Saturday, September 1, 2018

REVIEW: BARON FIG SQUIRE CLICK BALLPOINT PEN

Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
The Squire from Baron Fig (read my review here) has quickly become a staple within the community. For good reason of course, as it is a superb pen all around. But when Baron Fig announced a new iteration of the Squire: the Squire Click, I was left with slightly mixed feelings. I loved the idea of a knock mechanism, but at the same time it seemed to lose a bit of the clean look of the Squire's design.

But as always, it's quite difficult to assess a product just from photos online. So my thoughts changed when I got one in hand for review -thanks Baron Fig!
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
I was still a bit unsure about how I felt about the design choice of using a standard Schmidt knock mechanism, although I do like that the barrel and knock sit flush against each other. When you pick up the pen, you'll notice that it slimmed down a bit compared to the regular Squire. Basically what they did is remove the taper towards the front of the pen so the diameter is now uniform across the entire length of the pen. Without that teardrop shape, the Squire click lost some of the character that the original Squire had, but it's still a good looking minimal pen.
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
L to R: Kaweco Al Sport, Riind The Pen, Karas Pen Co. Retrakt, Baron Fig Squire, Baron Fig Squire Click, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari
At 12.7 cm (5"), it's the same length as the Squire. The barrel diameter was reduced from 10 mm (0.40") to 9 mm (0.35"), which doesn't sound like a lot but it's easily noticeable when you hold them side by side. They also cut the weight by 4 grams, from 24g to 20g. Overall the differences are relatively small, but surprisingly they create a very different experience in use.
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
The Click lost a little weight around the front of the pen
Whereas the regular Squire is IMHO a 'comfortably slim' pen, the click is a bit narrow for my taste. I did get used to it after a while, but I won't say it's the most comfortable pen ever. The size makes it ideal as an agenda pen, and it fits perfectly into a journal pen loop without adding bulk. 

Now here's the weird part: after a good while of use, the Squire Click actually grew on me...a lot! So get this, the size may make it a bit less comfortable, but it also makes it extremely versatile in use: Throw it in a backpack, pants pocket, notebook pen loop,... it's small and thin but still long enough to sit comfortably in the hand. 
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
Frankly, the stock Schmidt knock mechanism is a lot easier and faster to operate than the custom machined twist mechanism on the Squire. The obvious trade-off is that it doesn't look as clean and minimal.
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
The Schmidt Easyflow 9000 may be one of the greatest parts about the Click!
Surprisingly, the Click comes with a different refill, which helps differentiate it from the regular Squire in the Baron Fig lineup. Inside the Click, you'll find a Schmidt Easyflow 9000 ballpoint refill (instead of the rollerball refills in the regular Squire). I really enjoy the change, especially because the Easyflow 9000 is a fantastic refill that combines the good sides of both ballpoint and rollerball refills. It lacks the bleedthrough issues that rollerball refills sometimes have, but the medium line is dark, consistent and smooth. Only issue I found is that it sometimes seems a bit more prone to smudging.
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen
It honestly took me a while to make up my mind on the Squire Click. The slimmer barrel is not my favorite, and the design is a bit less sleek because of the standard knock mechanism (maybe something to custom-machine in the future?).

On the plus side, the slimmer form factor makes it even more portable than the regular Squire, and the knock mechanism is more practical in use. Oh, and the ballpoint refill it comes with is straight up fantastic. The price point of the Squire Click is very reasonable too. At 45$ it's not too precious for everyday use, and it's an ideal pen to throw into your bag, purse, pants pocket...

This product was sent to me by Baron Fig so I could write this review. 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.
Review: Baron Fig Squire Click ballpoint pen

6 comments:

  1. How much of the amazing rollerball glide do you lose going from the squire to the squire click?

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    1. Hey David, not too much really! The Schmidt Easyflow 9000 they used here is quite a good compromise between the characteristics of ballpoint and rollerball pens! It's darker than a ballpoint ink, smoother and more consistent, but it's also noticeably more viscous than rollerball ink (which also makes it less prone to feathering and bleeding). - Dries

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  2. Can I use an extra fine pen refill with the Squire? Which refills would fit? Thanks!

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    1. Hello Danny, the Squire and Squire Click take Parker-Style G2 refills (NOT the Pilot G2 refill!), so there are a lot of refills from various brands that should work. I would urge you to take a look at Ana's Epic refill reference guide over at her website "The Well-Appointed Desk", under the Parker G2 section you'll find an extensive list of refills that should work: https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2014/06/epic-refill-guide-rollerball-gel-and-ballpoints/. For a good extra fine tip, I'm afraid your choices will be rather limited. Maybe the Ohto Flash-dry needlepoint gel refills would be worth trying out, but I honestly wouldn't know if they are good because I don't have any first-hand experience with them.
      I hope this helps!

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  3. I have both, the standard and the click versiĆ³n. I wish I could have the rollerball experience in the barong fig squire click.

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    Replies
    1. You should be able to! Though I haven't tried this myself, both refills are typically interchangeable. Also check out my comment above, The Well-Appointed Desk's Epic refill guide is a great help to find other gel/rollerball refills that will work.

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