Opinion Of The Cross Brand

[whistlerbumps]

Hi Guys... I am looking to get a pen as a business gift (budget ~$75-100). A friend recommended Cross as a reasonably price option. Does anyone have an opinion on the quality of their products compared to alternatives? Thanks in advance- WB

[Joe in Seattle]

Solid, reliable.

[sriramoman]

Cross is indeed the best option! Pens in similar range include Parker and Pelikan, but Cross provides unsurpassed quality, beyond 9 dimensions.

[FLJeepGuy]

Cross builds an excellent pen. They tend to have classic understated looks and are built to last. I believe they still offer a lifetime warranty as well.

[aawhite]

I agree with all the above comments for the Cross pens made in USA or even Ireland, but for the Chinese made Cross pens, I cannot say for sure.

[Parker51]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

[FLJeepGuy]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

You might want to check with Cross as it should be covered under their warranty. Basically, if it's a Cross pen, it's warranted for life.

[Mike 59]

Hi, I hadn't used Cross pens until roughly a year and a half ago, but when I did I could tell straight away, the quality is obvious.

Very well designed and made from a very old company, refills available in all the stationer's shops I know, and good to know that Cross support their products with a lifetime guarantee, not just a few years.

One point to look out for, is to try out any pen of interest first, as some pens are not very suitable for some users, i.e. some people like thin pens, others just don't. Cross make all types so it's worth doing some research first, in shops if possible.

[Parker51]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

You might want to check with Cross as it should be covered under their warranty. Basically, if it's a Cross pen, it's warranted for life.

The Warranty is Mechanical, not on the finish, and mechanically the pen is still excellent.

[whitedot]

Cross would make an ideal business gift.

• It is a widely recognised brand in the States with some status. Come'on, Obama uses Cross.
• It is not at all fussy. It is easy to use, easy to maintain, solid and reliable.
• It is relatively inexpensive and good value for money.
• It is covered by a lifetime warranty.

[FLJeepGuy]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

You might want to check with Cross as it should be covered under their warranty. Basically, if it's a Cross pen, it's warranted for life.

The Warranty is Mechanical, not on the finish, and mechanically the pen is still excellent.

I stand corrected. I went and read the fine print on their web site. You learn something every day!

[alphie]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

You might want to check with Cross as it should be covered under their warranty. Basically, if it's a Cross pen, it's warranted for life.

The Warranty is Mechanical, not on the finish, and mechanically the pen is still excellent.

 

I sent Cross a chrome century ballpoint whose outer finish was very damaged, but functioned fine otherwise. They replaced it no questions asked. I suggest you contact them.

Edited September 21, 2012 by alphie

[adyf]

Very underrated brand in my opinion. I've used the after sales service twice in the UK and it was excellent both times. Far superior to the after sales service I received on a Waterman Edson and a Visconti Homo Sapiens which are both expensive pens. A luxury pen should mean luxury after sale service too.

[torstar]

Nothing wrong with the product Cross puts on the market.

 

I'm not a purchaser of their product because I received about 25 of those silver thin ballpoints pen (gakk!!) and there aren't any bells and whistles to entice me back.

[Emmetrope]

Recently purchased a Cross Apogee, might be slightly over your price range, but wonderfully smooth to write with and makes studying just that little bit more bearable

[jslallar]

Well, Mechanically Excellent, reliable, yes, but I have had problems with the finish coming off after long use. I used to use a Gold Plated (U.S. Made) Ballpoint as a daily writer (I do not like Ballpoints, but decided if I was needing to use one I should use one of the nicest and best writing ones) and the finish started to come off, literally, the gold started to wear through. I do not believe that it is my unique physiology that caused this, as I have worn a solid gold wedding ring, with no appreciable wear for 27 years, In the past I wore a gold chain for several years without noticeable finish loss, and I have experienced no "brassing" on the Pelikan, Parker, and Sheaffer gold plated pens that I have and use. This being said, I still have that Cross pen and it still is a great writer.

You might want to check with Cross as it should be covered under their warranty. Basically, if it's a Cross pen, it's warranted for life.

The Warranty is Mechanical, not on the finish, and mechanically the pen is still excellent.

 

I sent Cross a chrome century ballpoint whose outer finish was very damaged, but functioned fine otherwise. They replaced it no questions asked. I suggest you contact them.

 

 

I would agree witht that suggestion. You may well be surprised by the service you get.

[Mike Schutz]

I've been a user of Cross products for over 40 years. From BP's to Fountain Pens, I've been very satisfied with this product.

 

Until they started shifting production to China. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the drop off in quality. Take your fingers and run them accross a US made pen and a comparable Chinese made pen. There is a noticable difference.

 

Although I am a Cross fan with over thirty Cross pens in my collection, I WILL NOT BUY ANY CROSS PENS MADE IN CHINA.

[Mike Schutz]

I've been a user of Cross products for over 40 years. From BP's to Fountain Pens, I've been very satisfied with this product.

 

Until they started shifting production to China. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the drop off in quality. Take your fingers and run them accross a US made pen and a comparable Chinese made pen. There is a noticable difference.

 

Although I am a Cross fan with over thirty Cross pens in my collection, I WILL NOT BUY ANY CROSS PENS MADE IN CHINA.

[JonDoh]

The American made Cross pens were of the highest quality. The current Chinese made ones are junk. I have two fountain pens that I have sent in for repairs numerous times and they're still both broken. The ball point Century pens are made of some very light weight metal and when you turn the barrel it doesn't catch, but keeps spinning. The ball point and roller ball refills are horrible. People put Fisher Space refills in the pens. I could go on, but you should get the idea.

 

At one time I bought a lot of Cross pens to give as client gifts, but now giving a client one of these pens is an insult. I told Cross as much when I stopped buying their pens. Oh, and that lifetime warranty which used to be so great. They now ask for a $30 fee to do warranty work. I guess they have so many defective pens coming in they had to start charging for the repairs.

[max dog]

Avoid the cheap Cross pens in the blister packs sold in some of the discount Super Stationary stores. I've had some issues with Cross pens I bought sold in blister packs. I dont know if they get them discounted from certain distributors not necessarily sanctioned by Cross. They were selling Century IIIs for a while, which Cross does not even show as a line up in their website.

 

The ones I bought on line or at reputable pen shops that come in the standard brown gift boxes, "made in China", are all solid and well made like the older US made ones I have. I have two USA made Sterling Silver Townsends and one is lighter than the other. I believe Cross started making pens a little lighter at one point while they were still made in the USA, and not the result of production moving to China. It is a shame Cross moved production to China, and hope they bring production back to these shores one day when the economy picks up, but the current Cross pens are not junk.