The InPlace System Organization Kit and Post It Note Wallet from Peter Walsh

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros

• sturdy materials
• document sleeves actually hold items, even small ones, well
• slightly see through materials
• erasable materials, hence reusable
• designed to mix and match, to suit the user’s needs

Cons

• items in kit don’t work together well
• document wallet uses bad closure, it falls out or cannot be used if full
• clip tabs are bulky and fall off frequently, as well as don’t work with document wallet
• a little expensive
• erasable pen doesn’t write well
• post-it notes in wallet fall out (of wallet, not once attached by themselves)

Included in the [In]Place System Organization Kit:

•    1 Erasable marker
•    5 Clip Tabs
•    Document Wallet
•    3 Poly File Folders
•    3×3 White Post-it Super Sticky notes – 50 sheets
•    1 Poly Document Envelope
•    3 Poly Document Sleeves

Review

I was curious from the start, I mean it’s Peter Walsh.  I looked at it when I was in the store.  Have I mentioned how cheap I can be?  I could not bring myself to buy it.  I was not sure if I thought it was that exceptional.  The NAPO list serv had had mixed thoughts on it, which also gave me pause.  Then I was happy I hadn’t spent money on it since at the national conference, we were all given the organization kit and the post-it wallet.

From the moment I opened the kit and pulled everything out, it seemed like an odd combination of items.  They don’t work together the best although the kit does give you a variety of items to see what is available.   The entire line is intended to be mixed and matched to suit the user’s needs.  This is one of the strongest pros since we all have different needs and styles and I could never promote anything that tries to put people into a box – with a one size fits all approach!

I was impressed with the document sleeves, which just means that they have 1 ¾ openings and have a slight pocket like purpose.  The description actually says they have a 3 sided closure, this is not completely accurate, yet describes how it functions.  I was surprised at how open that 3rd side was, and unsure how well it would keep small papers from falling out.  It did fabulously!  I never lost a little note when I put it in there and this is no small feat when you think about how easily small papers fall out of file folders.

These hold onto all sizes of paper amazingly well.

The clip tabs look neat, but their size gets in the way.  They are meant to be used with both the hanging folders (which I haven’t used) and the file folders.  When using them on the file folders, either as a way to hold the papers together or as a top label, the clips fell off frequently.  It seemed like the slightest jostling and they’d pop off.  They also do not fit on the file folders if you want to put those file folders into the document sleeve to carry them somewhere.

Neat idea to have erasable tabs, yet they're bulky and won't stay on.

I’ve used the pen only to mark the clip tabs, and I needed to go over my words at least twice to make the ink dark enough to read.  I’ve not found any problems with erasing, and here is where the idea’s strong – the ease of relabeling something.

I like the idea of the document wallet, which is bigger than what I’d picture with the name wallet.  It is a nice sized container to hold file folders, document sleeves, and document envelope. It’s easy to carry around, so not too big or too small.  My only problem with it is the closure – it’s an elastic string with a ball that slips into a hole at the bottom of the wallet.  If you have filled the wallet, the ball won’t fit into the hole, and it has a tendency to slip out if you haven’t wedged it in well.

I have mixed feelings about the document wallet.

The file folders are sturdy.  Since they are made out of the poly material, they feel solid and they’re not going to get bent or crumpled.  They are slightly see-through so you can see what’s inside.  Since they are poly, the number of papers you can keep inside is limited, as you can’t resize them like typical file folders though I find this less important.  (We can all use some reminders to not overstuff our files!)

The document envelope is fine.  I’ve got some decorated ones from Divoga that I think I prefer since they are larger.  Peter Walsh’s document envelopes are paper sized, so if you have any papers that are a little larger, they won’t fit (unlike the Divoga ones).  Also, you are limited to how many papers you can fit inside.  Since it is the same size as the rest of his products, these envelopes fit inside the document wallet (and any other of his products).

Finally, the post-it notes are the super sticky ones and come in a neat closing case.  The problem arises that the post-its apparently don’t like sticking to themselves very well.  Every one of the 5 pads (each a different color) have fallen out of the wallet, though leaving a single post-it hanging on to mark where they’re supposed to go!  They do seem to attach to the poly material well, as none of those have fallen off.  This leaves the wallet as a useless piece of poly that can serve no other function.

I like the colors, yet they won't stay in their nifty packaging!

Although there are certainly aspects that I didn’t like, overall I find the products to be interesting and useful.  I’m not convinced they are worth the price considering some of the problems.

Have you tried or do you use any of the Peter Walsh [In]Place products?  Let me know what you think of them.

Note: All my reviews are done without consideration for the company (sorry!) – as unbiased as possible! I don’t receive anything from any of them and most don’t know I’m even reviewing their products.