When I purchased a Verve from Cross immediately when they come out I wasn't satisfied with the cap closure. A week ago I found Verve in golden shimmer (looks more brown to me) and discover that Cross really improved the cap closure. I love the Verve!

HOw is the cap closure any different. I have a Verve in Merlot and the cap is friction fit with 3 pips. How did they change the design? I love the way my verve feels and writes and might be interested in buying another pen body to attatch my 18k nib to.
Thanks!

I have an older model and a newer model. The friction fitting is now longer/wider and the pips more pronounced so it is a much tighter fit.

What nib did you get? How do Verve nib sizes compare to other Cross pens?

More questions added with this edit:
refillczar mentioned that the Verve nibs are made by Namiki. Does that mean that they run fine like Pilot/Namiki nibs?

My new Selenium Blue has an XF nib. Which I much prefer to the "fine" I had in the chrome. So much so I just mailed the chrome off to Cross for a nib swap to an XF and to have a loose clip repaired. The nibs themselves do not run "fine" like the traditional Namiki nibs. They are what most of us in North America are used to from the major manufacturers.

I really like the pens. For a modern FP they write well, look great and are well made.

I have the radial chrome model and have not had any problems with the clip. I love this pen; it has great balance and a smooth nib. I am not surprised to hear that the nib is made by Namiki. I would love to buy another one - I find the merlot very attractive.

My experience with the Verve is that it is the worst pen on the market today. First the good, it looks great and the fine nib on my platinum writes extremely smooth.

Now the bad, the thing leaks ink all over my fingers. The ink emanates from where the clamshell nib assembly attaches flush to the pen body and from along the seam between the top and bottom of the nib assembly. To avoid getting ink on my fingers I must hold this pen unnaturally high up from the nib tip making the use of this pen most uncomfortable. Even then, the ink leaches out so readily that the slightest contact with these seams causes ink to soil my fingers. I like to believe that this pen is defective and can be fixed. However should this pen be working as designed then, for me, it is the worst pen in my collection.

Have a great 4th.

There've been previous reports of writers getting ink on their fingers from a Verve. If you usually hold your pen very close to the nib, the Verve probably isn't for you.

This reminds me of the Pilot Vanishing Point, where a person's grip determines whether he/she loves it or hates it --- some people find the placement of the VP's clip on the gripping section to be uncomfortable.

-Mike

I think if ink is actually leaking, you should send it back to Cross. I have two Verves and they are among my most favorite pens. I hold the pens close to the nib, but still on the section (and not touching the actual nibs, and not on the seams between the nib and the section, which would be an awkward grip for me). I have never ever had a problem with inky fingers or ink leaking from the seams. I have had GREAt experiences with my two Verves.

Petra

Thanks for your replies. I am disappointed to read that others have the same problem and that the pen is designed this way. It is poor human engineering. If one measures the nib tip to where one can get inked, the length is greater than any of the classic nib designed pens such as the Pelikan M400, M600, Cross Townsend, Cross Century, Waterman Philias, and Sheaffer Balance to name a few. As you know all of these classic styled pens have a fixed place where your fingers are forced to stop.

Pens with inlaid nibs made by Shaffer, Waterman, and Parker (51) don't have a stop and thus the user can write with their fingers closer to the nib. However in the case of the Verve, it is not unreasonable to hold the nib at the point where your fingers get inked, since this location is further away from the nib tip than the classic styled pens mentioned above. Thus the design should have accommodated this.

Not all things are made perfect and some things in life have their quirks, such as the Verve. This for me is a pen that will be collected and not used and will be a great example to teach my engineering interns to think about the human engineering aspect of product development. What better way to make this point than to let them use this pen and get inked.

Here’s wishing you all great weather, good barbeque, and great fireworks on Independence Day.

Since I don't have any inky fingers problems at all, I would say a Verve may not be the pen for your writing style -- but I wouldn't call it "poor human engineering." Maybe inlaid nibs are just not going to work for you if you hold the pen so close to the nib.

There are after all a variety of pen sections and styles -- some people find the Safari great from an ergonomic point of view for example, while I can't stand it. But I wouldn't say it's poorly engineered just because it doesn't match my preference.

P.

I hope you also let them try a Cross Townsend, or some other fountain pen, that doesn't have the peculiar gripping issue of the Verve. I'm sure you wouldn't want your interns to think all fountain pens have that problem

-Mike

You are absolutely correct. You always need to compare what is good with what is poor to learn the difference. The Townsend and Century’s are some of the finest. The Verve is a beautiful pen, but caveat emptor.

I read in another thread that you have to be careful not to get ink into the two grooves alongside the nib. I avoiding that and so far I am not having any problem with inked fingers. Steve

I have this problem with a Waterman Carene. In the end I admitted defeat and don't use it very often. It's one reason I've not been tempted by the Verve.

The good news is that the Verve should not leak and I just had a bad pen. I also have a Carene and it does not leak either. So send it to Waterman for repair and you will be on happy camper.