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Hi all. It's been a tough few months - at the beginning of December, my marriage broke down and I had to move out. Luckily, I remain on good terms with my ex-wife and have joint custody of the kids, which is the most important thing to me. Less luckily, I got full custody of the debt, which was (and is...) all in my name. However, things are looking up. I've been working hard and saving what I can to pay stuff off (cleared about £4000 so far) and have decided that I deserve a reward. I've not bought an expensive pen for some time now. I think the last was my Platinum #3776 Century, and that was over sixth months ago, so I'm going to treat myself! I have about £150 to spend. So here are my options: Parker Sonnet Dark Grey with 18k nib http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61E6Dl14O9L._SL1500_.jpg Yeah, I know, the quality control, blah blah blah, but I'm happy to exchange nibs until I get the right one and I love Parker pens. I can't stretch to a new Duofold (a Big Red Centennial would be the dream) and I have plenty of vintage Parkers. I love the finish and nib on this. Waterman Carene - any chrome trim model http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61wYJW7-%2BqL._SL1500_.jpg I don't own any Watermen, so this is intriguing to me. I love that inlaid nib. Lamy 2000 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/614pTkWnDjL._SL1500_.jpg I don't think this needs any introduction. Surprisingly, this is one of my least favourite Lamy designs but I just feel like I should own one! Lamy Studio 68 (gold nib version) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51W0a8BpNOL._SL1000_.jpg There's definitely a dark grey theme going on here... I think I prefer this to the 2000. Cross Townsend (any 18k nib version) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21YicqSb9%2BL.jpg I like Cross pens. I've got an Apogee and have heard nothing but good things about the Townsend. Sailor Sapporo http://thewritingdesk.co.uk/sailor/sapporo_st_1022.jpg I do like Japanese pens. I can get this with a music nib, so that's cool. Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with soft-medium nib http://d15bv9e9f3al6i.cloudfront.net/imgs/products/cp/950_constW/PL40743-ZZZ~Pilot-Custom-Heritage-91-Fountain-Pen-Black_P1.jpg Interesting nib options here. Pilot never get it wrong, I don't think. So yeah, cast your vote! I'm most interested in reasons though, so please state why you think I should get one of these and not the others. If you reckon I should get something else (up to around £150), please explain - I'm open to suggestions. Ta in advance.

http://images55.fotosik.pl/675/0d6dd50f36cf2f79.jpghttp://images51.fotosik.pl/673/16aee6818b0cb35e.jpghttp://images53.fotosik.pl/674/827d07314b87eb2e.jpghttp://images54.fotosik.pl/674/a178cd90c94cd0db.jpg

I purchased the cross tech 3 over the cross tech 4 since the lead size used is .5mm lead and realized to feed new lead into it you could remove the entire lead dispensing mechanism from the pencil, is the cross tech 4 like this and if so can you swap the lead dispenser from the cross 3 to the cross tech 4. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Maybe this is an old deal, but I haven't seen anyone post it yet. Staples has the Cross Bailey fountain pen online for $10.89, in chrome, blue lacquer and black lacquer barrels. All have medium nibs, it seems. Here are links: http://www.staples.com/Cross-Bailey-Fountain-Pen-Medium-Point-0-85mm-Chrome-Barrel-Black-Each/product_1104565 http://www.staples.com/Cross-Stratford-Fountain-Pen-Medium-Point-0-85mm-Blue-Lacquer-Barrel-Black-Each/product_1104553 http://www.staples.com/Cross-Stratford-Fountain-Pen-Medium-Point-0-85mm-Black-Lacquer-Barrel-Black-Each/product_1104554 I've never used a Cross fountain pen (this one or any other) myself. Obviously the price is nice, but anyone have any experience with these pens? Are they any good?

Hey there FP network, as the title might suggest I am putting my very first fountain pen up for grabs. This pen is a Cross Aventura. This pen does not come with a converter or a cartridge but as the saying goes "Beggars cant be choosers." this pen has not been used that much it has at most 50 pages of writing on it and will be freshly cleaned before I ship it. This pen will be put in a box and shipped in the continues united states only. Thank you very much for everyone participation in this give away. Jack

Pen: Cross Bailey Nib: Medium Cost: $35 Packaging & Accessories: (8/10): The pen came in a square box with 6 ink cartridges but no converter. The white box it comes in is nice and holds the pen and the ink cartridges. The only quirk with it is that the pen cap have to separated to be put away, there are two slots, one for the cap and one for the pen body, grip section and nib. Appearance & Design (10/10) The pen has a matte black finish and looks like a much more expensive pen. The pen also has some good weight to it. It doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy like some other plastic pens I’ve used. The pen has modern executive feel that suits me well. This is the only pen I have where I look at the design of the cap and barrel and can’t think of any improvements. So I’m very happy with the appearance of the pen. Construction & Quality (7/10) The pen is made of brass and is solid. No complaints about durability or materials used. One of the drawbacks with the pen is the cap. Now this may just be my pen… But the cap takes an excessive amount of force to get off. While it is amusing to let others try to use it and watch them struggle to get the cap off it’s a real pain. Another issue I ran into is that the cap doesn’t like to post, you have to apply a lot of pressure to get the pen to post securely on the pen. Being an avid “cap poster” this is an issue for me. Weight & Dimensions: (9/10) As I said before the pen has some weight. It’s lighter than the Parker IM and a little heavier than a Pilot Metropolitan. The pen is 5.25 inches when capped and 5.50 inches when posted. This pen posts shorter than most other pens I have used but you don’t really notice it while you are writing. Nib & Performance: (9/10) The nib on the pen is nice, right on par with the metropolitan. It is however wetter than the metropolitan. It’s nice to write with and I have had no issues with skipping or drying out. The design on the nib isn’t overly fancy but that’s okay, how it writes is the important part. Filling System & Maintenance: (9/10) The pen takes Cross cartridges and a converter but doesn’t take international cartridges. The pen isn’t terribly hard to take apart, I’ve already done it several times with minimal struggle and effort so cleaning and maintaining is quite easy. Cost & Value: (10/10) I got this pen for $15 and it usually retails for $35. Would I be willing to pay full price for one if I lost this one? Yes, I really like this pen. For me this pen is well priced at $35. It’s built well, good nib, nice design, wet writer, very happy with it. Conclusion: (62/70 – 88%) Everyone has that brand they don’t like. When I originally saw this pen I saw it was a Cross and was like, “Nope, don’t like Cross pens…” But later I came back to get it because I loved the design so much. I am super glad I ended up buying it. It is now one of my favorites better yet, I’m starting to lose my bias against cross. So all in all I’m very pleased and would buy it again in a heartbeat.

http://i.imgur.com/ohVDjB3.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/vjYnoSU.jpg Sorry for the blurry photos. My only camera is an old phone that doesn't focus. I found this pen among some of my father's stuff. It has USA written under the Cross logo above the clipper. Does anyone have any idea which model this is?

Hey Everyone! My name is Tyler, and I just bought a cross aventura fountain pen. Now, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, and it's not really what I wanted. I should have done a bit of research before purchasing! oops. My big question is... Can I put a Lamy Calligraphy nib on this pen? If it's possible, how would I go about doing that? Any help would be wonderful! Thanks, Tpendleton

Hello all, I have this pen ready to sell but I really don't know anything about it. Does anyone have an idea what price I could ask? Here are the things I know: - The brand is Cross - It is a black ladies ballpoint - It was bought in England, probably in the 60's or 70's - It has the Original box including the warranty / instructional book - It has the Original sticker from the first owner It was a pen my sister inherited from her english grandmother. I will attach a few photos. Any information or guidelines for a price is welcome! Thanks you very much in advance! http://i60.tinypic.com/15d8iti.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/qy8nyr.jpg

Hi, I have got two old Cross classic century gold fountain pens from my father. I'm not sure about the age. They are marked: 1/20 10KT GOLD FILLED with 14KT M nibs. They have problems with ink flow, dryness and scraping. The pens have now been cleaned in water for over 24 hours. No more ink is coming out. But, I have problems removing the nibs for further cleaning and adjustments. Is it possible to remove them at all or are they fixed? They are not moving at all when pulled. I'm trying with a rubber band between my fingers for better grip, but no :-( Hope you have som good solutions for me :-)

Hi guys, I'm really not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but I'll give it a try. I am in a need of some extra money, so I have to sell some of the pens I've been collecting. I'm interested is there somebody in the Bay Area that would give me a fair amount of money, because I live in San Jose, California currently. My collection are mostly Montblanc pens with additions of other brands. It consists of both vintage and modern, used and unused fountain pens, pencils, ballpoints and rollerballs. What would you guys suggest? I'm also open to trades, but it has to be something that I'd consider keeping, although currently I primarily need money. Thanks, Nick

I visited a flea market a few days ago and bought a Cross Century set for $43. The price in my opinion was really good and the case and mechanical pencil was a bonus. After a little inspection I found some interesting markings on both of them. Both the fountain pen and the pencil were made in Ireland. I found on the net that if the fountain pen was made in Ireland it is from around 1982. Obviously they are the gold filled versions but there is not inscription like on my USA made ballpoint "-1/20 12kt gold filled". I checked the hallmarks used in Ireland but found nothing similar to these. On the pencil is written "CROSS , Made in Ireland , Plaque ORL" and a little hallmark with a T inside (see photo). The fountain pen has "CROSS , Made in Ireland" and a hallmark on the cap with a shield divided by an "X" with "A C T" (photo) also a similar hallmark is found on the nib "A C T Sté". Even if they seem like a set (in the inside of the box there is an inscription 14kt gold filled) they are diffirent: -Difference #1: the CROSS inscription on the fountain pen is in cursive and on the pencil is printer font -Difference #2: they have different colour pen is more pink and pencil more yellow My questions are: -What is the meaning of those hallmarks on the caps? -Were they from different sets? -Why is there no "gold filled" text on them? -The box is quite large, what was inside the box beside the pen and pencil? Any information, idea is greatly appreciated! Have a nice day!

So today I was walking through my local Staples in an attempt to purchase a Pilot Metropolitan as they received a fantastic review on Goulet Pens. Well, I was unsuccessful, but found the Cross Bailey on sale for $20 (US) After doing some quick research on a friends smartphone I discovered that this pen has few reviews but the few that are available give it fantastic ratings. Upon opening, inking and writing a few lines with it, I found it silky smooth, a perfect weight, and both orange and green converter compatible. Anyone else have any experience with the Cross Bailey? Mine is the matte black finish with nickel accents.

i came across these two offers... 1> @50% off a cross apogee fountain pen in both black and red colour. there is 30% off coupon on top(sparkle30)....on jabong.com link to the pen 2> pelikan m200 green marble body on flipkart.com @40%off for 5250. link to the pen not affiliated to any of the websites in any way. please use your own judgement. cheers. Vikram

Here's the link: http://www.ebay.in/itm/301310773352?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Item: 301310773352 Attaching few images in case, the auction doesn't show up on ur browsers Considering that I got it dirt cheap, is it at least a decent one ? or a fake ?

Hi, New here. I bought my first Cross today and really want to use green ink with it. I looked on the Cross site and it states the orange converter should work. However, my main concern is that the guy in the shop said that it didn't take converters because of the slim size. I can understand this as the cartridges are longer and thinner than the regular type. I just want to make sure! Thanks for your help, Juli

First Impressions (8/10) This pen came in a standard cardboard box from Cross. However, the pen is impressive. It has this wonderful cigar shape and this copper metallic shine. Appearance (9/10) I was in love with this pen when I bought it. Loved the shape and the colour, the sleek lines, everything. Design/Size/Weight (8/10) This pen has great looks. Unfortunately the clip in the cap is not very reliable and tend to snap so the pen cannot be securely clipped to a shirt pocket. Other than that it has a very good balance, capped and uncapped. Despite being all metal it is not a heavy pen. It is quite a big pen, though. length capped 146 mm, 124 mm uncapped,156 mm posted. Weight 34,2 g Nib (7/10) The nib is a very beautiful 18 k gold nib. The disappointment was the thickness of the line. I bought a Fine nib and it is rather a medium. This aside, it performs well, without skipping, although some blobs tend to fall sometimes. Filling System (8/10) The usual Cross converter. The good thing is the quality of the system that goes screwed into the section. The bad thing is that it is too long for the barrel and hits some sort of spring at the bottom. I do not know if this is a deliberate safety mechanism but it makes difficult to open the barrel and puts too much pressure on it. Cost and Value (8/10) This pen was on my watch list for a long time and I got it very cheap froman ebay seller in America. No complaints Conclusion (8/10) A very sought after pen. I like its looks, and in fact I got a rollerball pen with the same design. It has served me well during many years. I have attached some pictures but they are not very good, sorry about this.

Sometime in 1986 or '87 my father gave me a Cross Century Classic set as a gift (black/ gold finish; fountain pen, ballpoint and mechanical pencil). Shortly thereafter, the fountain pen was damaged after falling from my shirt pocket and was never repaired (parts got lost along the way). As the years passed, I kept wanting to replace the pen with a similar one but for one reason or another, I never got to bought it back. Last week I finally went to a pen shop to look for it, but I came away empty handed and feeling sad for what was shown to me. A far cry from the great pen of my memories. The black finish had almost the same texture, but the pen felt noticeably lighter. Also, the blind cap was a gold-colored contraption about an inch in length, that look cheap and also made the pen IMHO, look like a pirated version of the original (mine had just a gold button up there). To make matters worst, I was told that Cross had moved their entire production to China, which kind of mooted the point of expending extra for the brand. I still own the pen and pencil, and they definitely feel much more solid and of better quality than the "new" fountain pen. Does anyone here has purchased this new version? How does it compare with a 30 year old model?

Hi, I was hoping for some help identifying this Cross Fountain Pen. If anyone could give me any information at all, it would be much appreciated! Thank you Michelle

Cross Townsend (18K rolled Gold Finish) Introduction This pen was purchased from a purveyor of fine pens based in Rhode Island (RI), USA. I went to college in Providence, RI, but did not realise at the time that the famous A.T. Cross company was founded in Providence (1846), and had its global headquarters just 10 miles away in Lincoln, RI. After solely collecting Japanese pens for years, I decided to explore the offerings from the pen makers in other countries. Hence, last year I started to put together a collection of flagship pens that was representative of the major brands in the market. From various sources (including my parents who used fountain pens in school), I learnt that Cross made a quality pen. Hence I decided to purchase a NOS Cross Townsend in the classic 18K rolled gold finish for my collection. Why did I choose this finish? I do not shy away from gold trim on my pens - in fact, as a traditionalist at heart I will choose gold trim over silver trim if possible, because gold is the traditional colour for pen clips and trim rings. Old-style pen clip with the cursive "Cross" script. New-style pen clip with the block "Cross" letters. Pen construction and first impressions The pen is made of brass with an 18K rolled-gold finish, a very durable and thick gold-plating finish. It is unlikely that this pen will see brassing during my lifetime if I treat it with care. The pen cap initially came with a clip sporting the cursive "Cross" script. Because there was a significant scratch on the top of the cap, I exchanged the pen cap, and the new cap came with a clip sporting the block "Cross" letters. More importantly to me, both caps did not indicate the country of manufacture of this pen. It appears that Cross pens were originally made in the USA and Ireland, and later on in China. To the best of my knowledge, the country of manufacture used to be clearly marked below the gold hallmark on American- and Irish-made pens; however, Cross removed the country of manufacture when they started manufacturing in China. Although I have no prejudice against Chinese-made pens (as long as the pen is well-made), I was a bit disappointed to find no indications of the country of manufacture on this pen because it was specifically advertised as being made in the USA. The pen has a slip cap that fits tightly over the nib section. Although this works well for preventing dry-out when the pen is not used for a period of time, I wonder if the plastic clutch ring inside the cap is robust enough to withstand a lifetime of use, given the not-inconsiderable force needed to uncap or cap the pen. Because Cross offers a "full perpetual lifetime warranty guarantee" on all their writing instruments, however, I figure I should be covered if I happen to break the cap while using the pen. The pen comes with user-replaceable nib sections which simply unscrew from the barrel. Some users have complained that the nib section unscrews too easily from the barrel, and I concur. There are two disadvantages of such a tight slip fit between the nib section and the cap: first, the cap tends to create a partial vacuum during the action of uncapping, drawing ink from the pen onto the nib and into the inner cap (ditto for capping - the force required for capping can cause ink to spurt from the nib into the inner cap); and second, the tight fit of the cap can cause an inattentive user to inadvertently unscrew the nib section from the barrel instead of uncapping the pen. In actual use, however, I find that the pen construction is adequately robust. Although the pen diameter is a little too narrow, I find the length to be just right. I prefer using this pen unposted because posting the cap causes the pen to be top-heavy. The pen uses a cartridge/converter filling system. Nothing special, just that I had to purchase the (green) push-in converter separately. For the cost of this pen, Cross should consider including a converter in the package. To be fair, the reseller provided a lifetime supply (to me) of proprietary Cross cartridges with the pen (~twelve boxes of blue and black, six cartridges per colour). Nib section with a Cross cartridge inserted. Writing Experience (BB nib) The reason why I use fountain pens is because I love the feeling of a nib gliding across the page with minimal pressure, leaving behind a luscious line of liquid ink. The BB nib that came with this pen was adequate - even a little springy - but did not meet the minimal pressure requirement that I impose for all my fountain pens. Don't get me wrong - there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the nib or how it was adjusted before leaving the factory. I also like my nibs to write well at a variety of angles to paper - from near-horizontal to near-vertical. This BB nib did not satisfy, so I placed the pen on the Classifieds where it sat for a couple of weeks, not attracting a single message. Writing Experience (Naginata-Togi M nib) Fast forward a couple of weeks to the San Francisco Pen Show last week. I originally got Mike Masuyama just to work on grinding my Pelikan M1000 M nib to a cursive italic, but then I had a brain wave. I asked him if he could grind Naginata-Togi nibs, and he replied in the affirmative. So I took out my Cross Townsend with the BB nib and asked him to make it into a Naginata-Togi M nib. Mike Masuyama used to work for Sailor where he learnt all the tricks of nib adjustments from the Nagahara father-and-son duo, so I was confident that his nib wizardry would make me fall in love with my Cross Townsend again. Mike Masuyama and his charming wife. Mike knocked out the nib from my Cross Townsend nib section before proceeding to expertly grind it. He said that the nib and feed were made by Pilot, which was a surprise to me. The results of the nib grinding? Here are some before and after photographs. You be the judge. Before: After: Before: After: Before: After: Before: After: More importantly, how does it write? This Naginata-Togi nib writes well with zero pressure at a variety of angles, even upside down. I have been using this nib for the past week to write Tang Dynasty poems and the pen has performed admirably. For all its idiosyncrasies, I am confident that this pen will stay in my rotation as I struggle to achieve the calligraphic strokes that Mike demonstrated so effortlessly. Mike's calligraphy with a Sailor Naginata-Togi Broad nib inked with Sailor Blue ink (top) and a Sailor Crosspoint nib inked with Sailor Blue-Black (bottom).

I tried searching for an answer to this and couldn't, so I hope this isn't a repeat thread. I was playing around with my Selectip RB, trying to decide if I could open up the cartridge and refill it myself with fountain pen ink. The gel ink is... not the best. It takes forever to dry, and seems to skip a lot when I use the pen. At any rate, I discovered you can pull the very tip of the refill off easily (and got covered in ink in the process), but I was wondering if anyone else has tried, and how exactly would you get the gel ink out of such a narrow opening? I've yet to get an ink syringe, but it looks like one would fit in to actually do the refilling bit, but I'm at a loss at how to go about getting the gel ink out, other than just writing it empty. Maybe using a syringe to add water, soak, shake it around a bit and suck it back out? These refills are pretty expensive as single units, do-able as two-packs, but at the price, I'd rather get a disposable fountain pen! I actually got this pen (an ATX in Solstice Yellow) to convert into a fountain pen, but I may just go ahead and try to empty/refill the cartridge myself anyway for curiosity's sake. I just had to ask if anyone else out there has tried! Have you? Did it work? What did you do?

Hello everyone, I have recently got two Cross Classic Century 10k gold filled 4502 pens. I am new to the pen collecting and I dont know anything about the pen collecting world So first off, as a pen collecting newbie which I am, is there anything that I should know about Cross pens? And secondly, what is the value of these two pens I have? If you want more pics I can upload more http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/deathbymilk/media/IMG_2345_zps62b289f6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Which nib of yours is the one to which all comparisons are made? What is it about this nib that makes this "The nib to rule them all"? Mine is the factory stub on an Aurora 88. Absolutely perfect! Perfect ink flow, perfect line variation, perfectly balanced, perfect feedback. I in fact use this as my standard description of what I want when customising.

Pardon my ignorance and poor quality scans but does anyone know what the imprint on this nib is. Apart from the BB for double broad I cannot make out what the third letter is never mind what it stands for. It could be a T or a J. Any suggestion or help would be most appreciated. Thanking you.