Baron Fig has recently supplemented their accessories lineup to include a whole slew of new colors. While I’ve written much about Baron Fig’s pens, notebooks, and paper, I’ve never reviewed any of their leather products. Here, I’ll take a quick look at two that I recently received.

“Guardian” Confidant Cover

The Guardian is a high-quality leather cover for Baron Fig’s flagship product, the Confidant notebook. Available in two sizes, “Flagship” and “Plus”, the cover adds some protection to the Confidant’s cloth cover, which will come in handy if, like me, you tend to use your notebooks over a longer period of time and need the covers to hold up. If you’re a planner person, and you’ve chosen to go with the Baron Fig Confidant Planner for 2018, I’d definitely recommend investing in a leather cover to ensure that your planner survives the full 12 months. A smaller Guardian is also available for the pocket-sized Vanguard softcover notebook, which seems as though it could double as a wallet.

Pictured here is a Baron Fig Confidant (Dot Grid) in the "Plus" size. (Squire and Sheath for scale.)

I appreciate that the Guardian doesn’t add much bulk to your notebook. Initially, the cover is a tight fit, and for the first week or so the front cover of the notebook may not lay completely flat when the notebook is closed. Eventually, the leather stretches out a bit, and it’s no longer an issue. The Confidant still lays flat when the notebook is open.

There is no branding on the front of the Guardian cover. The only Baron Fig branding is an imprint on the back inside flap, which makes for a very clean design.

“Sheath” Pen Sleeve

One of the more practical accessories that Baron Fig offers is the “Sheath” pen sleeve, tailor-made to fit the Squire. I advise against carrying liquid ink rollerball pens in your pocket or loose in a bag - if the tip of the pen accidentally makes contact with fabric, it can ruin your clothes. A close-fitting leather pen sleeve not only protects the pen, but protects you from your pen! (Or from yourself, whichever it may be.)

I do wish Baron Fig had omitted the “sword” motif from the front of the Sheath, and left the Guardian as a more minimal leather sleeve. While I can live with it, and I understand that their brand is based on adding a bit of whimsy to the otherwise staid stationery industry, I can’t help but feel that the imprint cheapens the look of the product a bit.

The Sheath features the Squire's "sword" logo on one side, and a Baron Fig imprint on the other.

The Sheath is a straightforward product. You slide the Squire (here, the Brass "Key" edition) into one end of the leather sleeve/pouch. It's a tight fit, so no worries about the pen sliding out.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Overall, I’m impressed with the build quality of Baron Fig’s leather goods, all of which are made in the USA. My favorite aspect, however, is the range of available color choices. Rather than your ordinary brown, black, and natural leather options, Baron Fig decided to go with something completely different, offering both the Guardian and the Sheath in Fig Wine (a burgundy-ish red), Charcoal (pictured here on the Sheath), Blue Slate (self-explanatory), Yellowgold (pictured here on the Guardian), Rose Quartz (the recently released pink option), and Light Brown (the conservative “tan” option). I know, for someone who talks so much about “work appropriate” products that won’t turn heads at the office, who would’ve thought that I would opt for the bright yellow leather notebook cover?

You can order the Guardian Confidant cover and the Sheath pen sleeve directly from Baron Fig, via their website. The Guardian starts at $79 for the standard A5-ish “Flagship” version, and $109 for the larger “Plus” version. The Guardian Vanguard is $45. The Sheath pen sleeve costs $24. While these prices aren’t cheap, they’re well within the range of reasonableness for leather goods of this quality.

Disclaimer: Baron Fig sent me the Guardian Confidant cover for review purposes, free of charge. I purchased the Squire Pen Sheath with my own funds, for my own use.

If there's one thing I don't lack, it's pen cases, pen boxes, pen stands, and other storage options. Once you fall deep into this hobby, you become unnaturally preoccupied with the best way to store, carry, and display your collection. As interest in fountain pens and other high-end writing instruments has experienced a resurgence in recent years, companies have not only begun to product more pens and ink, but also accessories to go along with them. Aston Leather, Franklin-Christoph, Tom Barrington, and now Dee Charles Designs, all make some excellent leather pen sleeves and pen cases. In this review, I'll look at a black leather two-pen sleeve from Dee Charles that Ron at Pen Chalet was kind enough to send me.

Each case features the Dee Charles Designs logo branded onto the front, and comes with the option of colored thread. I opted for red, of course.

What's perhaps most notable about the Dee Charles leather pen sleeve is its simplicity. It's basically two pieces of black leather stitched together to form a pouch, with a line of stitching down the middle to divide the case so the two pens don't touch. Unlike a more expensive case such as those from Tom Barrington, the edges on the Dee Charles pen sleeve are left rough and unfinished. There's also no lining on the inside. To be honest, when I initially received this case, the leather felt extremely stiff, and I worried that it looked a bit "plasticky."

You can see the unfinished edges and interior of this pen case, which I guess is appropriate for the rugged style as well as the price point.

My initial impressions appear to be wrong, and this case has "broken in" nicely. While long-term durability remains to be seen, it's held up well over the past month (during which I've carried it every day) and the leather has definitely become more supple with use. Once it accumulates the creases and scuffs that naturally come with actually using any leather product, the unfinished edges and interior blend a bit and actually lend this case a rugged charm.

On the left, a Montegrappa Fortuna in white/ruthenium, and on the right, my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black. The Fortuna is a relatively fat pen, and fits.

Another thing I appreciate is that this double sleeve can hold two big pens fairly easily. At first, the fit was tight, but now that the leather has softened up it can easily hold a TWSBI 580 and my Kanilea Pen Co. Mauna Kea. The Tom Barrington case is a touch too short to hold either of these pens.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

This Dee Charles double pen sleeve is a sturdy option to protect your daily carry pens, and is available at an accessible price. Curiously, I've been able to find very little information about Dee Charle s Designs as a company, and would be interested in learning more. From what I can tell, they're new, and their product line is currently limited to one and two-pen sleeves and a pocket notebook cover. All three products are available in black, "sunrise" (tan), or rawhide leather, and you can choose colored stitching with red, blue, or gold thread to give your case a bit of character. I immediately opted for the black leather with red thread combination, and it's sharp.

You can purchase Dee Charles pen cases from Pen Chalet, priced at just under $20 for a single pen sleeve, $25 for a double sleeve, and $50 for the pocket notebook case. To sweeten the deal, for a limited time Pen Chalet is offering a free pen with your purchase of one of the Dee Charles cases. You will have your choice of a Lamy Logo, a Parker Jotter, or a Pelikan Belle ballpoint pen.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by Pen Chalet free of charge for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.