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- Gfeller Cafe Note A6 Cover - English Kip
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- Cafe Note A6
- Gfeller Cafe Note A6 Cover - English Kip
Gfeller Cafe Note A6 Cover - English Kip
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PLEASE READ THESE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
#1: This listing is for the cover only. The notebook is not included!
#2: These are made from un-dyed, "naked" leather, with nothing covered up - so they will have some natural range marks, scars and other blemishes. In other words, they are not processed to make them appear "perfect", like something you would get in a department store. That said, these are very high quality skins, probably better than most leathers you will find even in high-end designer products.
#3: Please see the pictures for examples of some, but not all imperfections
Sometimes you search high and low for that perfect cover for your notebook. Other times you need a notebook to match the great cover you already have. I may be biased, but I think this combination of Gfeller + Cafe Note is as good as it gets.
Gfeller of Meridian, Idaho custom fitted this cover for the Hobonichi Planner annual edition. And wow, what a great cover it is. The skins are sourced from a small tannery in the United Kingdom, and as you may know, some of the best leather in the world comes from the UK - think Swain Adeney cases, Crockett & Jones shoes, and a long history of saddles, bags and other riding gear. If the Lord and Lady Grantham and their daughters Mary and Edith had Hobonichi Planners, surely they would have been protected by this cover while they strolled around the grounds of Downton Abbey.
If you're not familiar with Gfeller, they have been around since the 1940s (please check out this article for more history) and specialize in leather goods for geoscientists - field bags, tool holders, pouches, and various other items. They also do a lot of custom leather work, and one of their specialties is notebook covers. I found Gfeller a few years back when I was looking for a belt. I wanted something very high quality and simple - really just a strip of leather with holes and a buckle. Gfeller's site came up, and the price was no more than, say, what you would pay for Filson or Ralph Lauren, and I'm always one to support the smaller outfits - the craftsmen - where possible. So I took a chance, figuring that I'd at least get something decent - well, it was more than decent; in fact, that belt turned out to be so much better than anything I could get anywhere else. Yes, it is just a strip of leather, but it is the best leather strip you are likely to find, belt-wise...and the finish..... oh the finish - it has this up-close sheen and sparkle that makes me pause to look at it every time before I put it on. And it is so tough my descendants will be fighting over it.
But I digress. My point is that Gfeller makes great stuff. Also keep in mind that these are hand-crafted items - they will have small imperfections inherent to leather and leather work. And, with naked leather, it is both impossible and economically impractical to reject anything with a stitch that slightly off a straight line or has a small scar or stretch mark. Well, maybe Hermes could try to make it almost perfect, but they would charge $1,000; And partly for this reason, Louis Vuitton does not use leather at all (although I really do like their stuff).
Anyway, even though it is obvious that Gfeller just wants their covers to be simple, functional, and well-made, which they are, they fail at being nondescript, because anyone that knows really good stuff will recognize this as a rare find. It is sure to invite admiring or even envious stares, especially after it develops a patina with age.
On to the finer points... it is made specifically for the A6 Hobonichi Planner (annual edition), but will fit any notebook up to 15mm thick with a cover trimmed to 148x105mm. For example, it will fit the A6-size Life, Apica and Midori notebooks because those are all less than 15mm thick, trimmed to 148x105mm, and their actual cover material is less than 1mm thick.
Note that it has the signature Gfeller inner flaps which help to eliminate the "writing bump" towards the beginning and ending pages in a notebook.
CARE: A light coating of neatsfoot, mink or other high-quality leather care oil a couple of times a year is sufficient. Please no more than that!
There is so much more that I want to say, but you may never make it down to the pictures!
Product Reviews
Showing reviews 1-10 of 15 | Next
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Hands down best cover
Posted by Lorna on 20th Apr 2023
Pricey but completely worth it. It’s high-quality and very well made. Fits my notebook perfectly with no bump. I already have one for my Hobonichi Techno. Excellent customer service and fast shipping
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Do it!
Posted by Lorna on 24th Nov 2021
It’s really beautiful and smartly designed. Perfect for my Hobonichi Techno. Very well made. I am very picky, and this exceeded my expectations. Unbelievable service - it shipped really quickly with appropriate packaging. Expensive but you get what you pay for!
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Excellent cover!
Posted by Chad on 30th Sep 2021
I got this cover for my hobonichi techo planner. It fits just right. The leather is not as thick as I thought it would be, but I think it's just right now that I've been using it.
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Beautiful and practical
Posted by Miriam Jones on 10th Sep 2018
I debated over spending the money, but am so glad that I decided to do so. I love this cover. It is solid and well-made, unassuming yet luxurious to the touch. In other words, it is just like the notebook it covers. I could not recommend it more highly.
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Gorgeous, supple cover.
Posted by Meredith on 2nd Jul 2018
I’m using this with an Apica CD Premium A6 notebook and I couldn’t be more pleased. This is the second Gfeller cover I’ve purchased and it won’t be the last — handling them is a tactile pleasure. I don’t know any other make of leather cover that compares.
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Exceeded my expectations!
Posted by sam on 18th May 2018
Ok, so I never write reviews, but I had to for this Gfeller cover. I honestly got the cover on a whim. I wasn’t expecting to like it that much. I just thought that I would put it on a notebook that I don’t use often. The tan color is not my style so I had been buying the Herz leather covers for my A5 and B6 notebooks. But then I got this in the mail! What a beauty! The leather is so smooth, it’s just a joy to hold! The construction is superb. After getting this cover and holding it my hands I quickly made it my main/everyday cover (I keep an A6 bullet journal). I even like ‘imperfections’ it came with, they add character and make it unique. I’ve only had it for about two weeks and I can already tell that the leather is darkening, and it’s beautiful. I actually ordered another one in A5 size for my journal. Oh, did I mention it’s smooth and a joy to hold? I’m very pleased with my purchase.
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Great cover
Posted by Kyle on 6th May 2018
I love this this little guy. Thin and supple, it doesn't add much to the bulk of the notebook which can still fit in my back pocket.
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Beautiful in its simplicity
Posted by Jan Turner on 21st Mar 2018
The leather is gorgeous, feels so smooth, and smells divine. The cover is beautiful in its simplicity. It fits the A6 Cafe Note like a leather glove. I keep petting it because I look forward to its patina. I will add a pen loop.
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Well worth the wait in Customs - and the Customs duty!!
Posted by Marilyn Appleby on 5th Mar 2018
This was just as I imagined from the description. The colour at the moment is a cream tan and I look forward to the patina developing over time.Just arrived today and I can't stop stroking it - I know, I'm seriously sad! The cafe notebook fits beautifully and I've put a Papelote pen holder on it. Don't know if they're available in US (I'm in UK) https://www.bureaudirect.co.uk/papelote-notebook-strap-a6 is UK supplier who ship abroad. I'm a very happy puppy!
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A wonderful cover
Posted by Andrew on 23rd Feb 2018
I use this with the café A6 notebook. It is a great cover for an excellent notebook. I write a lot and enjoy it. Since I write so much, wonderful implements for writing make my day brighter. This includes very good pens and inks, and in recent years Nanami notebooks and the fine (visually and tactilely) leather covers that I have found on the name site.
Showing reviews 1-10 of 15 | Next