New Cross Aventura in Staples

[Gendo]

They take Cross cartridges (black - 8921, blue - 8920, blue/black - 8924, brown - 8926S) and will also take a Cross converter.

 

Thanks for the info, especially about the converter. I'll get one right away. Of course, when I pressed the store manager on this issue, he "knew for an absolute fact" that a converter was not available for the pen. He shoulda checked FPN.

[bluemagister]

These pens, to me, are a lot like the low-end Parkers: decent nib and feed, LOW quality barrel. I've seen several of these with misaligned nibs, so be careful when you buy. For the same price as one of these pens, you could get a Platinum Carbon Desk Pen or Sailor Desk Pen and get blown away by either one. You could also spring for a nice Pilot Penmanship in EF and then a CON-20 and some nice Noodler's Bulletproof Black ink. A Pilot Knight is only $5 more and has a solid metal barrel. A Sailor Recruit is $15 and uses awesome Nano Ink cartridges. I tried out several of these Aventuras and wasn't impressed. Now, if they were $10, I'd buy some for loaners

 

There really isn't much to recommend in the lower price points for Parker and Cross, anymore. The Phileas* was the best value in that price range. Now, the Japanese pens are the best buy for the money, I think.

 

 

EDIT: The Pen & Ink FP is similar to this one (nice nib/feed, lower quality body) and it comes with a converter. If you get a well-made one, you're all set.

 

*Got mine full of either Nakahama or Polar Blue and I write miles and miles and love every second of it!!

Edited December 29, 2009 by bluemagister

[Silvermink]

Yeah, I can't really recommend the Aventura over the alternatives, either. There are a lot of better pens for the same money. Or less money, frankly.

[jasonboyd]

According to the e-mail I received from Cross, the aventura takes the green converter (item #8930).

[Silvermink]

According to the e-mail I received from Cross, the aventura takes the green converter (item #8930).

 

Really? That's counter to what I've read. I'll try my Townsend's green converter in my Aventura when I get home and report back (should've thought of that earlier - durr).

[jasonboyd]

I'm just going by what the e-mail said. What is the difference in the green and orange converters? I know one says screw, and I assume the other is not, but I'm new to this.

[Silvermink]

I'm just going by what the e-mail said. What is the difference in the green and orange converters? I know one says screw, and I assume the other is not, but I'm new to this.

 

I think the orange converter is a little wider, too. I tried the Townsend (green) converter in the Aventura and it's too narrow - it kind of fits, but it wobbles around a lot and I wouldn't trust it.

 

The inside of the Aventura's section isn't threaded, though. Anyone have an ATX, Apogee, Century, etc. and an Aventura and mind trying the orange converter in it?

[titanium500]

I've tried it. Well that's what I'm using in the Aventura. The fit isn't perfect and it does seem a bit wobbly. So far no leaks. And this is in reference to the Apogee converter in the Aventura.

[Silvermink]

I've tried it. Well that's what I'm using in the Aventura. The fit isn't perfect and it does seem a bit wobbly. So far no leaks. And this is in reference to the Apogee converter in the Aventura.

 

Huh, so I guess there isn't a converter that fits perfectly in it. That's a bit lame - you wouldn't think it would take them much effort to design it so it would.

[ballboy]

Push fit converter

 

Screw fit converter

[Silvermink]

Push fit converter

 

Screw fit converter

 

Those are the ones we've been discussing above.

[dunazee]

Hi all,

 

I too, recently purchased one of these pens. Overall, it's okay. Yes, rather uninspiring, but good for a loaner and for being tossed around in the handbag.

 

The bright spot, for me at least, is that I used a Staples rewards coupon. So, it took $28 off the $39.99 sticker price.

 

I got the black one with medium nib. Mine writes pretty well, generally. I don't mind its light weight (but I like a good cheap pen!). I haven't had any problems with the cap being "sticky", fortunately. But I have noticed that it's already showing signs of wear, and not on the exposed-to-the-purse-contents barrel, but inside where the cap rubs on the top (bottom?) of the barrel where it overlaps. Which leads me to believe that if I posted the cap I'd have similar wear marks on the other end of the barrel.

 

Anyway, does anyone know if I can put a universal (international?) cartridge in this pen? I can't believe that Staples doesn't sell the cartridges!

 

Thanks--d

[bluemagister]

Cross pens only take Cross cartridges and yes, Staples sells Cross FPs, but NOT the Cross cartridges, anymore. Some stores might have them on clearance (I got 4 6packsfor $1.50 each!), but Office Depot carries Cross carts as regular stock.

[Citizen]

This is a terrible pen!!! DO NOT GET IT! I blew $40 on this pen, it looked decent so I bought it, turns out that is a piece of junk. Made in China, this pen skips, does not immediately write on contact, scratches the paper, and the barrel/cap is rubbish. The barrel/cap is both plastic and feels VERY cheap, the cap will not stay on the barrel if you flip it upside-down. There are other alternatives at this price range.

[Citizen]

This is a terrible pen!!! DO NOT GET IT! I blew $40 on this pen, it looked decent so I bought it, turns out that is a piece of junk. Made in China, this pen skips, does not immediately write on contact, scratches the paper, and the barrel/cap is rubbish. The barrel/cap is both plastic and feels VERY cheap, the cap will not stay on the barrel if you flip it upside-down. There are other alternatives at this price range.

[ganzonomy]

Been sitting at my local staples for the past 3 to 4 mths. NOT a mover in the least. I think cross is trying too hard to modernize, and isn't doing it the right way. To me, the cross century styles (the thin one, the thick one) are Cross's bread and butter, and their departures (the edge, the atx, the aventura) seem to be too radical and the quality too spotty to justify their $30 to $60 price bracket. It encroaches too much on the entry-level lines of the "old regime" pens that have been Cross's bread and butter for decades. Additionally, it doesn't help that Cross transferred manufacturing to China and has not reduced prices proportionately to represent the lower cost of manufacture. It's akin to any other "radical experiment" tried by a company whose specialty is traditional pens. If you make a slinger, an IM, an urban, something designed to appeal to the younger / modern crowds, then it has to combine the quality the name is known for with a price that is attainable to a student or young professional. While most middle-aged and advanced-in-age persons tend to have greater levels of brand loyalty due to what's considered name cachet, most younger persons will give a brand ONE chance, and it's make or break each time that person buys a pen or other good. The minute they catch a perceived flaw, that's the end of the customer / business relationship. That is to say, rather than use prior performance in a relationship, each new transaction is done as though the prior transactions never existed. This means that if you're making a product to a younger audience, it better be just as good as the more expensive product... especially if you want them to return and buy more upscale product.

 

I'm not sure at this point what cross is trying to do... while I know other companies such as Parker make "low-end" models, they're at the bottom of the level and they don't impinge price-wise on other models (ie: the Urban isn't terribly close to the insignia or sonnet in price) and they have much of the quality of the higher-up counterparts. When I tried the Edge and the Aventura on the "sample rack", they felt a bit cheap... the one i had tried had a wobbly nib (perhaps abuse) and would skip in writing. Even if it a display unit, if the pen as a whole feels rickety, that doesn't bode well as a representative of the boxed pen. IT was a medium nib... and I'm not fond of it, and I won't be until quality improves, or the price comes down enough to make me overlook the faults ($10 or so)

 

Jason

[ThirdeYe]

This is an older thread, but regarding the spring mentioned above, I don't see what purpose it serves. I bought a green converter for it and it mentioned "Aventura" right on the back of the card. I tried to put it in, and it didn't want to screw down. I finally forced it down (this was before I knew there was a spring in there) and thought it felt springy and perhaps it was normal. I unscrewed the pen and the spring came with the converter. After prying it off the end of the converter and setting the spring on my desk, the green converter fits perfectly fine. I didn't really notice any wobbling with mine (yet). Just a heads-up to any other trying to use a converter with the Aventura.

Edited January 1, 2012 by ThirdeYe

[Mountolive]

It's interesting to read all the negative impressions of this pen.

 

I bought one of these on a whim (at Staples) over a year ago. I haven't written with it a lot (maybe 10 hours of writing time total?) but I haven't had any mechanical problems, the cap works fine posted, and its easily the smoothest, best flowing $35 fountain pen I've bought. It writes much better than the TWSBIs and other pens I've tried in that price range.

 

Maybe I just got lucky? If the pen had a thicker body (it is a little too thin for my preferences) it would probably be one of my most-used fountain pens simply because it is a great writer, up there with my Pelikan 1000 and my Sailor Kanreki.

[vinper]

I bought a black FP from Staples ($39.95) and the pen skips like crazy and is slow to start the ink flow. I'm in the process of trying some new cartridges. Orvis was selling some attractive models of the ball point in blue or red with a hand painted fly on a plaque attached to the pocket clip; I believe that they were selling for around $80 and I picked one up on clearence for $20-30. I just picked up a rollerball from Cross for $16 on sale. The ballpoint is a terrific daily writer and very attractive. I haven't tried the rolerball as yet, but the FP has been nothing but frustrating. Vin

[DeaconKC]

Aggravated here, as I bought one of these and it worked great for the first cart, but then has cross threaded and won't tighten up. So, back to Staples tomorrow.