You probably thought that I bought a fancy Begali paddle. Actually, what I got was a Begali straight key, the Camelback. Though fancier than my standard Nye-Viking rectangular, and my Chinese military reproduction, it is one of the most affordable Begali keys.
The base is rather plain, but heavy, phosphatized cast iron. Just a flat black color, but the important bits are gold plated. Still, it is an upgrade visually from what I have.
Begali was a pleasure to order with. They ask you to fill out a contact form or email them with inquires of what you are interested in. They have quite a number of products and likely produce in batches and need to check supply and maybe schedules. I was looking at either the Camelback or Spark. They had the Camelback in stock in the USA (Nils W8IJN), so I ordered that. The Spark model has an unusually shaped base, which I wasn’t sure if I liked it, so easy decision.
It showed up at my door 3 days later. Very simple setup, just adjustments for gap and tension. It has a very nice smooth feel, a big upgrade over the straight keys I have. It has been a pleasure to use so far. Here is a pic:
