The Cross Apogee

[David Shafer]

This is a review of the Cross Apogee purchased in early December 2006. I have used this pen exclusively for letter writing and daily penmanship practice. My reintroduction to Fountain Pens also started with the purchase of the Apogee.

 

FIRST IMPRESSION: Normally I’m a watch nut. However, I have learned that now-a-days, things crafted with care are a rarity and I have come to appreciate them. As I have grown older I have realized that our memories fade with time. I decided it was time to start writing them down, thus the need for good writing instruments (notice the use of the plural, plus pens can be cheaper than watches). I was in Mori Luggage one day and noticed they had some pens on display. The shiny silver Apogee caught my eye right away, when I dipped the pen I knew then that I wanted to try fountain pens again. This is so “Old School” but new at the same time.

 

The first thing I noticed was the “Heft” of the pen; I knew I was holding something substantial but not cumbersome. When I wrote with the pen there was a clean bold line and it felt smooth while writing. I have developed a preference for writing with the pen capped which has a tendency to make the pen a little top heavy. For me this has the tendency to make the pen rest securely in the crook of my hand. It is hard to explain, it is not unbalanced, and it just feels comfortable to me.

 

APPEARANCE AND FINISH: I have the chrome Apogee. It is finished with solid chrome end pieces on the cap and barrel. The main part of the barrel and cap are etched with a Barley Corn pattern. This makes the pen easy to grip and helps eliminate or reduce fingerprints. I haven’t found out what the section is made out of however it is quite smooth and also has chrome appointments. The bottom of the cap has a brushed chrome appointment separated from the barley by 2 solid chrome rings, one on either side. The cap is not a screw on but firmly snaps onto the barrel with a loud click. There is a plastic sleeve in the cap which has a ring that the section slides into. There are no worries that this cap will pop off as it takes quite a bit of pressure to get the cap off the pen.

 

The Clip is spring loaded and takes a little getting used to. The clip sits flush with the cap so you must depress the top of the clip to open it to get the end of the clip over your pocket. The top portion where you have to push is short and requires a bit of pressure to open the clip, not something easily accomplished one handed. I find it easier to use two hands, which makes a “production” out of putting your pen in your pocket. (I use this time to let the ink dry on my checks). Once in your pocket this pen is going nowhere. You could do jumping jacks and not worry (Legal Disclaimer; I’m not responsible if you attempt this at home).

 

The layout of this pen is pleasing to the senses, feels great holding and writing with it and with a dark shirt as a background this pen shouts for attention.

 

SIZE: Nomenclature as follows;

Capped Length: 5.56” or 141.2mm Uncapped Length: 5.02” or 127.6mm

Barrel Length: 3.02” or 76.80mm Section Length: 1.87” or 47.42mm

Cap Length: 2.62” or 66.5mm Section Width: 0.44” or 11.27mm

Barrel Width: 0.48” or 12.29mm Cap Width: 0.53” or 13.59mm

 

NIB DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE: The nibs are made of solid 18k Gold with rhodium plating, available in M, F, XF, and B. I purchased mine with a medium nib. So far this pen starts every time and writes smooth as silk and it lays down a clean wet line. There was something different about this pen and I wasn’t able to put my finger on it until I had a few others to compare it with. (Again notice the short passage of time and the use of plurals) :ltcapd:

 

One of the joys I have discovered while writing with fountain pens is the unique sound each pen makes as the nib moves across the page. The Apogee nib “sings”. It reminds me of a tuning fork, I don’t know if it is supposed to happen this way but I think it’s cool. It doesn’t always do this, and it seems to only present itself in the middle of the page where the tension on the paper is at its peak.

 

I have noticed little or no nib creep and every once in a while it will skip, usually as a result of a lengthy pause. The nib has a little flex, no where near what my Namiki Falcon has but more than my Lamay Studio.

 

FILLING SYSTEM: This pen will use the standard cartridge and cartridge/converter. The Converter screws into the section which makes me comfortable knowing it will not pop off unexpectedly. Filling the pen requires you to dip the nib all the way to the section to get good results. This requires some additional cleaning after filling. I have not completely filled this pen all the way up no matter how hard I try, there always seems to be a gap of about 1/8”. This may be the norm for this pen? The converter holds a decent amount of ink, enough for 3-4 multi-page letters and daily penmanship practice.

 

I’m not sure of you are supposed to do this but when my pen skips while using the converter I will check for air space between the ink and the plunger. If there is a gap I will hold the pen nib up and turn the converter mechanism to push the air out. This seems to increase ink flow and the pen stops skipping.

 

COST/VALUE: I purchased this pen at Mori Luggage and paid full suggested Retail $145.00. What can I say it was one of those impulse things where I had to have it and I didn’t want to wait for a delivery. I rationalized it this way; it cost much less than the Mont Blanc Starwalker sitting next to it. Most online retailers have it priced from $116-$130, which I believe is money well spent.

 

CONCLUSION: I love this pen. After you get used to the clip this pen begs to be worn. The 3 variations of chrome make for an exciting package. I have removed all shirts without pockets from my limited wardrobe except for the 2 polo’s. Even my t-shirts have pockets. I have received numerous compliments about my great pen. It writes like a charm, it’s comfortable to hold and is a joy to own!

[southpaw]

Thanks for the thorough review, and continue enjoying your pen(s)!

[JMC]

Thanks for the review.

I am planning to purchase this pen in 'frosty blue' for my son. I have picked out a medium nib from Amazon.com for 104$

 

[Belan]

I've purchased a "Frosty Steel" version of the Apogee a month ago and have been using it as my daily pen since then. I typically prefer a Fine nib, but I decided to give the XF and M a try just to make sure I was selecting the right nib. It's not terribly flexible, but it's not a nail. The 18k nib was a suprise on a pen that was only $140 over the counter.

 

The only thing that I dislike is that the pen is actually a bit too wet ... it bleeds on top of the nib quite frequently. I haven't taken it on a plane yet (I travel overseas frequently for work), but I'm probably going to stick it in a ziplock bag, and wrapped in paper towels ... just in case.

 

One nice item to note: If you use cart., the barrel can accomodate a spare cart. if you turn it backwards and slide it into the barrel first.

[Opus104]

Congrats Belan. Do a search on air travel here and you'll find a lot of suggestions. For those non-travel days, you may want to try a different ink from a bottle using your converter. That "bleed" or nib creep is often an ink related issue.

 

Enjoy - and welcome.

[Belan]

Congrats Belan. Do a search on air travel here and you'll find a lot of suggestions. For those non-travel days, you may want to try a different ink from a bottle using your converter. That "bleed" or nib creep is often an ink related issue.

 

Enjoy - and welcome.

 

Thanks

 

I had hoped that by using their cartridge ink I'd be avoiding any ink related issues. I've got Aurora ink that I use for my Parkers, so maybe I'll break out the converter and give that a whirl. Thanks for the tip!

[cfyoung]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write that wonderful review. I recently bought a Cross Apogee in the "Frost Steel" style. I love the look and feel of the pen; it really does have quite a heft to it. Unfortunately, I had to send mine in for repair because of a faulty feed, but Cross fixed it quickly and it is now back in my hands--the turn-around time was only 5 days, which surprised me. At any rate, as your review stated, it's a great pen. And a great value.

[Penhead]

I agree with the postitive comments about this pen. I have the Frosty Steel version and, other than occasional ink bleed on the nib, have no substantial complaints. Glad to see others are generally finding this pen to their liking too.