Cross Bailey Light - advertised as "Fine Nib" but no way to tell from packaging?

July 16, 2021

I just got a couple of Cross Bailey Light fountain pens (£10 on sale, WH Smith UK) and 3 Cross refill converters (£7 each, buy two get one free, from same place). They were advertised as "Fine Nib", but now I have them, there's no word "Fine" on the packaging, and there's an "M" on the front. I'm not familiar enough with Cross or fountain pens in general to be able to tell a Fine tip at a glance. The "M" could stand for "medium girth", according to their website. Can anyone advise? Should I send them back?

Come to think of it, are Bailey Lights bad pens; should I return them while I have the chance? All I know about Cross is they made some beautiful 1980s (?) gold pens and pencils that a friend of mine has, and some equally awesome gold fountain pens. I don't know how well their more modern, Chinese-made, lower-end models compare. I can't afford one of their older/higher class pens yet, so was hoping a Bailey Light would serve me as an alternative until that day. Anyone know the thickness of line that Cross Fine nibs are supposed to draw? (I've heard Western "Fine" = 0.34mm)

July 17, 2021

If there's an M on the box, it means they are medium width.

It is possible that they packed and sent the wrong width with your order.

There are plenty of Cross Irish rolled gold pens on e-bay. If you are patient, you'll get a set for less than £30.

A lot of them were corporate gifts in the UK for years, so many ofhtem are hardly used.

May need a good soaking.

July 25, 2021

Thank you so much, Sandy.

I did some more thinking and examination of the pens after posting, and I realised, to my chagrin, that there is also a tiny "M" on the fountain pen nibs, beneath the Cross coat of arms. I had hoped that there'd been some packaging mix-up, since WH Smith advertised them as Fine (and also sells the same models in Medium).

They were medium, a good price, but not useful to me. I currently want to get a Fine nib, and want something nice, metal, heavy to give to friends - these looked very light and plasticky, and Made in China, so no better than JinHao (not worth using Cross lifetime guarantee on plastic pens). Decided they weren't worth it, and returned everything, with the exception of one of the Cross fountain pen converters, which I'm keeping against the day I get a proper one. Frustratingly enough, I missed a good one on eBay that ended up selling for £32 (link to finished auction).

Edited July 25, 2021 by Darthagnon
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