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Thread: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

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    Senior Member Silverbreeze's Avatar
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    Default Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    Are they any good? I keep seeing Cross with gold plating steel, which doesn't seem to be worth the Prices I am seeing

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    My first fountain pen was a cross bailey M nib steel. It writes very smoothly. I think the price was about 50 bucks

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a few. Quality varies greatly and in my limited experience the lower cost ones have been a better value. Cross Verve = terrible build quality, terrific nib. Cross Bailey (a < $20 gift boxed pen from around the holidays). Nice pen, good build and smooth nib. Worth the money and maybe a little more even. Apogee, 18kt gold nib which is nice but mine was slightly misaligned out of the box so skipped. I think these sell for bout $175 now and not worth that price IMO but the build quality was good. Cross ATX, steel nib but smoother than the Apogee and a solid build. Best value of the bunch IMO. My impression and my experience is the quality varies greatly so I never recommend Cross to a new fountain pen user even though they can be found in Staples and other non-fountain pen retailers.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I've had quite a few but gave them to my brother-in-law who loves everything Cross. The Townsends and Centuries were my favorites and there was also another Cross fountain pen but I forget the model.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    One of the first fountain pens I ever bought was a Cross Aventura with a medium nib. I think I paid around $50 for it at Staples. It wrote smoothly right out of the box, and I still use it regularly. In my opinion it is a decent pen and I have no complaints about it!

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have ben contemplating an apogee in frosty blue steel.
    WTB Sheaffer Balance oversized with a flex nib, semi flex, broad, or medium in carmine red or grey striated.
    Wtb Sheaffer Pfm in black or blue with a medium or broad nib.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I owned a few older Crosses: a fountain pen, two ballpoints, and two different mechanical pencils.

    I didn't like how thin and slippery they were, and I didn't like how dry the pens wrote, both fountain and ballpoint. They did lay down a nice fine line. Usually I like an understated look, but the chrome with black was just blech.

    I've given all of them away except for one ballpoint which was a gift and has some engraving.

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    Senior Member reprieve's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a blue Aventura with a medium nib. It was in the clearance bin at my local Staples and I impulsively bought it. Turned out to be a great writer. It feels a bit light and plasticky in the hand, and the nib is a nail, but the thing never dries out, never skips, writes a thick wet line, plays well with every ink I've thrown at it. I've been impressed with it.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a black Aventura, love the nib, it's a nice smooth and wet writer. But the grip section is slippery chrome, and I live in a humid environment with mildly sweaty hands, so I can't really use it for more than a sentence before it becomes too slippery for me to use. I think I will probably pick up a different Cross as some point, something with a plastic section that won't slip quite as much as shiny chrome.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a few Cross ATXs which I quite like. They are tough and reliable pens, simple and stylish, and write quite nicely. I like the ones in strong colours, like aubergine, or chili red. Alas, those were discontinued in Europe I think, and the current choice is the usual "any colour as long as it's black... or chrome".

    I also have a Cross Sauvage and have to say it hasn't really grown on me. A bit pretentious and too heavy - sort of American version of a Jinhao! Nothing wrong with it, just it's not my style.

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    Senior Member migo984's Avatar
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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a Cross Apogee Black Star. It writes well & is good build quality, but is a heavy pen and feels unbalanced when posted. Quite nice 18k nib. I don't use it very often but it was a birthday present from my parents some years ago, so I would never get rid of it.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a Coventry set that writes very nicely, but I've been trying to trade it.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    Quote Originally Posted by reprieve View Post
    I have a blue Aventura with a medium nib. It was in the clearance bin at my local Staples and I impulsively bought it. Turned out to be a great writer. It feels a bit light and plasticky in the hand, and the nib is a nail, but the thing never dries out, never skips, writes a thick wet line, plays well with every ink I've thrown at it. I've been impressed with it.
    I have the same pen. I agree that it writes well. Mine has a small, sort of hooked nib that looks kind of funny (it's not bent I don't think, it just has a huge blob of tipping material).

    I don't like the pen a lot though because I slip a lot on the section and it's too narrow to be comfortable for me.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    To each his own.
    I like the thin Cross Century pens.
    The original Century fountain pens are nice.
    The new Classic Century is thinner than the original. Probably to make it close to the diameter of the ball pen.

    Many/most of the other pens are too FAT and HEAVY for me.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a variety including the year of the horse, a giraffe, a century and 2 Townsends one of which is a sterling silver model.

    They all right well the 2 Townsends are pa particularly excellent.

    I also had a Verve, but that was too broad/wet for me.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    If any of my pens are feeling cross, I play soothing music until their mood improves.
    "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
    G.K. Chesterton

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I also have a number of these ATX Sport Pens. They are nicely balanced and quite reliable.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a matte black ATX that I really like

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    I have a Townsend with the 18K M nib. It was writing far too dry out of the box, even after I tested a few black inks in it. Eventually I took a brass sheet to it and now it writes beautifully - don't expect much flex though, despite the 18K gold. Also, the included converter is absolutely horrible, the piston seal is weak and it just feels cheap. Pen itself is beautifully made, though - I got the black lacquer with rhodium trim.

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    Default Re: Anyone have any cross fountain pens

    Quote Originally Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel View Post

    I didn't like how thin and slippery they were, ... Usually I like an understated look, but the chrome with black was just blech.
    I noticed something many years ago, that I still have not figured out.
    I college, my hand was sweaty and oily, and most all pens were slippery in my hand.
    That is except for the GOLD Cross pens. It was like there was/is something about the gold that did not let it slip in my hand. It was very strange.

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