Cross Is Not A High Prestige Pen In The Usa

[adamselene]

At least IMHO. I think they are super quality for the money, and had (still have?) great customer service with the efficient woman in
Rhode island.

 

i think Cross is sort of a poor mans’s St. Dupont, one of my icons. Again, IMHO

 

Thusly, i have a low sales resistance to old Cross pens: Townsend, Pinnacle, Signature, and the exciting, imperfect Verve.

 

Cross cartridges? meh. Converters are fine.

 

My question? Seems to me, Cross Is a premium premier pen in the rest of the world outside the USA, where it gets more respect than at home.

 

 

Your impressions?

 

Adam.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by adamselene

[Parker51]

Cross restricted itself for a long time to thin metal ballpoint pens and pencils.

Many people in the US received them as presents, used them a bit and found them uncomfortable.

The laquer finish comes off with heavy use.

 

They work very well.

They are no longer only thin metal pens.

They are very well made.

 

And so it is complicated; historically they were a bit boring though well made while in recent years they have changed and produced a variety of more interesting designs and pens of larger girth.

[Charles Rice]

Cross, at least in the past, has always been very well respected in the USA, perhaps not by members of the FPN, but by the average man on the street. They were the choice as gifts for the men in my wedding, and I got a pen and pencil set for my high school graduation. That was some time ago, so perhaps perceptions have changed.

 

I think it's important to distinguish between those of us who know a Mont Blanc from a Pelikan and those who seldom use anything but a Bic.

[N1003U]

It is to me a complicated question.

 

I have been using Cross products almost since I was able to write (almost 50 years). For the most part those were classic Century models, but in fountain pens I also still have a couple of Townsends and ATXs around the house somewhere, but they aren't in my regular rotation anymore. Why? Because they are unreliable. have scratchy nibs, and/or dry out too fast.

 

Cross has been around for a long time and has, IMHO, a nice selection of models, and they offer generally attractive and durable products.

 

The ballpoints, rollers, and pencils? Yes, they are great quality and good value for money. Are they a prestige pen? Complicated question. For their long brand history, classic styling and rugged construction, I would say yes. I still give Cross ballpoint/pencil sets as gifts occasionally. Would I gift a Cross fountain pen? Probably not. They are too much of a quality risk.

 

I don't see Cross fountain pens as such great value (mostly for quality control reasons) and as such they don't carry with me a lot of prestige. Why? Because my experience is that the standard Cross nibs are not good quality (certainly not the classic sense of having predictable, reliable performance), and many of the pens are over-priced for the features offered.

 

I find Cross nibs (at least their own in-house models) to be nail stiff (which can be OK, all else equal), scratchy, skippy, and generally a pain in the neck. Yes, one can tune them, but that only gets them partway to good performance sometimes, and pens should, for the most part, work out of the box. Which is a shame, because I think a company with the resources of Cross should have the capability to manufacture a decent nib and a consistent feed.

 

Years ago, Cross was actually a supplier to the company I was working for (a Tier One automotive supplier), because even 30 years ago, they were one of the few companies left in the US that still produced products with hard chromium plating (a wonderful hard surface that does not wear out easily). I don't know about today, but in those days they still had a great organization and had excellent quality systems in place. It certainly doesn't show in their current in-house fountain pen nibs.

 

I think Cross themselves maybe recognize the shortcomings in their own nibs in that they (smartly IMHO) outsourced the gold nibs for the Peerless 125 line to Sailor. The Peerless 125 is a lovely pen, hefty and fun to write with, but even it strikes me as a bit overpriced for a simple cartridge/converter filler.

 

I actually have a Cross pen on my purchase list (a Peerless New York City Special Edition), but it is because of the unique Chrysler Building motif and not particularly for the expected pen performance. If Cross made better nibs and moderated their price just a little, I would be back on their regular customer list in a heartbeat, but at present, I am not so enthused.

 

Cross a prestige brand? Yes, probably. Do they make prestige products? Yes and no. It is for me not an easy question to answer. As Charles Rice noted above, it also depends a bit on your standards. Compared to disposables, Cross is super luxury. Compared to Pelikan or Pilot, maybe a second-tier choice.

Edited January 10, 2020 by N1003U

[sciumbasci]

For what it's worth, I have discovered Cross here on FPN. Don't know anyone that has ever used a Cross pen either, and I have never seen one in any B&M store.

[Doug C]

I have a Peerless Tokyo, and it is a wonderful pen. As far as I know it is also made in China, which might explain some of the disdain some people have for the brand.

Mixed messages.

I think most people have an issue with paying hundreds of dollars for a Chinese pen, even if it is great quality and has a Sailor nib.

 

I'd love to see if the traditional American brands (Sheaffter, Cross and at one time Parker) made a resurgence in the US by producing products locally.

 

It might just be a pipedream..

[N1003U]

For what it's worth, I have discovered Cross here on FPN. Don't know anyone that has ever used a Cross pen either, and I have never seen one in any B&M store.

 

Cross products, IME, are sometimes difficult to find on the Continent, a bit easier in the UK, and in the US and Canada, you can find them (at the lower end of the range) even in the big box office supply chains. I have never really looked for Cross in Asia or elsewhere in the world, but a quick Google shows that they can be found in shops at least in HK and SG, and there are apparently at least a few dozen retail outlets across Japan that carry Cross products.

[como]

Cross definitely has less of a following among pen people.

[Rancho Gordo]

This makes me laugh. My father loved his Cross pen and pencil set and used it religiously with his Day Planner. I found them incredibly boring and when I discovered vintage fountain pens I went crazy. But his use and love of these writing tools probably is what is the basis for my current passion.

[como]

I am sorry for saying this, but I did find that most of their pens are either the fat or the thin version of the same thing, and lots of metal.

[tinta]

From the 70s to the mid 90s a thin, chromed Cross ballpoint was my go-to pen for making & marking notes on student's work. At this time, I also used a Pelikan 400NN with a bold OBB nib (sepia ink), for marking.

I remember how difficult it was to maintain a decent grip on the slippery Cross pen, particularly when I had to press hard to have my writing show up on the back copy of our report forms. These were all hand-written (often fully anecdotal in the primary grades), sent out three times a year. After the 30th (or more) student, my fingers were a wreck.

[pajaro]

At least IMHO. I think they are super quality for the money, and had (still have?) great customer service with the efficient woman in

Rhode island.

 

i think Cross is sort of a poor mans’s St. Dupont, one of my icons. Again, IMHO

 

Thusly, i have a low sales resistance to old Cross pens: Townsend, Pinnacle, Signature, and the exciting, imperfect Verve.

 

Cross cartridges? meh. Converters are fine.

 

My question? Seems to me, Cross Is a premium premier pen in the rest of the world outside the USA, where it gets more respect than at home.

 

 

Your impressions?

 

Adam.

 

 

 

 

 

In the 1970s and 1980s Cross was a prestige pen and was pocket jewelry for the office. Fashions change, though, and the hot setup seems to be Montblanc today.

[Karmachanic]

In the 1970s and 1980s Cross was a prestige pen and was pocket jewelry for the office. Fashions change, though, and the hot setup seems to be Montblanc today.

Yup. Still have the gold Century BP that was given to me Xmas1988. Parker 45 Brushed Stainless Flighter from 1974 sees occasional use for international travel. Cross, not so much

[inkstainedruth]

I have three Cross pens: a couple of Solos (at least one of which is marked "Made in Japan"), and one of the afore-mentioned Verves.

I like the Solos a lot. The nibs are nails, but very smooth. The first one came from the estate of a friend who was a calligrapher (someone tipped me off that that stuff was for sale at something I was at, and that there was a pen at it. I had to go home and do research to figure out what the pen was, and what type of converter it took; fortunately the people running the sale put it aside for me because when I went back on Sunday (there were some other things I was interested in) EVERYTHING in the tent had been sold -- except the pen. Which I mostly wanted as a memento as much as anything, but was surprised at how nice it is. The second one I picked up a couple of years ago at the Ohio Pen Show, and turned out to already have a converter installed.

The Verve, OTOH? Weeeeeelll.... The good news is that it only cost me a buck (happenstance find at a thrift store specializing in arts and crafts supplies) and someone in my local pen club gave me a converter for it. I keep meaning to pull it back out and try to learn to write with it by holding it high enough on the section so as to NOT get ink all over my hands.... Not sure who came up with the idea of that 2 piece nib assembly, but whoever it was clearly didn't think it through.... I gather they did some shindig at a jazz club in NYC for the pen's release . The scary part (to me) is how much Verves are going for the Bay of Evil.... (Someone else in my pen club looked it up online -- all I knew was that it said "Cross" on it -- and told me that one with a titanium finish was being listed for something like $425 US; I've seen one identical to mine except for the nib width listed at $185, but I took THAT with a very large grain of salt, given my prior experience with that particular seller....)

So, I'd have to vote as "It's more complicated at that"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Estycollector]

There was a time when I entered the corporate world that the executives all seemed to have a Cross pen and pencil set, some with company logos firmly attached. The higher ups had the gold version.

 

I remember seeing the gold fatter pens that were the FP type and admiring them.

 

Then, sometime in the late '80 everyone seemed to be talking about MB then later Waterman and Pelikan.

[pajaro]

Waterman and Pelikan? ??? Maybe for the pen in-crowd. In the real world, MB had it.

[CowboyBlue]

I think the heyday for Cross pens is long past. Personally, I love them, but I am dismayed that they are no longer made in the USA. I too would like to see the old pens make a return to American production. But that is just my patriotism talking.

[DrAtomic]

I'm rediscovering Cross after the bad memories of all metal ballpoints that were impossible to hold for more than a few minutes. As previously stated, they seemed intended to be desk jewelry and were usually gifts. I acquired a 14K nib Townsend and liked it, although the section was a bit small. I now have a Peerless 125 Platinum, which is a gorgeous pen (IMHO), has some serious heft to it, and is girthy enough to be comfortable for longer than a few minutes. The Sailor-sourced nib is also a joy to write with.

So perhaps a resurgence?

[GoldenNibs]

When it comes to the general public here in the US, they mostly think of either Montblanc or Cross when you talk to them about "fancy" pens. I do own a Century classic fountain pen which is a nice writer and enjoy using it. I do want to eventually find one of those rare vintage art deco at cross fountain pens they made back in the 1930's.

[pajaro]

I have 1970s Cross Century desk pens and use them all the time. Used classic Century ballpoints in college. Occasionally I use one of the 1980s fountain pens. Always a pleasure to use these pens. The do bring old memories up.