Century II FP & Classic Century BP + pencil

[Itsacon]

Hi all.

 

New to the forums, but wanted to thank you all.

 

Recently I was looking for a new fountain pen. I was using an old Pelikan, which had, aside from being worn out, a nib too large for my handwriting (F), which combined with Pelikan's (in my experience) slightly runny ink led to a rather 'blurry' script.

 

I've had a Classic Century ballpoint for a long time, and always liked it very much. The balance to weight ratio on that pen is amazing. But it still isn't a fountain pen. It made me think though, maybe their FP's are as good.

 

Looking around, I came to this site, and the reviews here really helped.

 

I am now the proud owner of a complete set: CC ballpoint and pencil, and CII FP.

 

I got the XF nib (23 karat) on the fountain pen, and am using it with the convertor and black Cross ink, which I suspect is rebranded from somewhere else, since it says very clearly 'made in Germany'. If anyone knows more, I'm interested to know.

 

But I digress.

 

The FP just writes amazing. Ever since I got it, I've been looking for excuses to write :-)

I use it posted, and the balance and length is just right for my hand. If I use it unposted, I find the XF nib tends to 'scratch' the paper, and I don't get the gliding feeling I expect from a fountain pen.

I did look at the Townsend, but the shorter nib put me off, as I tend to hold the pen rather far forward.

The rubbery-plastic grip on the Century II is very comfortable, even over long periods of use. It is actully softer than it looks, but not so soft as to give an unsteady grip (a problem I had with the Pelikan, which had a real rubber grip).

 

The ballpoint is, as I said, very nice to hold. I might get a fine cartridge for it though, next time it needs a refill. Always used medium, but seeing as how nice the XF FP is, I'm gonna try a bit smaller.

 

The pencil is very nice too. It's a tad lighter than the ballpoint, due to the fact it has less 'insides'. The balance is the same though, and since you need less pressure for a pencil, it doesn't matter. Only real problem I could find was the eraser. It's hidden away far inside the the pen, and removing the endcap is actually rather hard.

I've always preferred 'normal' erasers though, so I think I'll just keep that one for emergencies. I was unfamiliar with Cross's 'twist activated' pencils, and as an engineer, I must say I like it :-)

 

Again, thank you all for the good reviews, and I hope this is of some use to someone else in the future :-P

Edited July 21, 2006 by Itsacon

[Goodwhiskers]

Welcome, Itsacon!

 

Good review. Thanks for contributing.

[joseanes]

I love my new Cross Century II, XF nib. (grey one, steel nib) I loaded it with the regular black cartridge and love the sharpness at which it writes.

Been thinking about buying another one, the black one with gold plated nib, and filling it with black, while I keep the grey with blue.

 

I always loved the Century Ballpoint, and its pencil partner. (Still own the pair given as a graduation gift by some family friend).

 

Thanks for the review. Very accurate.