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Friday, October 12, 2012

Quo Vadis ABP1 day per page planner

Here is the day per page planner I will use for 2013:

I'm so sure, I even cancelled the poll asking which DPP planner I should use for 2013. The choices were between this one, my large Moleskine Star Wars day per page, or the Undercover UK day per page.  The Quo Vadis ABP1 is the clear winner, and I'll show you why.

The ABP1 is an A5 size (5 1/4 by 8 1/4 inches) day per page planner/ diary. Like all Quo Vadis products, it has the spectacularly smooth paper I love (in white, which I really really love). And it just keeps getting better. 

It came with the removable Quo Vadis bookmark/ elastic strap, which is now black and looks great. I like it much better than the brown and tan strap on the other QV bookmark I have

I ordered the Soho cover, which is a soft leather-like cover. It looks super-classy, and feels soft and is nice to hold. I'm very tactile, so a soft-feeling cover is very important to me.

The format is awesome: a timed column at the left that has a line for every half hour from 7 am to 10:30 pm, with two lines above 7am for early mornings. To the right is a large Notes area. At the bottom of the page is a section for phone calls and emails, and reference calendars.

I wasn't sure when I looked at the website if holidays were printed on the day spaces, so I was very happy to discover that all major holidays for the US, UK and Canada are printed on the day spaces as well as major religious holidays, solstices, equinoxes, and phases of the moon. I'm extremely happy about this!
I was also extremely happy to discover there is an anno-planner for all of 2013 at the front of the book, and another one for all of 2014 at the back of the book.  Fantastic!!
There are also reference calendars for all of 2013 and 2014.
There is a detailed and very useful time zones map, and maps of Canada and the US.
Address pages are bound-in, which I will definitely use for contacts, sticking in business cards, long-term notes and reference info.
Here is a view of what the two-page spread looks like. And look!  It stays open flat all by itself!!  Wonderful!!!

The ABP1 has the same page size as the large Moleskine day per page planner, but for me the ABP1 has several advantages over the Moleskine. All the features noted above: smooth white paper, soft-touch cover, holidays printed on the day spaces.  But there are a couple other things that really tipped this for me.

One is that the ABP1 has a refillable cover, which creates these pockets inside the front and back covers.  The Moleskine has a back pocket, but it's a full-width one so anything I put in there disappears. With these, any papers I put in the pockets are still visible, so I don't forget about them.

But the real deciding point was the weight. The ABP1 is noticeably slimmer and definitely lighter than the hard cover large Moleskine daily.
ABP1 at left, Large Moleskine daily at right

Moleskine on top, ABP1 on bottom
I chose the ABP1 over the Undercover UK one because they are about the same weight, but the ABP1 has a larger page size (not to mention the smooth white paper I love so much).

End of dilemma.  I get the full A5 size page in a lighter book with a soft cover, smooth white paper, holidays printed on the days, and front and back pockets. Not to mention I love the daily format.

Now the hard part will be waiting until January 1 to use this planner!  Does anyone know where I can get a 2012 ABP1???

As far as I know, the ABP1 is sold only in the US and Canada. I ordered mine from Alkos, click here for their product page.

You won't find this planner on the Quo Vadis website. I think it's endangered. It was discontinued for 2010 and brought back due to popular demand. In my opinion, this is the best day per page planner that Quo Vadis makes. I hope it's around for many years to come. I'll be asking my mom to bring one with her every year when she comes to visit!!

**Edited to add: reader Elsa very generously sent me her 2012 ABP1 that she didn't use this year, so I can start using this excellent size and format right away!  I am SO happy to have found this planner and am excited to use it right now!  As a trade for her ABP1 I sent her the 2013 ABP2 that I won't be using (because I'll be using the 2013 ABP1 instead).

So now I'm on a campaign begging Quo Vadis not to discontinue the ABP1! I love that it has this large page size and super smooth paper in such a lightweight book. It's a winner!!

**Update: This planner is hard to find, but you CAN get the 2014 ABP1 at Classic Office Products for US and international shipping, click here for the ordering page. If you are in Canada you can order the ABP1 from Quo Vadis Canada.  (Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Quo Vadis or Classic Office Products)

16 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Squeee indeed!! I am so excited about this planner! It's awesome.

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  2. Congrats! They sell these in France as well as the textagenda in 13 x 21 size. I've tried them and they didn't always stay open. Will you still use a weekly planner with this? This is probably all you need.

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    1. Yes I will use it with a weekly planner like I'm doing this year: weekly for planning ahead, daily for planning and recording today. This system has been working really well for me.

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  3. At last...you have found your planning nirvana..well done

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    1. Thank you!! I really love this day per page planner, and with it and my weekly Plannerisms planner I think I'll finally have reached Planner Nirvana! Hooray!!

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  4. @laurie - which will be your weekly planner? :-)

    Btw, i really thought it would be either the Undercover or the Notor

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    1. My weekly planner will be my Plannerisms planner, of course! ;) It will be out next month.

      And, I expected to use one of those too because I thought any A5 size daily would be too heavy. But this one is significantly lighter so it's no problem to carry everywhere.

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  5. Laurie-

    The ABP1 looks like an EXCELLENT choice. I love the look of the cover. Heading over to check these out now, as I am still seeking a good planner to use for Work 2013. Thanks for the terrific pictures and contrast between this and the Moleskin. Very helpful!

    Karyn

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  6. I love it!
    I think the ABP1 would make an excellent journal!
    I'm going to shop for one now. :)

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  7. Hey,

    Great review. I found it very helpful in deciding which planner I should pick up.

    Just to let you know and especially inform Canadians looking to purchase it, you can find and order the APB1 on the Canadian Quo Vadis website here: http://www.quovadiscanada.com/en/product/abp1/215

    I found it after filtering by Daily Grids.

    I'm just some dude by the way, I have no affiliation to Quo Vadis.

    Best.

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  8. I just received my ABP-1 yesterday and I am in love! I have purchased many planners over the years (from Staples and such stores) and never knew what I was missing... The cover and the paper are so wonderful, it just begs to be used and loved. Thanks so much for reviewing this planner. I think this with the new Plannerisms planner (which I am eagerly waiting to receive) are the perfect combination for daily record-keeping and goal tracking for the new year. THANKS for all you do! :)

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    1. Thanks panda! I think the Plannerisms/ ABP1 combo will be excellent! Let me know how you like the Plannerisms planner when you receive it! :)

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