Cross Pen Ballpoint - Change To Gel Or Rollerball?

January 13, 2016

I have two Cross ballpoints - they were gifts from my company and very nice (the blue one is my favorite. Both because it's blue, and because it doesn't pick up ink stains like the matte silver does!)

Is it possible to put a gel or rollerball refill in these? I'm suspecting not, due to the inside diameter of the barrel, bye maybe something small enough is available.

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag402/klmcjilton/Mobile%20Uploads/20160113_121843_zps4dvtp9tr.jpg

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag402/klmcjilton/Mobile%20Uploads/20160113_121928_zpsujhfzab4.jpg

January 14, 2016

Cross briefly released a gel refill that was the same size as their ballpoint refills. However, there were a lot of leaking issues so Cross recalled them in order to reformulate the ink. I think they had a very limited public release. I love the many shapes and styles of Cross ballpoints, but their refills do leave something to be desired.

January 14, 2016

You'll have to look on the Cross website. They do some conversions, they have a pencil refill that can go in stead of a BP, and they have several sizes refills. I am not that much into BP/RB and Cross that I know all versions.

D.ick

January 15, 2016

Gel based ink will not last very long in that slim 'reservoir' think.

January 17, 2016

Not gel or rollerball, but Fisher makes a pressurized cartridge that fits the Cross pens. I have a fine point blue in one of mine and it's excellent.

January 18, 2016

Not gel or rollerball, but Fisher makes a pressurized cartridge that fits the Cross pens. I have a fine point blue in one of mine and it's excellent.

This is great news. I didn't realize that Fisher made a compatible refill. I'll have to check them out.

January 18, 2016

Not gel or rollerball, but Fisher makes a pressurized cartridge that fits the Cross pens. I have a fine point blue in one of mine and it's excellent.

Does it write without much pressure?

I had a Fischer space pen... I lost it from my pocket at work. I didn't like how it wrote (skipped a bit) but the geek in me loved the pen.

January 18, 2016

Their Satinink had promise, but like previous post, it had leak issues.

Hopefully they will get the reformulation right. Initially I was pleased with the hybrid ink but it shortly failed badly.

Good luck with the new formula. It really was pretty cool.. We'll see..

January 18, 2016

Does it write without much pressure?

I had a Fischer space pen... I lost it from my pocket at work. I didn't like how it wrote (skipped a bit) but the geek in me loved the pen.

The blue and black fine point take very little pressure. The red fine point takes a little more pressure, but still less than what I consider normal for a ballpoint pen.

The blue, black, and red medium point take more pressure (about the same as what you'd expect from a typical ballpoint). The medium point in any other color (green, purple, brown, etc) take more pressure than that.

My recommendation is to use the fine point and pretend the medium points don't even exist. To be fair, however, it's been several years since I experimented with the medium point refills. Maybe they're better now. I don't know.

Edited January 18, 2016 by flatline

June 6, 2016

The deservedly short lived Satinink MAY be in the new Click ball pen.

Still no word if this "improved" ink will be in upcoming(?) regular screw in refills for the Century/ other Cross pens?

Hmm.. Waiting to see..

June 15, 2016

The Satnink was put out and recalled about a year ago.. I recently complained about that and they sent me a current but standard medium blue refill.. it writes like (bleep). I would not pay money for their refills...how they think they are ok all these years is beyond me. I do not write with my Cross pens anymore.

June 16, 2016

Hi, From your photo, the grey pen might be an 'ATX' and the blue one IS a 'Calais', I have one also.

The Calais is a very comfortable pen to use, partly the weight and partly the width and good grip (and the deep blue colour.)

The refills are the standard 'Cross type' ballpoint, so there are a few choices of other third party refills to try.

I have a 'no name' black refill in one Cross pen which is really very smooth.

The new formula ink was made to fit the ballpoints, I did ask a dealer about this, but 'issues' have slowed down development I believe, but I would expect it to appear again at some point.

A quick check for refills in the UK found;

http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/MV18449/monteverde-soft-roll-refill-c13-for-cross-ballpoint-pens-pack-of-2

but there are many companies stocking a similar range of colours.

But generally. most rollerball refills are of a wider design than Cross ballpoints, so won't actually fit in the barrel.