Cross Aventura Review

[shamankl]

Disclaimer: Please note that this is my cross aventura review, other opinion of the pen may not be the same as my own since nibs and fountain pens at this price do tend not to be made with too much care. Hope you like it, my first review on FPN! :embarrassed_smile:

 

Appearance & Design (7/10)

The pen in my opinion looks alright,especially as a starter pen. It is on the lighter side and unfortunately does not come with a converter. The pen is mostly made of plastic with a cap that weighs more than the pen itself. The barrel of the pen is not stainless steel rather chrome plating which makes the pen very slippery if you have wet hands. Overall the design is a little old/vintage, but not anything extravagant or ugly.

 

Nib (9.5/10)

I'm sure many of the people who have used any cross before would agree with me that it is one of the smoothest nibs around, maybe even more than my sonnets. I think the pen works better with drier or well-behaved inks because the cross ink that it cam with tends to feather.

 

Filling System (6/10)

The pen only comes wit one cartridge of black ink. A really good cross converter is possible for like four dollars on amazon so not too many hard feelings.

 

Price and Performance (9/10)

At forty dollars it writes like a 200 dollar pen(Parker Sonnet) with a minimal problem of slipping that occurs to me minimally. It a good deal because i can only think of two other pens worth that a similar price and has c/c(not pilot varsities), actual nib(not parker vector nibs), and caps that don't dry up your pens.

 

Overall (8.5/10)

For the price, a great starter pen not only because it writes smooth but because you don't have to face drying up problems of piston(pelikan and mont blancs) and flushing the pen before using it(parker sonnets and some unlucky waterman users). But if you are planning to be a daily user i would recommend the new TWSBi 540 because piston hold alot more ink than c/c pens and its about the same price.

Edited August 17, 2011 by shamankl

[iduncant]

I've had the pleasure of purchasing one of these pens as my first own FP. My father was always very interested in pens and had a couple old Montblanc pens so i always had an interest.

 

It's a very good pen for the money, but if you're on a budget its something you would be able to buy and not worry about getting a few scratches in.

 

My question was what converter works in this pen and i'm happy to report that the orange screw-in cross converter works just fine, but there are no threads to hold it in there, it holds in only by friction.

 

Thanks for the review!

[OcalaFlGuy]

So many people are at the bottom of the Cross ballpoint rut and can't see out that Cross DOES HAVE other nice designs.

 

IMO, your pen has a clean classic look do it. Some very strong Waterman hints. (The barrel bottom looks like the Carene bottom and the clip resembles the Man series clips.)

 

and, it does exactly what it's supposed to, write nicely.

 

and, it's (relatively) inexpensive.

 

and still many avoid the brand like the plaque.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL-I just don't get it

[D.Gray]

I have one of these and am waiting for a converter to come (Cross makes a converter to replace the push on cartridge). I use it with the cross cartridges and on some papers (mainly cheep copy paper) there is feathering, but on better papers this pen writes very well with no skipping (even if it is a little scratchy on papers.. and no I haven't tried the brown bag trick yet).

 

I would recommend this pen for anyone, and recently found out that Franklin-Covey is selling these for $25.00 (and they have the converters for $5.00). I am in no way shape or form associated with Franklin-Covey; I just shop there.

 

Dave

[shamankl]

  On 8/17/2011 at 5:27 PM, iduncant said:

I've had the pleasure of purchasing one of these pens as my first own FP. My father was always very interested in pens and had a couple old Montblanc pens so i always had an interest.

 

It's a very good pen for the money, but if you're on a budget its something you would be able to buy and not worry about getting a few scratches in.

 

My question was what converter works in this pen and i'm happy to report that the orange screw-in cross converter works just fine, but there are no threads to hold it in there, it holds in only by friction.

 

Thanks for the review!

 

the green one that is normally for the townshead; lol... i wanted a to purchase a mont blanc recently too i feel like im getting old

Edited August 17, 2011 by shamankl

[shamankl]

  On 8/17/2011 at 6:21 PM, D.Gray said:

I have one of these and am waiting for a converter to come (Cross makes a converter to replace the push on cartridge). I use it with the cross cartridges and on some papers (mainly cheep copy paper) there is feathering, but on better papers this pen writes very well with no skipping (even if it is a little scratchy on papers.. and no I haven't tried the brown bag trick yet).

 

I would recommend this pen for anyone, and recently found out that Franklin-Covey is selling these for $25.00 (and they have the converters for $5.00). I am in no way shape or form associated with Franklin-Covey; I just shop there.

 

Dave

 

u know if u want to use better ink just buy an ink syringe refill your cartridges it is a bummer for such a great pen.

[ThirdeYe]

I'm surprised that your nib is so smooth. I bought one recently with a medium nib and I find it a bit scratchy... scratchier than most of the nibs I have. I still like the way the pen feels, though.

[RookSeven]

I have one of these pens as well, very smooth nib indeed.

[efchem]

I got this pen from a student at the end of a semester. It is a decent pen that I leave on my desk. The nib is relatively smooth and I have left it inked for weeks during semester break and it started up right away next time I used it.

[whitelily]

Unfortunately I didn't like this pen at all. I tried my pen out today and hated the nib. It's scratchy and I'm longing for my waterman pens already... Maybe I should try another ink..? I'm very disappointed, and I don't think I will buy a cross again.

 

I also think it is a very wide medium..

Edited September 10, 2011 by whitelily

[RockFL]

I also have one of these pens, purchased on a whim from Staples with a 25% off coupon. I had an extra Cross green converter at home, so I've been able to use it with Parker Penman Ebony.

 

It's an okay pen, but the nib took some adjusting and some deliberate heavy pressure to get it into alignment. I agree that the line is on the wider/wetter side of medium.

 

Not the best pen I own, not the worst......strictly a grocery list, toss around pen. A bit better than a Hero 616, but a Lamy Safari seems to be better built.

 

Nothing to be proud or ashamed of, IMO.

[MrsWeetag]

I bought one on impulse today. Mine is blue and also has a medium nib. I'll need to get a converter but I found the nib very smooth. The ink didn't feather at all on the things that I wrote on, including a Hallmark card. For $40, it's a good buy, I think.

[whitelily]

Do you think it is possible to send my pen in to Cross and have the nib changed to a F? (I know this is possible with Waterman pens)

[DeaconKC]

I picked one up 3 months ago and it has worked it's way into the regular rotation for my work pens. Smooth nib, starts every time and is a very comfortable fit in my hand.

[Philosophy Student]

Mine came with a converter. And yes so smooth. I find it much for smoothwith that cross ink its very lubricating. My cross nib section separated and would leak all over my hands.

[DeaconKC]

Sad to have to say this, but mine has failed with just normal light use. Taking it back today to see if Staples will exchange it, if not, I will send it in to Cross.

[hazcat]

What was the failure? Did it break?

[DeaconKC]

The threads on the body stripped out while swapping a cart, they are very shallowly cut and may be the weakest point in this pen's design/execution. also, I got it at Office Depot, not Staples so I have head there to try to exchange it.

[lwslade]

Since when did converters become available for the Aventura? Which Cross converter does it use?

 

Not that I'm bothered much. I've just discovered through brute-force experimentation that Aurora ink cartridges fit nicely into mine. I haven't used it in a while, mostly because I'm not all that fond of Cross's cartridges. With an Aurora Black in, it's made a quick return to my daily writing arsenal, and I'm even starting to like the M nib on it. (At least, I think it's an M.)

[miatapaul]

  On 1/23/2012 at 11:07 PM, lwslade said:

Since when did converters become available for the Aventura? Which Cross converter does it use?

 

Not that I'm bothered much. I've just discovered through brute-force experimentation that Aurora ink cartridges fit nicely into mine. I haven't used it in a while, mostly because I'm not all that fond of Cross's cartridges. With an Aurora Black in, it's made a quick return to my daily writing arsenal, and I'm even starting to like the M nib on it. (At least, I think it's an M.)

 

They do not have one "officially listed" but the push on one, not the screw on one will work. If you email customer service they will tell you that. I have read that people have made the screw on work, but I think they just force it on and likely ruin the threads in the action. But the converters are only $5. I have also heard of people using international cartridges in them as well. I got mine (pen not converter) at Office Depot on clearance for under $20. It really is just another Chinese pen with a Cross stamp on it. It really is a shame what has happened to a once great American company. I like my pen for the money, and it is what got me into fountain pens, but I have $3 pens that are just as good, and likely better made.