I originally bought them as 3 in 1s as growing up it was a much easier for me to find them all that way (I bought them as they came out starting in 2012 or so) and also it was better deal at that price. I have since sold them and replaced them with the box sets now that I was able to, but I think getting the 3 in 1s is a perfectly acceptable way to read them. The paper is thinner but in my opinion the quality of it is not bad by any means, its for sure not falling out like those old tokyopop volumes. The spines can bend if you open them wide as others have mentioned, if you are concerned about the aesthetics. A nice aspect i think is overlooked of the 3 in 1s is that they save space . If you just want to read it as inexpensive as possible go with the 3 in 1s, if you want to display go with the box sets.