Metal tin containing the Levenger Metallic Clippies. Like binder clips, but Levenger-ized.
Recently Steve Leveen, the CEO of Levenger sent out an email that had a link to my review of the Levenger Junior Size Circa Bomber Jacket Notebook – 2009 Planner, so I thought it would be nice to review another Levenger product since there might be some new readers here who are likely fans of Levenger products. Levenger Clippies are basically a Levenger product that attempts to improve upon the basic binder clip, which as we saw recently there have been some improvements to.
The Levenger Metallic Clippies, proudly displayed by Woody.
The Levenger Clippies come in a nice metal tin, which has:
- 12 Large Clippies measuring 3/4W x 3/8D (each binds up to 50 sheets)
- 24 Small Clippies measuring 1/2W x 3/8D (each binds up to 30 sheets)
Open and closed views of both sizes of the Levenger Metallic Clippies.
The photo above shows the Levenger Metallic Clippies in both their open (top of photo) and closed (bottom of photo) states. When they are opened, the small springy tongs (for lack of better word) protrude from inside of the body of the clip. The protrusion acts as the guide that you slide over the stack of papers that you wish to clip together. Once the protruded part is placed over the papers, you simply push the body of the clip down over the protrusion, and this clamps down on your now fastened stack of papers. Its a really smooth and easy to perform action, but it amazes me how much seems to be going on mechanically inside these tiny peices of metal.
The Levenger Metallic Clippie on the paper, ready to be closed.
The Clippies are great in the sense that they function as effortlessly and easily as a standard binder clip, but they dont have the added size and thickness that is created by the little metal arms that you use to pry open the mouth with. The elimination of those arms creates a much more streamlined tool. The compact size and design of these is similar to the Uniball Paper Clipper that I reviewd a while ago. Although the Levenger and the Uniball clips look similar and have some of the same benefits when it comes to small size and low profile, the Levenger Clippies win out because they dont require an extra hand held tool to actually secure the clips to the stack of papers you want to secure.
A side view of one of the Levenger Clippies securly holding a stack of paper.
As with just about every other Levenger product I have tried, these Levenger Clippies are well designed to preform a very specific task and they look great while doing it. There are probably some pros and cons to the Levenger Clippies when compared to standard binder clips that could be debated, however I think the specifics of the task at hand when using either tool would be a factor in that arguement. If you are looking for a good looking, simple to use device that is small and streamlined for clipping your stacks of paper together, you certainly cant go wrong with the Levenger Clippies.
Those are nice looking. I love metal clips for keeping paper together, classic and cool. Nr
To quote the infamous Alton Brown : “uni-tasker!”
Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this! I’d been wondering what to get with my Levenger gift card–these will certainly be in the running now! 🙂
http://www.diyplanner.com/node/6457
Ygor on DIY planner did a comparison of the levenger clips to some no-name plastic ones and some other metal ones.
personally I’ll take the non-branded ones.
Also, they are so not uni-taskers!
PatrickNG of Vox and moleskine fame made a Mind.depositor:
http://moleskine.vox.com/library/post/minddepositor-by-scription.html
that uses the clips to hold a semi-large stack of index cards in a case. I like the idea, especially for bindings or temporary bindings.
I first heard about these things from this blog post:
http://moleskine.vox.com/library/post/minddepositor-by-scription.html
Currently living in Japan and spotted an off-brand (Ohto Slide Clipper) of the same thing in Loft. I’ve been using them for almost 4 months and I’ve found they’re quite convenient. I bought the small clips, but now I’m wishing I’d got the large size. Sometimes they’re too small and I end up tearing up the corners of the paper when I try to pull it apart. But they do serve their purpose well and I always keep a couple within arms reach.
I’ve also seen versions where the main body is transparent plastic but the inner “clip” part is metal. Not sure how well they hold up, but I don’t see why they’d be much different – just a bit thicker.
Here’s a link to Ohto’s Slide Clipper page:
http://www.ohto.co.jp/english/html/product_lineup/slide_clipper.html
Just an FYI… went to levenger’s website to order these and the Order Review page said to “Call for availability.” The CSR said that these clips are on backorder until July. She also said that you can still place your order online to take advantage of the sale price and you’ll still get your 2 boxes of clippies when they come out over the summer. Also said there was a possibility they could come out earlier.
P.S. There should be OSG coupon codes for all the business you send to the companies whose products you review!
Great review. I’ve been using Levenger clippies (along with other assorted products) for years and I absolutely love them. I was actually just singing their praises to a coworker the other day. They’re sleek, simple, and just right when you have a stack of papers too thick to staple.
The clippies are usually available via Japanese or other Asian office supply sources for less than Levenger charges. Also, they come in lots of different forms at the same stores. Wonderful things.
– hrm.. is it just me? or does this remind anyone else of those slide-y clips you find on some plastic pants/trouser hangers in the store?? (i like these clips! – the little loopy hinge handles on the regular clips always get caught on something in my bottomless bookbag!)
@Spiffytomboy – I can totally see that, great comparison.
Can someone please tell me if the Clippie clips can be bought in Houston, Texas? If so, where?