Anyway, I thought I would compare the two if they were to partake in a football (or soccer if you are from the US) match. There is some seriousness to this post too, as it is essentially one where I compare the good and bad features of each. So, without further ado... let the two binders enter the stadium :)
On my right, we have KS, a team adorning a lovely pillar-box red kit.
And on my left, is the Smythson team.
Oh and there we have it, the first goal has been scored! And KS nutmegs the Smythson defence and slots one into the bottom left corner. The Smythson keeper lies on the ground, defeated and wondering how the ball got past her:
Here, she (yes, it's a women's football match!) reveals a flash of a light pink top under her jersey, with a small number of pockets for stamps, notes and other loose things! She's also got a hidden weapon in the form of a gold mechanical pencil which must have been supplied by her sponsor (read: it came with the binder and is a Smythson pencil).
Oh and she's up on her feet again as the game is restarted. That's an equaliser by Smythson! And as if the KS keeper isn't to be outdone, she also reveals a flash of colour under her red jersey.
The KS keeper lies on the floor in an attempt to get her breath back. She reveals numerous pockets and card slots. She clearly has a whimsical side with her polka-dot fabric lining and beige leather contrast. The score is locked at one-all, but what's this? A penalty to Smythson? It must have been the light pink interior that did it... and that's 2-1. The match is looking like a goal-fest already.
Just like Smythson, she has gold rings but they are more shiny in nature. Maybe she knew they'd be on show so she polished them? Who knows. Her rings are also bigger (30mm) compared to Smythson's (23mm) and oh my, a lovely volley by the KS forward makes it 2-2.
Onwards to a paper comparison! Another blow to KS as the Smythson team reveal cornflower blue headbands that they have sported for today. The paper is lightweight and of a high quality. Ink is absorbed immediately and it's as if she'd never heard of the word 'bleed' and phrase 'show-through'. At least you know that there will rarely be any injury time-outs from the Smythson side if you were ever to play them!
KS, however, has decided to go with standard white headbands; after all, white goes with everything. They are very thick and again, no show-through but there is bleeding with certain types of ink.
Oh my, it's not been a defender's day, that's 3-2 to Smythson. Cornflower blue trumps white anyday it seems. That looks like the final play of the game as the referee blows for full time! Final score, 3-2 to Smythson but it has been an entertaining match!
Maybe I am being a tad biased as I am currently in the Smythson binder but both are beautiful binders. The main match ups were:
Ring sizes of 23mm vs 30mm; both have gold coloured rings; more card slots vs more secretarial pockets; and cornflower blue inserts vs white coloured inserts. The paper in both is good though the KS paper is slightly thicker - but the 30mm rings make up for that as the binder can hold more. Overall, I love both and probably will never part with either :)
I am sure that on another day, KS might well sneak a win.
