Common Planner N2 verses the Hobonichi Weeks Planner 

I have the vertical Sterling Ink N2 and I absolutely love it. For years I wished that Hobonichi would come out with a vertical Weeks, and now Catherine has made my dream come true ❤🎉😅

For me personally Sterling Ink for the win. The grid included on the left side, lack of quotes that waste space and the option for a full year of blank pages made it a no brainer for me. Yes the days of the week are a little light (and I’m older than you 😊) but I know what they are and they’re clearly separated. And if I need them to be darker I have a pen. For me she beautifully solved all the problems I had with Hobo. But as you said, it’s what works best for each person that matters. There’s room in the plannerverse for both of them. Great video as always 👍🏼

Sterling Ink wanted it to be a bit darker, but they didn't come as dark as she ordered them. The 2025 ones are darker.

Agree that the font for the months and days is too small and faint, and the lines between the days in both the monthlies and weeklies are also too faint. Those two issues made me decide to stay with the Hobonichi this year. Otherwise the SI would be the winner. I have sent these comments in to the company--we'll see what she does next year. Also, I'd love a B6 in the horizontal format-that would be my dream planner.

On the Sterling Ink N2, there are also grid lines on the weekly page (the left side); for those of us who can't write in a straight line. The reason there is not a tick mark to divide horizontally on the weekly pages (right side) is because there are an odd number of boxes vertically (43); whereas across there are 24 boxes. On the blank note pages, the tick marks are divided in 3 because there are 45 boxes vertically. I am an SI fan as I'm for function and don't need or like the extra color and stuff in the back. To each their own!

I'm not a die hard anything fan. I wish I could be because it would make decisions much simpler. I actually love the quotes and the creamier paper in the Hobonichi weeks. I find it more restful on the eyes. I also like all the cover options for the Hobonichi weeks including the artist and business collaborations. It's nice to have so many options. I also love the lighter grid/type in the Sterling Ink and lack of calendars on every page as it's easier to use. I haven't had any issues with wear and tear for either my past Hobonichi weeks or my N2 Sterling Ink notebooks. I find they are both best with a clear or paper cover because I'm not careful at all with my planners, but that's ease of cleaning and not durability. I like the texture of the Sterling Ink clear covers better than the Hobonichi ones based on subzero winter use. I find the Sterling Ink is easier to get to stay flat, but with minimal effort they'll both get there so it's not a deciding factor. I like the softer cover of the Sterling Ink better as it's easier to write on on the go and I don't like the sneaker weeks covers at all, but the hard covers aren't a deal breaker. For prices and accessibility I find them both in the premium stationary category. Value wise they are similar once they get to me (I'm in Canada). And they both have great communities surrounding them. Overall I think they are both good planners and I'm glad they're both available in the market.

I love that SI is more subtle because I like to change up my spreads

Thank you so much for this detailed comparison!! Both look awesome and I’ve been debating which one to get - this really solidified Hobonichi for me! It just looks a tad more premium and polished to me (totally a personal opinion of course!!) ❤ I’ll also have an A5 to leave at home, so being more compact and not needing a case works out perfectly!

Interesting comparison. So far, I have only used the Hobo Weeks and a SI A5 planner. I noticed that this upcoming year has darker print and has the horizontal midpoint makings. She really seems to listen to the feedback and act on what she can if it makes fiscal sense. The other point of difference that favors SI is that the left hand pages in the weekly spreads are gridded as well. Having used a Hobo Weeks this year, I would be neater in that space with grids of some sort. I have used my Weeks as my go-to planner to carry with me and it serves me well. But for 2025, I am leaning to SI N2 for the extra space and feel. I have an N2 notebook from SI and adore the feel and look of the cover (it’s the caramel). It is so buttery soft. My A5 was onyx and had a scratchy feel to it. It sounds like you would like the upcoming changes to the planner.

I used to complain about the quotes taking up the space until I realized how hard it is to write on the end of the page (unless you use something to rest your hand on)

If you like the format of the Weeks but the number of notes pages of the Sterling Ink, you might consider a Mega Weeks that has the extra notes pages.

I’m using a Hobo Weeks this year but I love how clean the Sterling Ink is. I am not a fan of the gray, red, or quotes/calendar at the bottom is the weekly pages. I’ll probably switch next year, but decided to go with what I know this year.

Great comparison! I agree with almost all of your points :). I've had a hobo weeks for the last 6 years but this year I went with the Sterling Ink N2. and the only reason was because the weekly layout on the left side has grid and the hobo doesn't. BUT I miss having the hobo weeks and wouldn't be surprised if I order a spring start 🙃

I have a Sterling Ink N2 Vertical. I really like the N2 but I agree with you the lines and names of the months and weekdays are super super light. I had to go over and darken the monthly boxes outlines with a pencil because it was so hard to distinguish the outlines or borders of each day in the monthly. Overall I like the Sterling Ink’s N2, mainly because it’s a vertical. I’m using my N2 as a health and fitness planner, it’s more of a tracker planner.

Very thorough comparison. I agree with you about the days and lines being too faint in the Sterling Ink.

Good comparison on the 2. I too felt the font was a little off and coloring should have been darker on Sterling Ink. I wear glasses and it was still difficult for. me to read. LOL.I ended up selling mine.

I just left a HP mini where I combined two different formats for home and work with extra paper at the end because I write lots of notes and lists. This year is my first time trying the Hobonichi Weeks. I use the week portion for personal/home planning/appointments and the blank pages in the back for budgeting, trip planning, notes/lists that aren't related to a weekly format and BOJO work planning pages. After I purchased it, I found out you can get an English vs. Japanese version. Then I saw the SI and thought dang it. But honestly after the comparison and looking at some comments here I think I'm going to get the Hobonichi Weeks mega in the English version next year. Mega means more lists and notes! It lies flat, I love the hard cover and I love the calendar in the bottom right (I was upset when HP removed it from their weekly pages). The color of the paper isn't my favorite or the red highlights but it's still a good fit for me and small enough to fit in most purses.

I would love to see a “plan with me” video.

On function and fun... from a UI (User Interface standpoint) the win actually goes to the Hobonichi. The design is deliberately made to adhere to good design practice. Visually and mentally the spaces are well defined and it is very easy for the eye and less work for the brain to find things quickly. The Sterling might be great for a sticker fan who just needs real estate, but for getting things done the design choices are ultimately working against how we are designed.

Loved this! You are NOT ALONE! We are certainly alike, LoL! I was cracking up when you said you'd tried 7 thousand weeklies, Me too!! Looking forward to more videos. 🌷

The Sterling Ink planner looks really classy, but the Hobonichi Weeks has won out for me as my on the go planner although I would love to have the extra writing space instead of the quotes. The Hobonichi has a slimmer profile and lies easier flat than the sterling ink planner (at least if the weekly has the same binding as the notebook). Also I like the darker font. I did go with Sterling Ink planners for my memory keeping because there the extra space (in A6) does count more, the light and small font does not bother me in my journal and I love the pretty layout and font 🙂

A lil late with this, being close to end of April lol. But tysm for sharing, this was indeed helpful. I’ve often wondered. I haven’t taken plunge with either but been looking to try something a bit more than my diy booklets the more I’m getting into the analogue planning.

Very helpful comparison. Thank you! I don't have either of these in-hand yet, and am relying on videos to make a choice. Sterling could have done a few things better - mainly as others point out, font size, and contrast. A cream paper is easier on tired eyes, but the Sterling paper doesn't show on my monitor as glaring white (would have to see in person). Nevertheless, the Hobo ANNOYS me with how it wastes space, on an already tight format, and I find the info pages at the back, and esp the quotes just - presumptuous! I can add my own, if I wish. If I purchase, at the end of the day, the choice would probably come down to availability (already midway through March) and price. Either one will get the job done.

The N2 vertical has the month at a glance, don’t know why there is t one in the horizontal- I much prefer Sterling ink planners and I didn’t get one until Nov or December of 2023 (my B6). I don’t hate the weeks at all but have found so much more room in terms of functionality. I think that everyone should use what makes them happy, we are all different

I have the Hobo Cousin, and the 2025 release of Sterling Ink has won a new customer for an A5 and TBD to carry in my purse, but not the N2 because the horizontal week is a hard no for me, idk why, it just doesn’t work, for me personally, I know others feel the opposite, and others it doesn’t matter. I like the cleaner overall look. It doesn’t assault the eyes, and the print is not too faded for me (and it is darker now.) The dark grey/red for the weekend is a visual distraction for me, and the quote at the bottom is “a waste of real estate” imo, also it just creates more distracting visual clutter. I do love the moon phases in the Hobo, but as someone who loves astronomy, I have plenty of moon stickers. Also, the addition of the 40 plain grid pages in the back for the 2025 (I’m not so sure how many the weeks has…and really, just the blank side of each week is great in the Hobo. Also, the changing colors for each month…sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t. I like the covers on the Weeks and the Hon version, and I like having more real estate for the ‘year index.’ There are some pluses and minuses, but overall the visual look and the extra blank 40 pages sold me.

I realised in the end the grid was too light in the Sterling Ink (I have one super bad eye) and I prefer the sturdy covers on the Hobo. I'm still trying to make the N2 work for my wellness planner, but it is a struggle for real.

On no,month names and weekdays are unreadable😢😢😢😢