Cross Year Of The Snake Review

[shomroy]

Hi, This is my first review. So please be gentle. Being aware of my love of, and craze for fountain pens my friends and family have started gifting me pens on several occasions. One such is the Cross Year of the Snake 2013 SE. I have not found many reviews of this particular pen on the forums and thought this might be helpful to others. This is also my first Cross Pen.

Vital Statistics:

Body: Metal with etched motifs of the snake
Colour: Metallic Blue (It is also available in black) with rhodium plated trims.
Nib: 18K-785, rhodium plated-also etched with a nice snake motif

Presentation

The pen comes in a classy presentation kit. The outer black cardboard box gives way to a faux-leather box with a snake-skin effect. It is very nice to the touch. The box opens to give you a peek at the pen itself lying on a felt like material with some more snake motifs. The top of the box contains a small transparent window with some literature on CROSS and the Chinese Zodiac Special Edition pens. Using a small ribbon latch, you can lift the pen to see the bottom chamber of the box with a nice little acrylic pen holder. The pen-holder is black with the same snake design as the box. Now, I wouldn't use the pen holder very much but I find this a nice touch from Cross for a special edition pen. Only qualm I have about the box and its contents is that the pen doesn't come with a C/C-you have to buy one separately. Some manufacturers will provide this, at least for a special edition pen, and also a vial of ink.

9/10

Appearance

The pen is quite striking in its appearance. It is a classic cigar-shaped pen with tapered ends. The lustrous metallic blue with (what I suppose to be) laser-engraved snake etchings is complemented well by the silver trims. The central band is a solid ring with CROSS and YEAR OF THE SNAKE engraved on it. The crown of the cap is engraved with some Chinese calligraphy-I would suppose it will mean the Year of the Snake. It is a looker? Oh yes! Is it a keeper? That's where we are going now.

10/10

Design and Build Quality

The pen is solidly built. To be honest, my expectation of this pen was clouded by my recent experiences with modern day Sheaffers. However, the built quality on this pen is much more robust. It is all metal with metal trims, of reasonable weight and girth. The length is a bit bigger than my MB 146 and M400, but smaller than the HS Midi. The clip is spring-loaded, which is a very nice addition. I wish more pens came with spring-loaded clips. The grip section is quite long, which is good for people like me with long fingers. There are no etchings on the grip section, which is a sensible design choice. The nib is solid 18-K gold with rhodium plating that is consistent with the overall colour scheme of the pen. It is etched with some (supposed) snake motifs and CROSS 18K-750 imprinted on it. This is a reasonably large nib, of the same size as the M400 and Sailor 1911M. It is aesthetically pleasing but will not wow you like some of the Mont Blanc WE nibs, or even a normal Pelikan M800 nib.

10/10

Performance

This is the part where the pen really lets me down. The balance of the pen is quite good for a metallic barrel. However, the nib is not quite smooth, and the feedback doesn't seem as pleasing as that on some Aurora pens. It has a sweet spot, though but you have to make an effort to hit that. There is little or no flex in the nib, and one can even find this nib quite stiff. I will probably send it to a nibmeister soon enough.

5/10

Value for Money

I haven't actually bought the pen, but a quick look on eBay suggests a price point between GBP 150-200. Now, if you are looking for a Special Edition pen, that is not a bad price to pay. However, my suspicion is it will nib additional spend on grinding the nib, atlas mine will.

6/10

Bottom Line

I want to love this pen-it is a solidly built pen, that you can carry with you anywhere. Even for a SE pen, it is not too gaudy but is sure to get to get you attention. The nib performance may leave you wanting for more.

Thanks for reading.

[vinvin616]

From what I can tell, the tip of the cap says snake, but not in chinese caligraphy rather it is a pre-modernized ancient chinese character. Good review and nice looking pen!

Edited May 5, 2015 by vinvin616

[shomroy]

Thanks-I guessed as much.

[max dog]

Thanks for the review. That special edition looks like the Apogee with a special finish and different engraving on the nib and cap band. I have two Apogees and my experience with the nib was quite the opposite. The fine and medium nibs are both quite springy and responsive. They are smooth with a nice feedback. Perhaps after your nib is restored by a nibmeister it will be much better.

[shomroy]

It does indeed look like the Apogee, although I never owned one. I hope the nib is one of those draw of luck, but it certainly does diminish the out-of-the box experience.

[blINK]

Thank you for the review shomroy. I have the very same pen and I love it. It is one of the 3 that I would keep if I were forced to limit myself. I'm always sorry that Cross seems like the red headed stepchild of the fountain pen world.

 

My nib experience is like max dog's. I have the fine nib on my YOTS pen and it is nice and springy and responsive. A real pleasure to write with.

 

I hope your nib is adjusted to what works for you. If it is, I think you will really love this pen.

[shomroy]

My wife tells me the same thing about this pen. Thank you, you have made me actually contact a nibmeister today after weeks of procrastination.

[dougeddy]

Very nice review and helpful comments. Thank you. I have just purchased this pen but there is no indication as to cartridge replacement size, just the cartridge itself which is very small, nor is there any indication of where to obtain a cartridge converter, which is my preference. Advantage to a converter is ease of flushing the pen and ability to use it, clean it and store it away. I hate cartridges actually. I only use them as emergency backup if I'm out and run out of ink.

 

Any help on the converter will be gratefully received.

 

Again, thanks for the excellent review and the helpful additional comments.

 

Doug Eddy

[Jerome Tarshis]

Hello to Doug Eddy. If you bought your pen from a retailer, either bricks and mortar or online, the same seller should be able to sell you cartridges and a converter. Cross.com will definitely be able to sell you cartridges and a converter. As will various eBay sellers.

 

The cartridge that came with the pen is the right cartridge. It is the standard Cross cartridge. No other is appropriate. Cross has made very slim pens that take a smaller cartridge and don't take a converter at all, but your pen is not one of those.

 

So regular Cross cartridges will do. And a regular Cross screw-fit converter.

 

Older models, such as the Century and the Townsend, among many others, take a push-fit converter that is still for sale. Beginning with the Century II, Cross has evolved to the screw-fit converter. Hope this helps.

[dougeddy]

Thank you so much, Jerome. That is very helpful. I was able to figure out the converter when I remembered I already had a Cross pen that used a screw in converter. So, I swiped from that to use on the year of the snake one I just purchased - perfect! I then ordered another one online.

 

I just don't want to be stuck just using a cartridge - not my style. Thanks again!

[MrThoth]

Agreed on above comments -- this pen uses the Apogee body. It's the only one of Cross's zodiac pens to do so, I believe. Dragon (2012), Horse (2014), Goat (2015), and Monkey (2016) all use the Sauvage body. The most recent one, Rooster (2017), uses the Townsend body.

 

Thanx for the review!

Edited July 9, 2017 by MrThoth

[rh968]

It's a real shame about the nib - all my Cross pens - Townsend, Apogee and Century II have all written with beautiful nibs not needing any adjustment. Looks as though you hit unlucky there - a bit like my experience with the Waterman Carene.