I take my EC planners apart and honestly trim off the coil part and punch them. I put my EC on discs because I love discs so much and cannot seem to get away from discs but I cannot give up on ECs paper. I combine the weekly and daily pages to make my “perfect” planner.
@@CreatinginChaos I have found that it is what works best for me. I don’t do well sticking to coil bound planners and I am not a fan of HP paper. If you are using the daily duo or hourly and punch it sometimes you will punch over a number but that doesn’t bother me.
I'm really trying not to write a whole essay, but I have SO MANY THOUGHTS lol. I'm a big fan of Erin Condren and the coil. I don't like discs, especially the Happy Planner discs, because they just look and feel clunky. My No. 1 binding is book-bound, so I'm really not a fan of how easy it is for pages to move around. I put my planner through a lot and I want to feel secure that it'll stay together. I do like their dashboard layout. Whenever I'm tempted to get an HP it's because I saw a very pretty dashboard classic lol. I also own a few sticker books, which are amazing! I don't mind the more expensive price because EC gives you a more complete product. The basic LifePlanner lets you pick the design and layout, and comes with plenty of notes pages, stickers, a folder and a ruler/stencil. Happy Planner says they're customizable, but in reality, they're configurable. If you want a certain layout with a certain design, you have to buy two planners and frankenplan them together, which still ends up costing $60-plus.
Also I have and will be using the ec a5 agenda and to avoid that problem of messing up your rings I cut slits in all my holes that way I can take my pages out just like you do with the disks that way you aren’t opening and closing your rings all the time and damaging them.
I use to love HP but after all the craziness from a few years ago of original people leaving it seemed to lose some of its charm and fun. I went to a coil EC. Enjoyed it but cause of all the stickering it got harder to write in. I moved to the EC rings and enjoyed that. To avoid having to open the rings I made slits in all the holes and it worked great. Since that I moved to a B6 Stalogy and Hobinichi because I wanted a little more freedom in my layouts every week. I’m interested in trying Plum Paper.
Thank you so much for sharing your planner story! I so appreciate it. When you cut the slips in the holes to move pages around, did you notice that they fell out at all?
@@CreatinginChaos it was as if I did not cut them. They did not move around at all nor fall out. To remove the pages just remove them the same way you would remove HP pages. There are a lot of videos on TH-cam showing how. That’s where I got the idea from. 😊
If you’re a sticker user, it makes sense to purchase an 18 month EC Planner at launch for $5 more as you’ll get a bigger coil. So even if you remove the first or last 6 months, depending if you’re an academic year planner or calendar year planner, it’s worth it for the larger coil.
I feel like I could write a BOOK in response ❤❤ I’ve loved HP forever. And I also feel that since the buy out their quality has gone down, not just in paper but in the beauty of the designs, I haven’t found an HP in over a year that I was like YES!!! And I used to buy 6-7 each launch (excessive I know!) I started using and EC in January and was missing the configurability of the HP, and then something happened. I realized I’m really using every part of my planner, and everything is so organized and because I’m not changing my setup all the time, I’m not losing things and forgetting things. Turns out NOT having the configurability lead me to TRUE planner peace. There is so much more I could add here. But mostly that I am SO excited to see one of my VERY fave planner gals trying and using the planner I’m using this year ❤❤ oh oooh!!!! And I uncoil and recoil allllll the time….and it’s SO easy!!!
Absolutely! I’ve seen people using clips and making it very complicated and it’s really not hard. I literally tap the paper on the table and pop the coil in and turn! But yes!! I will help in any way I can! ❤
Their customer service has decreased as well. Has anyone else noticed? I reported sticker misprints, and they did nothing about it. Even after several emails from me.
I was a long time ho user from 2016 to last June. Then I started branching out and trying different brands. Now I’m a HUGE ec user (I told you I’m using 7 starting in July). I am a big daily user and hourly user and I just think that ec layouts are way better compared to hp. Not to mention that Ecs paper is so much better than hp. And the coil is top notch. Have you made your mind up on what you’re using in July. My vote is for you to go ahead and grab a daily duo and if you feel the need to use hp then my suggestion would be to use a hp weekly. But using the daily duo the daily layout is amazing gives you everything you need and now includes a weekly overview and 2 notes pages per week. You don’t even need another planner if you don’t want
I think I’m pretty solid on my lineup for July. But I’m still going back and forth between which planners I’ll be in. But I’ll likely have a mix of HP and EC. I wish I had enough things to track to use them all!
@@CreatinginChaos girl trust and believe I don’t have enough stuff to use all my planners to track however, I love the decorative aspect of planning and I will use all the planners just to be able to decorate each and everyone but like I said, I use a daily a catch all weekly one for goalsetting one for mental health tracking one is a household hub one for school and one for budget
I got the daily duo A5 from EC with the binder. I love it! I snip the pages so that I can pull them out easy. I was tempted to just rip them out, so I'm glad I did that
You can get a 3 subject EC notebook with dividers as well. Plus there are different paper options for the notebooks. Dot grid, graph, lined, sketch paper, etc
My perfect planner would be EC Paper and quality metal discs. If EC ever offers a discbound option, I would just sign my bank account directly over to them!!
Omg literally! I would be one broke lady! I have heard that cloth and paper is a good option if you’re looking to up the quality that you’re working with.
The HP planners are 7 x 9.25, plus the cover adds another half inch or so on top and bottom. The EC planners are true 7 X 9, and the paper and cover are relatively the same size from edge to edge, very little overlap. That’s why the HP look so much bigger even tho they are only technically .25 inches different in height.
The Happy Planner is why I got away from the coils. I use Kell of a Plan’s disc bound planner and the cost of EC is prohibitive. I won’t even look at them because of the ease of use and price.
@@CreatinginChaos I have looked at EC about every year when time for another planner and I just prefer my discs. I have a Reading Journal and that would definitely not work in EC. To each our preferences are all different. I am constantly moving pages around.
@@ionasueschlaupitz6869 oh absolutely!! The best thing about this community is that there’s a little something for everyone. :) I love Heather’s paper in her planner too.
I definitely prefer a happy planner because of the versatility and the look. I like the ease of changing things out if I get bored hence the planner refresh I do each month. The EC is not versatile, your mostly stuck with the same look, it’s too expensive, outside of the cover it’s pretty dull and I can totally see those coils unravel throughout year. The only benefit of the EC is the paper quality. Thank you for your thorough review/ comparison of both. I was wondering what the hype is but honestly I just don’t think it’s a better planner. 😊
Thank you so much for sharing! I am starting to like them both! I do love all of the configurations the discs offer, but the sturdiness of the coil is really nice too.
Just my thoughts... My coils have never uncoiled and this is after I've uncoiled them myself and I'm not easy on them. They have always remained in tact.... And if you add up all the happy planner things you've purchased in order to make your "perfect planner" I can promise it's more expensive than EC. We all have our own opinions and whatever works for you is amazing! I just don't want people to think that these are the norm because I'm someone who went from HP, to EC to now hobinichi and sterling ink.
HP should’ve put metal disc on the planners they put the deluxe covers on! I was a little disappointed they didn’t. And now a days they hardly ever put metal disc on the planners. You just have to buy them separately.
I can not stand coils that much but tolerate them. I prefer discs but have liked the book bound as well. It doesn’t not get in the way of my hand writing like the coil does. I really like using HP with my Sterling Ink and my husband uses EC for his work as a teacher. EC got too boring for me although this most recent release seems good. I think if I could get my hands on a full Cloth and Paper vibes planner on discs that would be planner peace.
Both planners are harder to get in the UK. I love the happy planner dashboard layout it worked so well when I was a student but I found the paper smeared most gel pens. I love love the EC paper 😍 I love the look of the academic planner for the exams and projects page each month for EC but I wish I could choose what weekly layout for the academic. 😅
I agree. However, I would not go to EC because it's to much trouble to uncoil and then coil it. I still like the fact I can easily add and take out paper to the Happy Planner. Heathers planners are EC paper but customizable with discs. Way too expensive.
Doesn’t HP have binding as well? I also find HP to be inclusive using diverse designers and artists. I think EC has had issues in the past with inclusion but this was years ago.
Disc coils lol. You need coffee haha. I actually like both planners. Ec is always so pretty and I love it. I like hp because of the ease of it. First world problems lol😊
It has definitely gone downhill in the past two years. I used a redated old HP up until June. I got a new one in July and the paper is definitely thinner and meh. It’s disappointing but I am definitely a disc bound girlie. I have been buying from the smaller companies too, they still have good quality paper. live love posh, and fancy plans co seem to use 32 lb paper. Kellofaplan uses even thicker paper.
The coils get in the way when writing, i like that I can take HP pages out to write! I also like the dividers.
Totally get that! The dividers are great in HP. There are several ways to work around the coil when writing things on Wednesday.
In the first release after HP was taken over - I also noticed the paper went down hill!
Ok so it’s not just me
I take my EC planners apart and honestly trim off the coil part and punch them. I put my EC on discs because I love discs so much and cannot seem to get away from discs but I cannot give up on ECs paper. I combine the weekly and daily pages to make my “perfect” planner.
Oh wow! That is such a neat way to have the best of both worlds
@@CreatinginChaos I have found that it is what works best for me. I don’t do well sticking to coil bound planners and I am not a fan of HP paper. If you are using the daily duo or hourly and punch it sometimes you will punch over a number but that doesn’t bother me.
I love the paper from EC it is my preferred but do like the disc system, being able to move things around so putting EC on disc is the way to go
@@deecai01 what do you use to punch your pages?
@@CreatinginChaos we r memory keepers has a disc punch and also a planner punch board
I'm really trying not to write a whole essay, but I have SO MANY THOUGHTS lol. I'm a big fan of Erin Condren and the coil. I don't like discs, especially the Happy Planner discs, because they just look and feel clunky. My No. 1 binding is book-bound, so I'm really not a fan of how easy it is for pages to move around. I put my planner through a lot and I want to feel secure that it'll stay together. I do like their dashboard layout. Whenever I'm tempted to get an HP it's because I saw a very pretty dashboard classic lol. I also own a few sticker books, which are amazing!
I don't mind the more expensive price because EC gives you a more complete product. The basic LifePlanner lets you pick the design and layout, and comes with plenty of notes pages, stickers, a folder and a ruler/stencil. Happy Planner says they're customizable, but in reality, they're configurable. If you want a certain layout with a certain design, you have to buy two planners and frankenplan them together, which still ends up costing $60-plus.
I love what you said! Happy planner is configurable. And the cost definitely adds up when buying multiple planners. Thank you so much for sharing.
Also I have and will be using the ec a5 agenda and to avoid that problem of messing up your rings I cut slits in all my holes that way I can take my pages out just like you do with the disks that way you aren’t opening and closing your rings all the time and damaging them.
Oh that’s interesting and they don’t fall out?
I use to love HP but after all the craziness from a few years ago of original people leaving it seemed to lose some of its charm and fun. I went to a coil EC. Enjoyed it but cause of all the stickering it got harder to write in. I moved to the EC rings and enjoyed that. To avoid having to open the rings I made slits in all the holes and it worked great. Since that I moved to a B6 Stalogy and Hobinichi because I wanted a little more freedom in my layouts every week. I’m interested in trying Plum Paper.
Thank you so much for sharing your planner story! I so appreciate it. When you cut the slips in the holes to move pages around, did you notice that they fell out at all?
@@CreatinginChaos it was as if I did not cut them. They did not move around at all nor fall out. To remove the pages just remove them the same way you would remove HP pages. There are a lot of videos on TH-cam showing how. That’s where I got the idea from. 😊
I’m definitely going to need to check this out!
If you’re a sticker user, it makes sense to purchase an 18 month EC Planner at launch for $5 more as you’ll get a bigger coil. So even if you remove the first or last 6 months, depending if you’re an academic year planner or calendar year planner, it’s worth it for the larger coil.
That’s great advice! Can you still add the sheets in the back to the 18 month planner?
@@CreatinginChaosyou can on everything except the daily duo.
@@Chaos_and_Creativity oh that’s neat!
I feel like I could write a BOOK in response ❤❤ I’ve loved HP forever. And I also feel that since the buy out their quality has gone down, not just in paper but in the beauty of the designs, I haven’t found an HP in over a year that I was like YES!!! And I used to buy 6-7 each launch (excessive I know!)
I started using and EC in January and was missing the configurability of the HP, and then something happened. I realized I’m really using every part of my planner, and everything is so organized and because I’m not changing my setup all the time, I’m not losing things and forgetting things. Turns out NOT having the configurability lead me to TRUE planner peace.
There is so much more I could add here. But mostly that I am SO excited to see one of my VERY fave planner gals trying and using the planner I’m using this year ❤❤ oh oooh!!!! And I uncoil and recoil allllll the time….and it’s SO easy!!!
You’re speaking right to my planner loving heart!!! I feel all of this so much. Also you’re going to need to teach me how to uncoil!
Absolutely! I’ve seen people using clips and making it very complicated and it’s really not hard. I literally tap the paper on the table and pop the coil in and turn! But yes!! I will help in any way I can! ❤
Their customer service has decreased as well. Has anyone else noticed? I reported sticker misprints, and they did nothing about it. Even after several emails from me.
@@NatalieStotz-s3z 100%. Just overall a decline. It’s sad because I was SUCH a HP devotee.
I was a long time ho user from 2016 to last June. Then I started branching out and trying different brands. Now I’m a HUGE ec user (I told you I’m using 7 starting in July). I am a big daily user and hourly user and I just think that ec layouts are way better compared to hp. Not to mention that Ecs paper is so much better than hp. And the coil is top notch. Have you made your mind up on what you’re using in July. My vote is for you to go ahead and grab a daily duo and if you feel the need to use hp then my suggestion would be to use a hp weekly. But using the daily duo the daily layout is amazing gives you everything you need and now includes a weekly overview and 2 notes pages per week. You don’t even need another planner if you don’t want
I think I’m pretty solid on my lineup for July. But I’m still going back and forth between which planners I’ll be in. But I’ll likely have a mix of HP and EC. I wish I had enough things to track to use them all!
@@CreatinginChaos girl trust and believe I don’t have enough stuff to use all my planners to track however, I love the decorative aspect of planning and I will use all the planners just to be able to decorate each and everyone but like I said, I use a daily a catch all weekly one for goalsetting one for mental health tracking one is a household hub one for school and one for budget
@@The_Planner_Diva I love this! The decorative piece is so good! I do think I have a pretty rad lineup coming that should capture all of my life.
Thank you for doing this comparison!! I’ve been curious about EC but can’t do coil bound. I gotta move stuff around.
They do have a rings option if you’re interested in them but looking for that flexibility.
I'm a long time happy planner girl😊
Same! But I'm also curious about learning new brands :)
I got the daily duo A5 from EC with the binder. I love it! I snip the pages so that I can pull them out easy. I was tempted to just rip them out, so I'm glad I did that
Oh that’s so cool! I love this idea!
@@CreatinginChaos yes. It really changed it for me
@@suzettesmith2075 I love all of the creative ideas in this community!
You can get a 3 subject EC notebook with dividers as well. Plus there are different paper options for the notebooks. Dot grid, graph, lined, sketch paper, etc
Oh that’s neat! Thanks for sharing!
I definitely prefer the disc bound over coil planners. 💙
Part of me really enjoys the ease of use of the happy planner too!
I have ordered the monthly EC planner in the letter size. It's a game changer for long term and project planning.
Oooo! That sounds amazing! Did you go with the coil bound?
@@CreatinginChaos Yes, it was great for business operations (which is how it was used)
@@Slytink that’s awesome!!
My perfect planner would be EC Paper and quality metal discs. If EC ever offers a discbound option, I would just sign my bank account directly over to them!!
Omg literally! I would be one broke lady! I have heard that cloth and paper is a good option if you’re looking to up the quality that you’re working with.
The HP planners are 7 x 9.25, plus the cover adds another half inch or so on top and bottom. The EC planners are true 7 X 9, and the paper and cover are relatively the same size from edge to edge, very little overlap. That’s why the HP look so much bigger even tho they are only technically .25 inches different in height.
That makes a lot of sense! I knew someone would know!
Exactly the video I was looking for! Thank you
The Happy Planner is why I got away from the coils. I use Kell of a Plan’s disc bound planner and the cost of EC is prohibitive. I won’t even look at them because of the ease of use and price.
I think we do also have to consider the total cost of Happy Planners + accessories as well to get a really accurate picture.
@@CreatinginChaos I have looked at EC about every year when time for another planner and I just prefer my discs. I have a Reading Journal and that would definitely not work in EC. To each our preferences are all different. I am constantly moving pages around.
@@ionasueschlaupitz6869 oh absolutely!! The best thing about this community is that there’s a little something for everyone. :) I love Heather’s paper in her planner too.
For me the happy planner makes me happy, so that is an easy choice
And that’s all that truly matters!
HP has the “Currently” page just before the monthly.
It does, but it's turned more into a notes space.
EC has a monthly planner in 8.5X11 as well. Its just monthly and then 10 lined pages after.
Oh that’s pretty neat!
I definitely prefer a happy planner because of the versatility and the look. I like the ease of changing things out if I get bored hence the planner refresh I do each month. The EC is not versatile, your mostly stuck with the same look, it’s too expensive, outside of the cover it’s pretty dull and I can totally see those coils unravel throughout year. The only benefit of the EC is the paper quality. Thank you for your thorough review/ comparison of both. I was wondering what the hype is but honestly I just don’t think it’s a better planner. 😊
Thank you so much for sharing! I am starting to like them both! I do love all of the configurations the discs offer, but the sturdiness of the coil is really nice too.
Just my thoughts... My coils have never uncoiled and this is after I've uncoiled them myself and I'm not easy on them. They have always remained in tact.... And if you add up all the happy planner things you've purchased in order to make your "perfect planner" I can promise it's more expensive than EC. We all have our own opinions and whatever works for you is amazing! I just don't want people to think that these are the norm because I'm someone who went from HP, to EC to now hobinichi and sterling ink.
I wish EC came out with disc. I don’t use Happy Planner but I do use A5 plum paper on disc. If EC ever does go to disc, I’m running straight to them.
I don’t think they ever will because they have the rings system. :(
HP should’ve put metal disc on the planners they put the deluxe covers on! I was a little disappointed they didn’t. And now a days they hardly ever put metal disc on the planners. You just have to buy them separately.
That was definitely a surprising change!
I can not stand coils that much but tolerate them. I prefer discs but have liked the book bound as well. It doesn’t not get in the way of my hand writing like the coil does. I really like using HP with my Sterling Ink and my husband uses EC for his work as a teacher. EC got too boring for me although this most recent release seems good. I think if I could get my hands on a full Cloth and Paper vibes planner on discs that would be planner peace.
You should definitely try out a cloth and paper or get some inserts. Their paper is amazing!!!!
Both planners are harder to get in the UK. I love the happy planner dashboard layout it worked so well when I was a student but I found the paper smeared most gel pens. I love love the EC paper 😍 I love the look of the academic planner for the exams and projects page each month for EC but I wish I could choose what weekly layout for the academic. 😅
Ok. What layout do you get with the academic planner?
Discbound wins for being lefty friendly!
Oh that’s something I hadn’t thought of. My son is a lefty :)
I agree. However, I would not go to EC because it's to much trouble to uncoil and then coil it. I still like the fact I can easily add and take out paper to the Happy Planner. Heathers planners are EC paper but customizable with discs. Way too expensive.
Allegedly there is a coil punch that lets you add things in. This is interesting!
Doesn’t HP have binding as well? I also find HP to be inclusive using diverse designers and artists. I think EC has had issues in the past with inclusion but this was years ago.
HP does have a double coil. And I do like the use of the artists. I believe both HP and EC have had issues with equity and inclusion in the past.
And ilove H P because with them being disc bound, I can use things over and over
i haven't found that there's much I can re-use with happy planner. What things are you using over and over?
@CreatinginChaos dash boards, covers, things like that
@@rochelleb973 I want to use them over and over but I feel like the amount that is released I truly never do,
@@rochelleb973 Also, dividers, bookmarks, and like you said the covers.
@@ionasueschlaupitz6869 those are definitely things I keep in my collection too.
we r memory keepers has a coil punch so u can add pages
Ooooo! That’s a neat idea!
Disc coils lol. You need coffee haha. I actually like both planners. Ec is always so pretty and I love it. I like hp because of the ease of it. First world problems lol😊
Right! You can see why I want to double plan and use both!
No way would I pay E C prices . It's a planner for goodness sake lol
I think the price is pretty similar if we are thinking about the accessories that we buy with HP as well.
@@CreatinginChaosTHIS! the amount I spent in accessories were OUTRAGEOUS. and then never used anything because I was overwhelmed lol
@@Chaos_and_Creativity is that why you made the switch to EC?
It has definitely gone downhill in the past two years. I used a redated old HP up until June. I got a new one in July and the paper is definitely thinner and meh. It’s disappointing but I am definitely a disc bound girlie. I have been buying from the smaller companies too, they still have good quality paper. live love posh, and fancy plans co seem to use 32 lb paper. Kellofaplan uses even thicker paper.
Now that I have felt the EC paper...I don't know if I can do the HP paper anymore...am I ruined?!
@@CreatinginChaos not at all. You’re elevated. You enjoy the finer things in life 😂