Well, that didn’t last long. On June 27, roughly a month after releasing the second limited edition squire, Baron Fig abruptly announced an intention to end their subscription service. In an email sent to subscribers, the company’s co-founder Joey Cofone stated that the subscription service will cease at the end of 2018. However, my subscription ends at the end of 2017, and, as far as I can tell, there is no way to renew it.

Maybe that’s all for the best. I like this third edition in their series, named The Insightful Spectre Squire, but there’s really nothing new here. It has a dark gray (“phantom black”) body along with an etching of a little ghost on the barrel. Other than that, it has the same size, shape, and refill as the standard Squire, which just makes this edition a bit boring.

If it’s Baron Fig’s intent to retain the overall design of the Squire while only making aesthetic adjustments, I’m not opposed to it. That is essentially what Retro 51 does, and I love that company’s pens. But with this Insightful Spectre edition, all I can think is that I already have a black Squire and had a charcoal gray Squire (before I lost it), so why would I want another one that looks so similar? At least the Experiment edition, the second in Baron Fig’s subscription series, had a bright color and ink to match.

To put it bluntly: if you already have a Squire, there’s no need for this one. I’d like to see Baron Fig try something a little different and take a risk. Something simple like adding a knurled grip or flat edge would be great. Even doing a full-barrel design, rather than a tiny icon, could go a long way. Baron Fig has a lot of talent and creativity (just take a look at the great copy written for this Squire edition), but with the Squire subscription service ending, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for the final installment(s).