“Here we go again, again.”
– Tugg Speedman, “Scorcher VI” (Tropic Thunder)
They say that the third time is the charm, and that must be true because I’ve finally got my hands on the innovative dual-format notebook from BaronFig; the Work/Play III.
Today we’ll take a closer look at this new Confidant edition, but first a little history.
The original Work/Play notebook debuted back in 2015 to critical acclaim. Brad Dowdy, The Pen Addict, wrote a very favorable review which was paired with a brief but informative interview with BaronFig’s Joey Cafone. The review is a nice read, and I always enjoy getting product development insight from the people making specialist stationery products. Read the full review here.
Sometime later, in 2017, the limited edition Work/Play returned with a subtle and stylish cover. The all-black cloth cover was embossed with the iconography of a pencil and a paper place, communicating the “work and play” theme of the notebook with BaronFig’s trademark minimalism. Ana Reinert wrote a lovely and thorough of the Work/Play II along with two other BaronFig notebooks, which can be found here.
And that brings us to the Roaring ’20s, just a few short weeks ago to be precise. BaronFig has launched the third iteration of this unique notebook and was finally able to get my hands on one.
The Work/Play III brings back the same split format as the previous versions, with a cosmetic update to the cover. The book is filled with 192 pages of BaronFig’s 90gsm paper, with cover-to-cover formatting. The paper has been performing consistently well with the last several releases, and this one is no different. It stands up to all the fountain pen ink I tested, and only shows a hint of bleedthrough with the Squire’s Schmidt refill. Even my broad SIG-nibbed Franklin Christoph sat well on one side of the paper.
Staying consistent with pretty much all of the previous Confidant releases, the Work/Play III includes neither table of contents nor numbered pages and that’s… That’s fine. By any measure, this is a great notebook.
The utility of this format is a pleasant surprise. It was interesting to wrap my head around at first, but it is quickly becoming an essential daily carry. It’s very useful in strategy meetings, planning sessions, brainstorming, and all those other marketing buzzwords I have to use from nine to five. It’s really a great supplement to my daily planner.
If you’re at all curious about the format, or just want to try out your first BaronFig notebook, I strongly suggest checking out the Work/Play III. It’s an interesting product and once this edition sells out, we may not see another like it for a while.
Disclaimer: BaronFig provided this product to The Poor Penman blog free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions stated are those of the author.
The Poor Penman 