The Squire finally joins #TeamOrange
Once in a while I find a product that forces me to make an exception to the rule – it’s not often, but it does happen. In general, I’m not a big fan of rollerballs, ballpoints and gel pens, and opt for the flexibility and variety that fountain pens offer. For most rollerball pens the issue is usually the poor quality ink, wrapped in bland plastic and offered up at $15/dozen. Writing with one feels labored and cheap; and in an era where we pay $100 for a digital pen, there must be a better option for the rollerball… like the Squire from Baron Fig.
When Baron Fig first launched the Squire on Kickstarter they garnered an amazing 1,782 backers to the tune of over $145k. Since then the team has been rolling out a variety of colors, limited editions and even a stainless steel model. Their latest release is called “Mysterium” and comes in a vibrant anodized orange. For those of you that follow my musings on Twitter or Instagram you know orange is my go-to color so this release was quite exciting.
The Mysterium comes packaged in a decorative cardboard tube with a styrofoam sleeve to keep the pen secure. The package designs were inspired by a collaboration between the team and Harry Marks. Harry created a short story as a backdrop for the pen design, and the normal Squire sword icon was swapped out in favor of a Decahedron icon. The Decahedron and “Baron Fig” are laser etched on opposite sides of the barrel and give it a nice hint of branding and design while keeping the overall pen very clean. The lack of a clip is fine with me, and I actually prefer it if available from the manufacturer as it usually just gets in my way.
The pen uses a smooth twist 1/2-turn mechanism to expose the tip with a satisfying snap as it locks in. It was a little stiff at first, but has already broken in after just a few days use. Inside you’ll find one of the best rollerball cartridges on the market – the Schmidt P8126. The Schmidt provides a buttery smooth .6mm line that flows effortlessly – a rarity for sure. While it writes on the wet side, dry time is about 4-5 seconds on good paper with no feathering. Just remember to retract this pen when not in use – that wet writing cartridge is best on paper, not pants, shirts, bags, pets… well you get the point.
The anodized brushed aluminum body is ever so slightly tapered from the grip back, giving the pen a fantastic balance. Weight wise it comes in at a modest .85oz (24g) which is slightly lighter that my Retro 51 at 1.1oz (31g). The brushed and anodized finish gives the pen a slight bit of texture which eliminates the usual slippery grip I find with bare metal pens. It measures 5″x.4″ (127mm x 10mm) – with the diameter necking down about .12″ (3mm) from grip to the twist section. This length fits my hand nicely – not too “travel pen” short that the grip suffers or too long and heavy to write with for long periods of time.
So what about refill options? There are quite a few that will fit the Squire – check out Ana’s fantastic guide on “Parker Style” refills over at The Well Appointed Desk for the full rundown on options (easily 40+ available from a variety of brands like Monteverde, Pelikan, and Visconti).
Color is often tough to represent online, and anodized metals are even tougher – but for comparison I put it next to my Copper Orange LAMY AL-Star and it’s almost a perfect match – so if you love that color then this one is right up your alley!
All things considered I find this a great edition to my EDC, and will be tossing all those backup rollerballs and ballpoints in favor of the Squire. It won’t be replacing my fountain pen obsession, but Baron Fig has created a pen that has earned a place on the team for sure. There are two things I would love to see available to compliment this release – a matching pen sheath in orange and an orange Confidant with the Decahedrons debossed on the cover – because you can never have too much orange right?
Pricing on the Mysterium is $60, which puts it in line with most of the competitive pens in the market (Karas Kustoms EDK, Retro 51 Tornado, Studio Neat Mark One). If you’re interested in picking up a Mysterium they are available now from Baron Fig but hurry – these guys are a limited edition.
Full Disclosure: The Mysterium was sent my way at no charge by the folks at Baron Fig for review purposes.
