Hi Reese.

Apparently our mutual wish made some Circa discs fall from the sky into a Fedex truck bound for my house. :)

I got four different sizes of Circa discs today. They were not size-labeled, but I can make a pretty good guess.

Standard: .73" outside diameter, .58" inside diameter
Medium: .905" outside diameter, .745" inside diameter
Large: 1.207" outside diameter, 1.044" inside diameter
X-Large: 1.494" outside diameter, 1.332" inside diameter

I can now pass judgement on the quality of the Levenger discs (based on a sample size of 132 discs) vs the 120 Rollabind discs I have.

Individual comparison points:

• Seams: All the discs from both companies have horizontal seams running round the outside circumference of the ring. This is due to mold construction requirements, and I don't think this matters at all to the function of the discs.
• Mold marks: All of the discs from both companies have mold marks. However, in almost every case the Levenger marks are smoother, cleaner, and less noticeable than the Rollabind marks. The exception to this is a sample of red discs from Levenger, which are in my opinion equal in quality to the Rolla discs of similar size and color. I must say the silver rings from Levenger are beautiful. I have no similar color from Rollabind though I know they're available somewhere.
• Kicker marks: All of the discs from both companies have kicker marks. A kicker mark is a concentric raised ring on one of the flat sides of each disc, made by a device in the mold that 'kicks' the finished part out of the mold after completion. Essentially it's another seam. In the smaller discs the ring is quite close to the 'mushroom cap', but it's further from the edge in the larger Levenger discs. The larger Rollabind discs have the kicker mark very close to the edge. It would be possible for the kicker mark to affect the feeling of 'drag' as you turn the pages, but I don't think this is significant.
• Texture: The larger Rollabind rings have a roughened texture on one flat side of the larger disc sizes (Jumbo for sure, and I expect also the Large, though I have no sample right now). There's also a logo on this same side, with smooth indented letters. Net result is that the page 'ears' move over texture/smooth/texture/smooth as you spin the disc or turn the pages. The Levenger discs have no such texture or logo. The metallized silver discs from Levenger have a slightly toothy finish (as if they had been tumbled briefly as is done with metal parts), but it's much less than the texture on the larger Rollabind rings. The other colors are glossy smooth.

All in all, I would say the Levenger discs to display slightly more attention to detail than the Rollabind discs. And of course I am deeply appreciative that they fell out of the sky into my lap, so to speak.

I still think the discs themselves are priced rather high, no matter who you're buying them from. I do like the bulk kits that are available from Rollabind (though not everyone needs assorted colors) and I wonder if Levenger would be able to do something similar--with a larger package of discs, say for 10 or 20 books, rather than 2. It seems appropriate for a business market, but I have honestly no notion of whether there'd be a lot of demand for it. I am thinking of this for folks like DH who put together business plans from time to time, or promotional materials, etc. where you need to make multiple copies.

shris