Best Cross ballpoint refill?

[InkyCarl]

I hope Schmidt will eventually make a Cross version of the "Easyflow" refill which they currently have only as a Jotter refill.

I just panned the Easyflow over in the Parker forum.. I admit though that it would make a good refill for the Cross pens in the sense that it is a more modern ink and for the most part one does not have to press hard with it to put ink on the paper. The Easyflow acts like a gel pen and I was happy writing with it until I had to draw a line...if I had draw a line of any length the ink would fade to nothing

as if the pen was drying out. So the lines and even letters from it became uneven as the ink flows then stops flowing.

 

Mine has variations in darkness depending on how fast I write, but it never fades to nothing. I think you might have a bad refill.

[InkyCarl]

I just got some "Penatia"-branded refills at Office Max. They work better than the last Cross refills I got, but a quick Googling suggests that Penatia is one of Cross's cheapo brands. They are both Chinese, but the designs of the refill tips are not 100% identical. They are only $3 for a pack of 2, so it's worth trying.

 

I also picked up a Calais model with the blue lacquer. It has a very nice wide body with a long continuous curve like a stretched football (not a straight tube with conical ends like the Century) which is very comfortable to use despite being a ballpoint. I recommend either the black or blue lacquer instead of the polished chrome because the lacquer has a little bit of a grip to it even though it feels smooth to touch. It's one of the cheaper Cross models, but it still has a metal hat end cap on the top like "good" models do. The only thing I would change is the clip, which is made of thinner metal than the standard models and had a few sharp corners at the end where the metal is folded.

[rminj]

Mine has variations in darkness depending on how fast I write, but it never fades to nothing. I think you might have a bad refill.

 

I exchanged the Easyflow refill (thanks to the kind paradise pen people). The replaced refill is a bit better but after writing with it awhile it still, frustratingly, keeps going faint at random times as one writes. Sometimes it

acts like a smooth gel and sometimes (like when drawing long lines) it acts like a ballpoint that is about to dry out.

A frustrating refill to say the least; it writes both great and poorly.

 

While I'd really like a more advanced ink for the Cross refills I don't think the Easyflow ink is the one Cross should

aspire to. So far from this thread, the Fisher refills sound the most promising.

[wttlford]

I find the China made Fine point refills to be unsatisfactory, but the China made Broad point refills to be quite good.

 

One might try the Monteverde manufactured Cross type refills, or the Fisher pressure "Space Pen" refills if they are still available in Cross format.

 

The Ficher refills are available for Cross, however only in black and blue.

[InkyCarl]

The replaced refill is a bit better but after writing with it awhile it still, frustratingly, keeps going faint at random times as one writes. Sometimes it

acts like a smooth gel and sometimes (like when drawing long lines) it acts like a ballpoint that is about to dry out.

A frustrating refill to say the least; it writes both great and poorly.

 

It has been many years since I used a ballpoint for anything besides forms and checks, so I had never used the Easyflow for a full page until now.

 

Mine also starts to act dry on a "Top Flight" notebook after less than a page, then seems to need a recovery period. I don't buy refills from Paradise Pen any more because they have given me too many old ones, but it looks like even a factory-fresh unit will give you trouble. The Top Flight notebook is not an especially good product.

 

It works better on a mystery Office Depot notebook I got today. It felt fairly smooth for $4, but I think I have tried them in the past and they aren't always the same.

 

It seems to work OK endlessly on a Rhodia.

 

Of course the Fisher works on any of them.

 

The Penatia is smoother than the Fisher, but it doesn't write as well on the cheaper paper (but seems more reliable than the easyflow).

[lovemy51]

Found the Fisher Space Pen refills that fit Cross BPs... guess they do have them after all! I think I may try one out: http://www.spacepen.com/blueinkfinepointcrosspenrefill-2.aspx

they seem to be pressurized too!!!! this is a good find. thx!!

[jread]

So, has anyone else tried the Fisher refills for Cross pens? I suggest the medium point as it writes more like a fine point. I imagine the fine point Fisher would result in an extremely thin line.

[Chrontius]

This is slightly off topic and I really apologize for whatever inconvenience this may cause...

 

But what exactly is "Selectip"? At first I thought it was the rollerball series but it turns out, I think, that it's not. Care to help a newbie here?

 

Thank you so much!

 

Selectip is their line of rollerball-type pens; the pen body however, is kind of a big general-purpose "boulder holder" that allows you to put in ballpoint, rollerball, porous-point, and hilighter refills. I've tried everything but the ballpoint, but I'm not big on BPs in general, so... Having said that, they all write pretty well, and the black porous-point ink is astoundingly waterproof. Let me fire up my scanner...

[vibin247]

I use Medium black in my Cross ballpoint (which I love because it's just the right ballpoint for me). I have used Fine, which I thought wasn't smooth enough, and Broad, which is also nice but not as long-lasting.

[trademark]

Thanks for all the preceeding intel. I have recently kissed and made up with my Cross Classic Century Pen & Pencil, 1968, 12-kt. GF, 0.09mm pencil. I am amazed that the USA-made Cross ballpoint refills will consistently write after decades of sleep, and I have recently tried several dozen. But, they are in character as dry writers needing a bit of pressure to write.

 

So I tried a new Cross Chinese-made broad blue refill and it is better than I expected. Write upon startup and is just wet enough to work without too much pressure.

 

I also ordered a dozen medium blue USA-made refills from Fisher's website in Nevada. I really like them, not just because they are made in the USA, but because they do not require much pressure on the paper to write. A very light touch works well, just like roller balls and fountain pens. The size of the line stroke is better with a little more pressure. Yes, it would be nice if Fisher made a broad/bold ballpoint refill for Cross.

 

Good luck, happy testing.

 

Mark

[pajaro]

I have been using the ballpoint refills Cross has made for the Selecttip pens. They seem to work with less pressure, and I thought at first that they were rollerballs. It's the first refill I have used in those pens that lasts more than about a month.

[rminj]

That is interesting.. My Cross Edge takes the Selecttip refills.. but I like it specifically for the gel

refill that puts down a nice dark blue line. I'm tempted to try the ballpoint but if its anything like

the regular cross ballpoints I envisioned a light blue line that I need to press hard with. That is the

blue refills always seem this way. I assume your talking about the black selectip ballpoint. I always

faired better with the blacks; the blue ballpoint ink seems to elude Cross...I await the day when they

revamp their ballpoint line.

[kaissa]

I would like to buy a Cross BP refill but cannot decide whether to buy Fisher M or Cross B. I like B a lot, and use MB B refill. It is the best I have for MB, Monteverde did not perform well.

 

To give you an idea I love the Parker gel refill (Have not tried Visconti yet). After that comes Quink flow, and then Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. MB B is last.

 

From what I understand Fisher M BP refill writes smoothly but draws a thin line. Cross B is also smooth. Any recommendations on which one to choose?

 

Thanks for your time,

[stuartk]

I would like to buy a Cross BP refill but cannot decide whether to buy Fisher M or Cross B. I like B a lot, and use MB B refill. It is the best I have for MB, Monteverde did not perform well.

 

To give you an idea I love the Parker gel refill (Have not tried Visconti yet). After that comes Quink flow, and then Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. MB B is last.

 

From what I understand Fisher M BP refill writes smoothly but draws a thin line. Cross B is also smooth. Any recommendations on which one to choose?

 

Thanks for your time,

 

I don't really like the way Fisher pens or refills write. I do like the Cross Broad refills though.

 

However, I'd say you should probably get both and try them for yourself. That's the only way to really tell.

[wpb]

Just thought I would update this thread based on my recent experience with a Monteverde refill in my Cross Century BP.

 

I have been using a blue medium Monteverde refill for about a week and it is excellent. I know this refill receives mixed reviews, so maybe the quality has improved. The flow is excellent with no skipping and just a few occasional blobs. The blue is dark and saturated and very smooth.

 

Anyway, hope this update is helpful. I have a few other brands I'm going to try, including Private Reserve which I was surprised to find in a Cross refill, and I will post updates as I go through them.

 

Bill

[atc729]

Just thought I would update this thread based on my recent experience with a Monteverde refill in my Cross Century BP.

 

I have been using a blue medium Monteverde refill for about a week and it is excellent. I know this refill receives mixed reviews, so maybe the quality has improved. The flow is excellent with no skipping and just a few occasional blobs. The blue is dark and saturated and very smooth.

 

Anyway, hope this update is helpful. I have a few other brands I'm going to try, including Private Reserve which I was surprised to find in a Cross refill, and I will post updates as I go through them.

 

Bill

Thanks for the update! I've been curious about those refills and wanted to hear more about them. Looking forward to the Private Reserve test.

[wpb]

I have tested the last two brands that I have, Private Reserve and Fisher. I will also include my thoughts on the Cross standard that I'm sure everyone has used.

 

Private Reserve, blue medium:

I only used this refill for about a page and it was acceptable; nothing special. It was the least expensive, so for the price it is a very good value. The blue is similar to the Monteverde, but a little dryer. There were no blobs and the flow, again, was a little dry, but not inconsistent. They don't seem to be as easily available as the others, but for the price, I think the performance is acceptable.

 

Fisher, blue fine:

This was my favorite. The blue is dark and saturated. I experienced a few blobs, but the blue is much darker than any of the other blues I tested and the line is consistent. As others have mentioned, you do have to press a little harder with Fishers, but I didn't feel like I was pressing that much harder than the rest. This is the one I will probably repurchase when I use up the others.

 

Cross, black medium:

I know Cross refills receive a lot of negative reviews, but I don't think they are that bad. It is the smoothest of the refills I tested. It does tend to blob more than all of the others. I don't have a fine, so I'm not sure if that is better. The black is dark and the flow is very good, despite the occasional blobs. I would use this regularly as my refill if the Fisher was not available.

 

In summary, I would rank the Fisher number one, followed closely by the Monteverde. The Cross would be next and then the Private Reserve. Unfortunately none of them are very similar to gel, liquid ink, or hybrid ink rollerballs, but for ballpoints they were all very acceptable, pleasant to use and should last significantly longer than gel inks, etc.

 

Hope this was useful.

 

Bill

Edited April 12, 2015 by wpb

[XLIV]

Just ordered a couple Fisher refills thanks to the reviews on here. When I called them they were extremely helpful and courteous. Online order with paypal was quick and easy.

 

Thanks

44

[XLIV]

They are the cats meow!!

 

Best 6 bucks I ever spent

 

44

[skyyye]

The Fisher refill also worked great for me (blue, medium point, SC1). Thanks to everyone for the very helpful discussion. I had been a bit frustrated with the most recent Cross refills I got.