We need a decision tree for this, but here are my thoughts. I got the Circa system but am not totally convinced it's as great as some people think. am still not convinced it's all that great an improvement over the three-ring binder.

First of all, Circa notebooks or 3-ring binders vs file folders:

You have a bit more security with a binder or Circa that your pages are going to stay in your notebook. With a file folder, the pages could fall out more easily and get out of order. Of course, you can get a two-hole punch and Acco fasteners, but then you don't have the flexibility to move the pages around. When I was overseas, and maybe here in the US back twenty years ago, there was a lever-arch system that would clamp down on the pages in a file folder and keep them organized and clamped in. About the same as a binder clip would, and that would achieve the same security as a notebook or a Circa.

A binder or Circa notebook is neater than the loose pages of a file folder, if you like to keep pages organized.

If the pages are already punched for the circa or 3-ring, you can easily insert them, so they get a point for speed.

Now, why the Circa vs a 3-ring?

The Circa is a bit less bulky than a 3-ring binder. The spine of the 3-ring is a bit wider than the width of the corresponding Circa ring, so they don't take up so much room in a briefcase. Although I have to admit that they look huge in the photos--put me off for a long time. I wish they would disappear somehow. Maybe be covered by some sort of cover. Though I don't want to get the leather folders Levenger sells, because it seems to me they would add the bulk back in and cancel out one of the Circa advantages.

The Circa covers are flexible, whereas 3-rings are not.

You can set up a flexible notebook for special purposes that can be updated easily from time to time. You could do this with a 3-ring, but it's not so handy to carry about or take with you.

The Circa gets close to the ease of use of the spiral binding (the front can be folded back around so there's just one surface showing, thereby half the footprint of a binder). Takes up half the deskspace of a 3-ring. I feel more comfortable taking my Circa into a fast food place or a client's office and taking notes on it--it just doesn't take over the desk or the table like a binder would.

You can Circa-punch any size paper (up to 11 inches, I think) and put it into your Circa notebook--small scraps of paper, 3x5 cards, etc. You get away from the proprietary spacing of other day-planner systems. Like the Filofax or Franklin Covey, where you have ring spacing that isn't compatible with other brands. Of course, Circa is proprietary too, but the even (1-inch) spacing of the rings means you can put just about any piece of paper in there.

One problem you can't get around is the cost of the Circa punch--$62. Of course I've spent that much for a 3-ring punch, but it punches lot more pages.

Overall, I think the Circa is an imperfect solution to some of the drawbacks of a three-ring binder. I feel more organized with the Circa than I did with legal pads and file folders--I can have the papers in a notebook that I think looks neater and more organized to clients. I don't like having multiple client info in one notebook, but it does help me to have everything active with me all the time, in case of a phone call.

Last year, everyone was excited about Moleskines. I resisted that, but gave in this year to Circas. I keep wondering whether it's worth the investment, but overall as time goes by, I'm finding my Circa notebooks handy and suspect that eventuall I'll settle down and stop worrying about it. I think this is something you'll have to determine for yourself. You could do like I did and get 3 or 4 of the starter notebooks and a desktop punch. Use it for a month or so, and if you don't like it, return the punch, or maybe the notebooks, too. They advertise a liberal return policy, and that's what it's for--for people to try it out and see how they like it.

--Glenda