Anyone have any cross fountain pens

[Silverbreeze]

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

Tom

[GING GING]

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

[fpquest]

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.

[jar]

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.

[Kurt S]

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!

[tarheel1]

I have ben contemplating an apogee in frosty blue steel.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

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.

[reprieve]

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.

[Tsuki yo]

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.

[amk]

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.

[migo984]

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.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have a Coventry set that writes very nicely, but I've been trying to trade it.

[gbryal]

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.

[ac12]

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.

[da vinci]

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.

[Kaputnik]

If any of my pens are feeling cross, I play soothing music until their mood improves.

[StacyBean]

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

[bulbboy]

I have a matte black ATX that I really like

[six3oo]

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.

[ac12]

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.

[KrazyIvan]

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 a blue one also and agree with all the comments. I was a bit surprised when it bettered my low expectations.

[Austin_Malone]

My Cross Bailey does not do well. Great even smoothing with a sing. Prone to hard starts, like hell to write with.

[Mags]

I purchased a Year of the Dragon fountain pen and had to open it up with a brass shim and later it just broke and was off for repair. It is in a box, looks pretty but it's not ever in rotation. That said it writes 100 times better after I adjusted it. Still very fine though.

[klpeabody]

The first expensive fountain pen that I purchased as a noobie to the hobby was a Cross Sauvage Ivory Python with a gold, fine nib. Since I was introduced to the hobby, I have bought and sold many pens. This one remains in my collection. I have been really happy with this pen in every respect.

[GING GING]

KURT S. Must have been watching over my shoulder because our comments are just about identical. A Cross was my first purchase, as well. 50 bucks, from staples. Writes as smooth as any pen I have

[GING GING]

13473

[jbb]

I have a couple of older Cross fountain pens and they're always been nice, smooth reliable writers.

[TMH478]

I have ben contemplating an apogee in frosty blue steel.

As am I! A beautiful pen! I have several Cross pens and I feel they are wonderful. I am a tad disappointed that the majority of Cross pens are made in China. However, I am not seeing any quality issues versus the USA pens that I have as well. My latest pen is the Herringbone Limited Edition Cross Century II fountain pen with a medium nib. It is VERY pretty and quite classy!

[Newjelan]

I have a Cross ATX in White Pearlescent. It's a lovely looking pen and writes well. I just find it the girth a little too narrow for extended writing.

[ac12]

I have a Cross ATX in White Pearlescent. It's a lovely looking pen and writes well. I just find it the girth a little too narrow for extended writing.

Oh you are really going to not like the Classic Century then.
It is about the size of the original Century ball pen, IOW pretty thin.

[Newjelan]

Oh you are really going to not like the Classic Century then.
It is about the size of the original Century ball pen, IOW pretty thin.

You're right there! I can't stand the Cross ballpoints, so will leave them to others.