Cross Century II Chrome

[jabberwock11]

I have always loved Cross pens, since the day my brother bought me a gold Cross Century ballpoint with my initials etched on it's side I have had a warm spot in my heart for the Cross company. They are what first leap into my mind when I think of a smooth writing and well designed pen. The Cross Century II Fountain Pen fits into this ideal perfectly.

 

The appearence of the Century II Chrome is stream lined and built for smooth function rather than flare, something in me has always been attracted to thin smooth pens rather than the big and bulky Art Deco designs or the decoration adorned monstrosities that I tend to see being hailed as the greatest things to ever happen to writing. The chrome just adds to the sleekness of the pen, like a well fit suit this pen is understated without being bland and appealing without being the center of attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weight of the pen is middle of the road. I'm a fan of heavy pens, but I make the exception for this one, it sits well in the hand and lets you know that you have something there without being heavy enough to knock out a burgler. The cap does throw off the balance a bit when posted, but not enough to be a real complaint.

 

The nib is well designed and writes smoothly, however it does tend to put out quite a lot of ink. I tend toward fine and extra fine nibs because I hate even the possibility of ink smudging, the Century II makes things a little more tricky in that department. I deffinetly have to watch myself while writting with this one.

 

 

 

 

 

This pen works well with either a cartridge or the converter that it comes with. Normally I like to use Noodler's Heart of Darkness, but in the Century II I've found that the Cross Black (actually made by Pelikan, but branded for Cross) also work well with this pen.

 

The cost is about what you would expect for a midlevel FP, I picked mine up for $67, over all good price.

 

In the end this pen is everything that I hoped for and then some. It writes well, looks good without being an attention whore, and is what one should think of when thinking of a well designed and functionally top notch fountain pen.

Edited July 6, 2008 by jabberwock11

[TYoung]

agreed! excellent review!

[nolagraph]

Great review of a nice pen. My Cross Century II was my first fountain pen, given to me by my grandfather. It shall forever hold a place of honor in my lineup.

[Sharkle]

Thanks for a fine review! I have a Cross Century II FP in silver and it's a wonderful writer. Mine's an F, very wet writer that seems to like its own blue-black cartridges best, but does well with other inks too. I love that this is a metal pen that is neither heavy nor featherweight, looks sleek and basic, is very comfortable to use, and has a lifetime warranty. Enjoy your pen!

 

 

Edited to say great photos too. I think the background color is very complementary--nice choice.

 

Edited July 6, 2008 by Sharkle

[MiniMaupassant]

Great review - this was the pen that started it all for me!!! I now have two and I love them. The nibs, are on the wet side, but personally I like this and they are the smoothest writers I have. They are also robust and I don't worry about damaging them.

I use them on a daily basis and never get fed up of them.

I hope you enjoys yours as much as I enjoy mine!