Cross Affinity Fountain Pen Review

April 21, 2011

I just wrote a blog post reviewing the Cross Affinity.

I know it is an external link, but please check it out. Maybe at some point I will post the full review on here. Until then here is the link below

http://laplumenoire....ain-pen-review/

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This review was taken from my blog: La Plume Noire. All images were photographed by me. Please do not upload them for commercial purposes.

Appearance and Design

Cross Affinity is a beautifully designed fountain pen, made entirely out of Crystalline Resin. There are three types of colours to choose from: Opalescent Black, Crimson Red and Jewel Blue. As a person who hates making decisions, choosing a colour fountain pen took a long time indeed. In the end, it was between the Crimson Red and Jewel Blue. Being a female, I ended in choosing Crimson Red. Although the Jewel Blue looked slightly more tempting. The Crimson Red is a gorgeous dark red fountain pen, that now lies upon my desk, waiting to be picked up and written.

The Cross Affinity also features a twist-off cap. So a simple pull would not do the fountain pen any good. In fact you could damage it.

Another design disadvantage is the material. Although the fountain pen is light, the Crystalline Resin on the pen looks too thin, which may cause the pen to crack in certain places.

Comfort and Durability

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When it comes to comfort, a lightweight fountain pen is definitely considered. The Cross Affinity, without a doubt is light. With the cap posted, the pen does add more weight, but doesn’t lose the overall balance. Thus, you could easily write more, without tiring the hand.

Considering that I have smaller hands than the average European person, the Cross Affinity fits perfectly. In actual fact, it is a lot harder to find gloves that fit me, than it is to find a fountain pen.

Nib & Writing Performance

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One of the most important features of a fountain pen is the nib. The nib comes in all different sizes, but the main sizes are: Fine, Medium and Broad. I have always preferred a Fine nib myself. The nib size would also depend on your handwriting style and font size. The Cross Affinity fountain pen comes with a stainless steel nib. A simple, yet elegant style nib; although not as beautiful as other nibs I have seen in the past.

The Fine nib is somewhat smooth. However, it is fairly scratchy at times, which you do comes across with using Fine nibs than the standard Medium. Additionally, the nib is not as smooth as a traditional gold nib, i.e. a Sailor fountain pen.

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Filling System

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There are two ways to fill a fountain pen with ink. You could use ink cartridges, which Cross has supplied; providing you with the main primary colours: black or blue. Or, which I prefer, you can use the converter. Therefore, you will be needing bottled ink. A simple twist of the converter suctions up the ink from the bottle. A not so messy task, providing that you have paper towels (not tissue) to clean your fountain pen of excess ink.

One of the main advantages of using a converter, is that you can use any coloured ink that is available. There are a wide variety available for fountain pen fanatics. However, you will need to clean your converter before using different coloured inks. This is to stop your pen from blockages and supply a maximum flow of ink to the paper.

Cost & Value

Fountain pen offers a range of prices, ranging from the extremely cheap to the shockingly rare and expensive. As a result, a fountain pen collector could spend a lot of money on purchasing their favourite pens.

The Cross Affinity fountain pen costs £66 (RRP). Although you can purchase it for a lot less online. I believe I bought it for around £40. Is it worth the price? For the writing performance, yes indeed it is! For the materials that was used to make it, perhaps not.

If you would like to buy the Cross Affinity fountain pen, then I would suggest this UK website: PenFountain. However, most fountain pen stores should stock the Cross Affinity.

Conclusion

This is a beautiful fountain pen that writes very fine. If you are looking for a fountain pen under £100, then I would consider purchasing a Cross Affinity. However, there are many better fountain pens out there for a more reasonable price and probably better material.

Edited June 29, 2011 by watch_art

April 21, 2011

That's a very well written review.

The Affinity seems an aesthetic and attractive pen, and it looks stunning in crimson.

A pen of this price should not, however, feel scratchy, albeit a fine nib. Perhaps the tines are misaligned?

April 22, 2011

Outstanding review and great photographs! The narrative was thorough yet led the reader pleasantly. Your assessment of the pen seemed natural. Great job!