Hobonichi x Steiff 2018-2020 review

After a lot of searches and saving up, I finally obtained all of my grail Hobobocni covers and wallets which is all the Hobonichi x Steiff A6 covers and wallets along with the teddy keychains that came out along with the Trinity theme. Since I have these now I want to give my complete review.

Note I did love the Steiff A6 techo even if the only difference was the bear symbol instead of the Arts and Science symbol and completely adored the Hobonichi Weeks with the fabric that they did in 2020 with the chocolate theme and 2019 with Sunday Best Teddy theme. Really wish that they would continue those even if they don't make any more wallets and covers because they looked very nice.

The teddy keychains were very difficult to get as they were a Japan only item, so I had to resort to eBay where the price is very inflated. The clasps on them are very well made and they are the same quality as small Steiff bears but even smaller! 

The covers are only in A6 size which is perfect for me as I love writing and journaling in A6. I do use A5 but for studying and keeping up my education and learning. I believe this is due to the fact that they are made of mohair which is specifically the hair of an Angora goat which is expensive. The hair is soft, has a bit of shine, and holds up well but in the end, this is a luxury fur. I have a feeling that if they did make an A5 size the cover would have been $500 USD which is taking into account that the A6 size and wallet goes for around $200. 

The sheen in the mohair is really noticeable in 2018 as well as the Cafe Au Lait cover and wallet which is very nice but also makes it difficult to get the color accurate in pictures with certain lighting. 

The Trinity cover and wallet in 2020 are unique as they used curly mohair which gives this amazing texture. All of the covers and wallets are soft but running your fingers on the Trinity cover and wallet is very nice. The rich chocolate color only makes you want to touch the cover and enjoy the curls. The Trinity cover is the only one with three book marks instead of the usual two! 

The 2018 cover is the only one out of everything that doesn't have the keychain ring but I love that they made a black mohair cover since it is the most natural fur colors and relates to the misunderstood near which is the teddy bear of Hobonichi! Hope to one day get the Misunderstood Bear teddy bear but it will be a challenge unless Hobonichi brings it back.

The covers have fewer pockets than most of the other Hobonichi covers cause they only have them on the right side instead of both sides. This is fine cause the inside is leather. The wallets have many card slots and spaces to hold cash, receipts, and other important items along with your Hobonichi weeks. The wallet is almost like a clutch that you carry in your hand while outside just without the strap. The pen holder is big enough for a pen clip so if you want to carry a pen with your weeks it is best to get a pen with a sturdy clip.

Overall I am so happy to have these and will continue using them for as long as possible cause I don't think I will buy any more covers after this. I do recommend these especially for Steiff fans and collectors cause now you can journal and write with covers that remind you of a nice cuddle teddy.

Hobonichi Covers I am Using for 2021

Hello there, Tsubaki here! Back with some more stationery that I am using daily! September 1st (Japan Time) was the day Hobonichi released the first wave of covers along with their planners and many stationery shops here also released their stock of Hobonichi covers as well. Either way it certainly has been an adventure getting these covers.

This year I didn't plan to get any covers but when I saw CANDY STRIPPER Spruced up Cat with the cute collared cats with sewn on bows I knew I had to get it. Thankfully Yoseka Stationery had enough in stock for me to be able to order the A6 size and then I order from JetPens for the A5 size.

I started using Hobonichi back in 2019 with a Steiff weeks. Later that year I made by first purchase with Hobonichi for an A6 English planner. The first A6 cover I got was the Trinity Steiff cover for 2020 which features the adventure of three little bears trying to find the perfect planner for their king! This cover is amazing because the mohair is actually curly and a delicious chocolate color. This planner also has three page holders with each of the different bears on them. 

Earlier this year (right before we went into lockdown due to COVID) I treated myself to the Cafe Au Lait Steiff cover 2019. I wanted to get it as soon as possible before Hobonichi ran out or discontinued it. This one is a blond mohair that is short but just as soft. It has two page holders with dark bears on them.

During September  I also found a good condition Hobonichi Steiff cover 2018. This is the first collab cover between Steiff and Hobonichi and it has the same shirt mohair texture of the Cafe Au Lait but it is black! In fact the King bear used in the Trinity cover's story is also a bear Steiff bear. So in a since the story went full circle in a very cute way. Turn around come mid September and I found the Hello Kitty Hobonichi covers in A6 and A5 on eBay and I grabbed those as quick as possible. 

Now, many might ask how am I using all of these, especially all at the same time. Now I will give a full breakdown on how I am using each of these now and through 2021!

The Steiff covers which are the(From left to right) Steiff 2018 black cover, Steiff 2019 Café Au Lait and Steiff 2020 Trinity are being used for my actual A6 English planner and two Hobonichi paper(s) which I tape my watercolor and small art pieces into. I switch them around time to time. 

The Spruced-Up Cat (Lilac) from Candy Stripper is being used for tracking TCGplayer orders and uses Hobonichi Day Free A6. I like to use the Day Free for this because I actually use the calendar to mark when each new booster set, special set and collector tin come out for Pokemon, Yugioh and Cardfight Vanguard.  

The Spruced-Up Cat (Candy Pink) from Candy Stripper is used is used for Latin Language study and uses a Hobonichi Day Free. I will use a Hobonichi plain notebook after this since I don't need the calendar and it is a bit cheaper to buy. I also only need the calendar once to write down the Roman calendar dates. 

Hello Kitty (Stripes) A6 is used for TCG deck editing. This has a Hobonichi plain notebook which works perfectly because it has four different color sections which I use for different types of decks! I feel like in the future I will buy even more plain notebooks for different trading card games, especially since I started editing my Cardfight Vanguard decks first. Sounds organized if I have one for Cardfight Vanguard, another for Yugioh and one more for Weiss Schwarz.

Hello Kitty (Polka Dots) A5 is used to study Spanish and uses a Hobonichi Techo Cousin 2021. I hope to just write Spanish phrases I learn daily in here and new vocabulary. 

It is quite a lot of books but only the English A6 will get super chunky with all the decorating I do. I use a mix of washi tape, stickers, instax photos and notecards which explains why it expanded as much as it did. Currently I have no plans on carrying any of my Hobonichi planners outside however I might update you all if I figure out a travel bag system with my daily planner once we are able to travel again!

Everything that I don't have in a Hobonichi is either in my Olive Regular Traveler's Notebook, my Ace Hotel Passport Traveler's Notebook or my A5 Olive Roterfaden, which I will explain my setup in a later post.

Thank you all for reading this! It means a lot <3 Let me know if you are using a Hobonichi Techo for next year in the comments! Until next time, stay hype!