, but you can easily take some of the paper out. I am going to order some lined paper in the A5 size in case my grandchild would prefer that. One little annoyance is the Montana West logo on each and every page. Was that really necessary? Scuffing on the leather is to be expected and will only develop into a patina over time.