Tuesday, February 13, 2018

QUICK LOOK: BARON FIG LOCK & KEY SPECIAL EDITION SET

Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Being shamefully behind on reviews, I wanted to share a quick post about the Baron Fig Lock & Key set. The special edition Squire rollerball is unfortunately sold out already, but you can still grab the matching Confidant notebook.

After my failure to get a hold of a Baron Fig Squire Experiment (what more could a chemistry student ask for??), I decided to act fast. And boy did I act fast this time! I don't think I ever impulse-bought anything as fast as this. Which -in itself- should give you a good idea of how excited I am with this release.
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
How excited? VERY excited! For the simple reason that this is the first time Baron Fig went with a different metal for the Squire rollerball. It's as simple as that. Give me something brass, and I jump through the roof.

... Ok maybe not literally, but I do nevertheless really like this take on the minimalist Baron Fig Squire rollerball. As usual it's a relatively small, yet comfortable-in-hand clipless pen. The machined brass almost doubles the weight of this Squire, compared to the aluminium ones. That's a lot, but given the relatively compact size, it still only weighs in at around 50 grams. Which -to me- is a sweet spot in terms of heft (YMMV of course).
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
The Squire received a faint brushed finish, and the 'Key' theme is visualised by the antique key logo on the top of the pen right underneath the twist knob. On the opposite side of the barrel you can find the clean Baron Fig logo laser-etched, and that's all the branding you'll find on this pen. Even though the logo is large (in relation to the size of the pen), it still feels subtle because the laser etching isn't very obtrusive, and the font is simple and modern. 
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Of course the most exciting part about using brass in a pen is the fact that it will create a beautiful patina. I haven't had the pen long enough to see that happen, although it has already become a bit darker with the first use! I definitely hope this will be the first in a series of new Squire designs to use different metals such as brass, copper and titanium. I may have said this before, but I love the differences in look and feel between different metals, and I think they give each pen a distinct character.

If you want to read more about the Baron Fig Squire rollerball, you can read my full review of the original (aluminium) version HERE.
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Then for the matching Confidant: the 'Lock'. The packaging of this notebook is absolutely beautiful -albeit perhaps a bit excessive. The dark green paired with a gold foil embossed maze pattern on the outside box invokes a very obvious vintage look and feel, while still keeping the modern and minimal aesthetic that we know from Baron Fig. 
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Inside the box is a large fold-out maze in gold foil on white paper. The maze contains hidden messages in a secret sign alphabet, which can be solved with the code on the packaging of the Squire. At least that's what I think it is, I honestly haven't taken the proper time to find out what it says! 
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
The notebook itself  is an A5-sized hardcover Confidant, cloth-covered in the same dark green color as the packaging, and with the 'Lock' and maze design embossed over the entire cover (but not filled with gold foil). It counts 192 pages of dot grid paper.

I won't be doing a full detailed review of the notebook and the paper quality in this post. But I have o of course tried it with a bunch of (fountain) pens, and my first impression is actually much better than expected. The paper seems to handle most kinds of ink -even in wider nibs- flawlessly. I couldn't find any bleedthrough or feathering in my test, very impressive! Anway, I'll leave it at that, and keep a full review for a different time! 
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review
Even though the Squire is already sold out, you can still go for the Confidant notebook (and I fear those won't last much longer either). I think Baron Fig has really outdone themselves on this special release.

The Baron Fig Confidant Lock notebook retails for 20 USD, which I think is fair for the quality and the fantastic design you get. If you want one, act fast because the stock won't last much longer I'm afraid. It's a shame that the Squire sold out already, but I'm hoping we'll see Baron Fig experiment with more exotic metals like brass, copper, titanium,... in the future!

Note: I received a discount on the purchase of this product from Baron Fig. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links. 
Quick Look: Baron Fig Lock & Key Squire rollerball and Confidant notebook special edition set review

1 comment:

  1. Hello, this is fastidious post I actually loved reading this.

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