the con is only a con for the same reason i gave it 4 stars instead of 5: i'm used to a top and bottom open/close locking tab; this only has one and it doesn't lock. the great thing is that i filled this binder up to the point just past max. capacity and i'm not exactly careful with it (i throw it under the seat in my car a few times a week & it gets kicked around) and it still works well the covers aren't all bent up and the papers i have inside still look like new. the next binder i get will be the same kind...just a bigger size!