CROSSBailey Black Lacquer Medium Nib Fountain Pen incl. Premium Gift Box – Refillable Catridge Pen

The Cross Bailey fountain pens are fairly average, with medium stainless steel nibs that are best described as "above adequate". Where this off-shoot of that range shines though, quite literally, is in the lacquered finish.The lacquer on the red and blue pens is simply gorgeous. They each have a deeply hued outer layer which somehow seems to provide a translucent depth to a silvery under-layer, creating the impression of depth. They catch the light well and the silver-coloured ornamentation sits well with the colours.I have specifically bought the red and blue editions to use with red and blue inks, using the Cross converters which are sold separately. They are a fine addition to the collection at the price point Cross sells them at, and I would recommend them to any enthusiast looking to expand at low cost.

It got 5 because for the price it looks great a bit Mont Blanc like and classy, the cap is a bit stiff and takes a bit of pulling off but otherwise this is a nicely weighted pen, it writes very nicely and is a bargain for the price. I liked it so much I bought another one as a gift

Good pen, nice and smooth. I am a left handed person and the pens causes me no issues, smooth with no stutter.

I have wanted a decent fountain pen for a while now, as I do a fair bit of writing at work.Cross has a very good reputation for manufacturing quality pens, and I wasn't dissapointed.This pen is all I expected, easy to fit cartridges, easy to fit an ink converter (available separately) and, ultimately, easy to write with.No pressure on nib required and it glides across the page.The only issue that I have, is the lid does not sit on the pen end when writing, which is where I like to keep it.For this reason only, I have deducted 1 star.

The pen is all I expect from Cross and writes well when dipped in ink. This pen did not however come with spare cartridges as described. This was not a national disaster as I am waiting for a converter to arrive. It would however have been nice to have tried the alternative.

I purchased the red and chrome one and it does look great. The ink flow though is terrible. I tried it with the cartridge that came with it and also with a converter and Montblanc ink which I know is quality. If you force ink into the nib it writes smoothly for a page or so then dries up and becomes unusable. The Waterman Expert I bought recently is really great and if you want something stunning, go for the Waterman Carene in Amber with a fine nib. The Carene medium nib is a little broad. The Carene is a masterpiece and writes better than my Montblanc 146.Dave.................Further to this review Amazon sent me a replacement pen and the new pen is also terrible with ink flow constantly stopping but ink leaks out everywhere. This is with a cartridge or the proper converter. I will be sending both pens back and sticking to my Waterman's and Montblanc.Dave.

The pen worked for a month, then the flow of ink started failing making it difficult to write with. I cleaned the pen and tried again but to no avail. Also the cross ink has gone stringy despite being stored correctly. Currently, the pen is unusable and Cross have failed to reply to my enquiries - not a single reply in 2 months! Avoid like the plague if I was you. It's a shame as the pen looks and feels great.

Beautiful design. I find myself seeking out things to write so that I can use the pen! Wanted to start writing again and this is a great not so expensive pen to get back in groove!