As a student with strong ambitions and a keenness to learn, organisation proves very important to me. I am determined to, and on route to graduate with a first class honours degree, which I can say has partially been down to my organisation style - namely, the binders I use. 

Before starting University, I discovered a line of binders, simply named Better Binders. These are manufactured by Staples and unlike many Staples own products, they are available in both the UK and the United States. The range not only carries the typical A4 binder, but lever arch files and A5 binders that can be used for a range of things (for example, making your own Filofax type system, or for storing your flashcards in something other than a box). 

Although these binders come in a variety of sizes, they are all essentially the same in design. They each come in multiple different colours, as listed below:
White
Black
Dark Blue
Aqua Blue
Lime Green
Dark Green
Yellow
Pink
Purple
Red

The binders are also edged with a dark grey/black rubberized material which protects the binders from falling apart when they are used often and bashed around, couple this with the sturdy plastic that the main body of the binder is made from, and you have a strong, long lasting addition to your organisational system. I have a lever arch file for each of the past half-sessions at my University, and currently keep one A4 binder for each module that I'm taking. These get used almost daily for lecture notes, studying, going to and from the library etc and still look good as new due to the high quality materials they are made from. 

Each of the binders also has a small clear section on the spine, which contains a little white card, this can be used to write the class name on it so that you can keep yourself organised that way too. 

The lever arch files have 2 rings that are 75mm high and can hold approximately 540 sheets of paper. The whole arch mechanism is very simple to use, pushing down on the lever halfway to release the arches, and pushing fully down to close the arches again. As with all good lever arch files, the Better Binder comes with a "lock" type thing to hold all of your papers in place when in the binder. This can be unlocked by pushing on the lower end of the lock, and locked again by pushing on the top end. I have had no issues with either of these mechanisms failing me. 
One thing I'd like to point out about the lever arch files is that although it can hold up to 540 papers, I keep all of my papers in sheet protectors which are slightly thicker, therefore I get less sheets of paper in the file. This is not a problem for me, however may be a problem for anyone looking to file a large amount of paper in sheet protectors.

The A4 binder have a 4 D ring system with a one touch release system. This mechanism allows you to easily pop the rings open and close them again without having to pull each ring individually and possibly mess up the rings, which is common for cheaper quality binders. You simply push down on the little black rubber tab to open the rings, and snap one ring back together to close all of them again. Very quick and easy! 
These binders don't hold quite as many papers, I'd estimate around 250, but they are perfect for one module worth of lecture notes, PowerPoint slides and for keeping extra copies of my coursework in case the school loses them.
 
In the UK, the lever arch files cost £8 each from Staples (but can be found slightly cheaper on Amazon) and the A4 binders are £6 each (again, can be found cheaper on Amazon). Some may say this seems steep for what is essentially just a binder, but you will not have to replace these binders once you've bought them, saving you money in the long run.  

These binders are also great for people who like to colour co-ordinate, but also keep things similar, this means that I can have one in every colour for each different topic, but still have the system look clean and tidy.  

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