The Vanguard Softcover is a series of notebooks from Baron Fig. They are reasonably priced, high quality cahier-style notebooks that sell for about $5 each. The Vanguard is sold in packet of three.
The Baron Fig Vanguard is sold in the following sizes:
- Pocket: 3.5″ X 5″ with 48 pages
- Flagship: 5.4″ X 7.7″ with 72 pages
- Plus: 7″ X 10″ with 104 pages
The notebook has a flexible, softcover that is bound with thread. This is a very similar design to the recently released Lamy Booklet as well as the Moleskine Cahier Journal. The Vanguard has a lie-flat design.
The acid-free paper is 90 gsm and come in a dot grid, lined, or blank pages. The dot grid has a tight 5 mm spacing while the lined paper is a 7 mm spacing. The book is 72 pages and is made is Taiwan.
One of the cooler features of the Vanguard is that it has a contracting stitch down the spine. Typically it’s yellow, which looks nice against the light grey of the notebook.
Baron Fig Vanguard Softcover Review
The Vanguard is in a hugely competitive space, so it’s hard to sing its praises too loudly, but this is a very good notebook. The cover is not water-resistant, which is a minor issue, but it does wear in well, giving it a really nice patina over time. The spine is surprisingly strong for softcover and hold up well even with extended use.
Baron Fig’s paper is the same across all their notebooks. It’s completely fine, but not exceptional. The paper is enjoyable to write on and holds up well to fountain pens. It’s smooth, but not too smooth. The dot grid is its best feature, with it having a small enough pitch to be like a line, but with the versatility of a grid.
The notebook is really classy in its plain design, which is much appreciated. The branding is limited to tiny line on the rear, back cover. This is really ideal and nicely sets the tone for a paper product, where what’s important is the contents, not the maker.
Baron Fig Vanguard Softcover Notebook Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Baron Fig |
| Models | Pocket, Medium, Plus |
| Cover Type | Softcover |
| Cover Material | Cardstock |
| Cover Color | Dark Grey, Light Grey, Purple, Yellow, Blue |
| Paper Color | White |
| Paper Decoration | Graph |
| Line Spacing | 7 |
| Number of Pages | 48 |
| Weight (g/sq/m) | 90 |
| Perforated Edge? | No |
| Refillable? | No |
| Paper Size | Custom |
| Paper Size | x , x |
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