These are the sturdiest binders I have found. Perfect for organizing documents I need to keep for a long time as well as for my kids to use for school. They've lasted more than one school year for my kids. Also like that Staples offers a $2 recycling discount when you turn in and old binder and purchase a new one.
There are many designs for binders and over the years I have purchased and used many of them. This particular design is clearly one of the best for the overall construction and durability. Neat color selections (I like the yellow to note special material. Blue is for legal papers etc.). Not the lowest cost but the value is in how well the rings open and close securely.
I own several of these binders in an assortment of colors. I like the black rubber edges. They contrast well with the colors. The slot for the label is great. There is no chance of them pealing off. And the labels are big enough to be seen from across the room. The single lever to open the rings has little effort to work and has a smooth action. The only demerit is that it should be available in 1/2-inch thickness.
I use the folder to hold music manuscripts. Using this lets me turn the pages easily. This is particularly useful for duets. I cannot afford to have pauses in the performance which can happen when you are turning pages at the end of a page. I make copies of the original manuscript and slide them into the sleeves. This is great because it means I don't have to mark up my originals. I like how well the folder closes and a little thing the spine labels that let me identify the music. Downside I can't get the binder to accept 250 sheets without spilling them all over the place
Working at a high school every day I witness the durability of the binders students use and abuse. The Staples binders hold up extremely well under "combat conditions" at intercity schools. Users would have to go out of their way to purposely damage this one. This is a binder that should easily last students throughout the entire four years they spend using it. My personal 1.5" binder has been with me every school day for almost two years and still looks as good as new. I purchased a 1" binder and presented it to a hard-working student as an incentive for others to perform better in school.
This notebook appears to be the perfect fit for the project that I had in mind. The notebook itself is not overly heavy and appears to be very well built. I needed something that could withstand everyday use and abuse and still keep all my documents in a safe manner. This notebook is doing just that so far. As I need another and I will in the near future I will again buy another one just like this. Many colors to chose from and at this time I needed to buy two of these and the different colors keep the different documents completely separated and easy to grab the right book.