More excellent leather goods to show and tell! A couple months ago, The British Belt Company reached out and requested that I review one of their leather notebook covers. Not having purchased from this company before, and always looking for new manufacturers and retailers entering the stationery space, I of course agreed.
I opted for the pebbled burgundy leather option. At least nine different color options are available.
Immediately upon handing this notebook cover, I knew that it would be a hit. The cover is made from thick, full grain leather, with nicely finished edges and a suede interior. It feels great in the hand, and smells even better. (Yes, I smell all my leather.) The British Belt Company was kind enough to emboss my initials in the lower right-hand corner of the cover, which I always do if I have the option.
This notebook did ship with a lined, A5 refill, but it’s not the most fountain-pen friendly paper and devoted fountain pen users will probably want to swap in something else. A Seven Seas Writer from Nanami Paper fits perfectly, and I suspect that another A5 notebook like the Taroko Design Enigma or the Hobonichi Techo Cousin would also work.
My A5 Nanami Seven Seas Writer snug in its new home.
A comparison shot of three leather notebook covers that find their way into my daily rotation: The British Belt Company A5 (bottom), a custom One Star Leather Baron Fig Confidant Cover (middle), and the Gfeller English Kip leather cover for my Nanami Paper Cafe Note B6 (top).
Takeaways and Where to Buy
Based on what I’ve seen so far, The British Belt Company makes high quality leather goods, and I can add this notebook cover to my list of recommendations, alongside One Star Leather and other quality makers. You can purchase this product, along with a wide range of leather belts, bags, and other accessories, directly from The British Belt Company via their website or via their Etsy shop (which has slightly lower prices). The Italian Leather Notebook Cover, plus refill, is currently priced between $80-90, which is about standard for a leather notebook cover of this size and quality. I’ve also decided to include this product in the TGS 2018 Holiday Gift Guide. Be sure to check it out, especially since many of the retailers featured in the guide will be running Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales in the coming days!
Disclaimer: The British Belt Company sent me the notebook cover featured in this review at no charge, for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.