Baux Pen 2
The Baux pen 2 is a follow up to the Baux pen which was kickstarted back in 2013 by brothers Dan and Brian Conti.
For those of you that don’t know, the Baux pen derived it’s name from Bauxite which is an amorphous clayey rock that is the chief ore of Aluminum. If you haven’t already guessed, the Baux 2 is an Aluminum replacement for your Bic Stick barrel. Upgrades for the Baux 2 include a 3-piece precision-machined barrel with lots of color options that allow you to mix and match. Titanium grips were also available in place of the standard Aluminum. And they also offered the ability to personalize the laser markings so you could add your name, nickname or even a short phrase. The base pen started at $9.
I really like ballpoint pens. They are unique in that you can achieve different variations of light and dark values just by varying the pressure applied. I like the round barrel of the Bic Stick but I always wished it was a little heavier. This design choice solves that issue. My pens now weigh 14g each as apposed to the 6g weight of a standard Bic Stic. They are also so much more attractive than the standard Bic Stic barrel. I opted for three different color barrels but all with Titanium grips. I am going to use them with the standard black ink that they came with but will eventually put in ink to match the color of the barrel. Because the pen is now heavier, there will be some time required in order to learn to use the pen effectively for sketching. The extra weight causes the initial line to be darker that the standard pen. I think it’s just a learning curve I need to get through. These barrels turned out really nice and the Titanium grips are smooth to the touch but the ridges offer plenty of non-slip grip.
I think the Conti brothers did a fantastic job on these. I am very happy with my purchase. It’s a shame that these will not be available now that the campaign has ended. I should have gotten a few more.
