Cross Solo Extinct?

[kubalai]

Hi all,

 

I have the Cross Solo FP in shinu black with gold trim with an EF & F nib. I wanted to get the roller ball & ball point set as well but have been told the line is no longer in production. If so I have tried ebay etc various retail & online pen shops but to no avail. Shame as out of all my FPs the cross is the most confortable and reliable. Considering I have a range from Waterman's to Cross CII, Parkers & MB that is a great accolade!

 

Regards

[Wizergig]

I have them all!!! Bwwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhaaaaaa

 

Actually I noticed that there were getting harder to find on even fleabay so I picked up as many colors as I could get. I even have a couple of frankenpens that were not comercially produced. Some were not available in the US, and what seems to be filtering down is the old backroom stock.

Edited October 2, 2007 by Wizergig

[rroossinck]

As I understand it, they quit making them quite a while ago. The reason that there seemed to be so many of 'em on eBay was because Cross had grossly overestimated the market for the custom silkscreened pens (i.e., medical reps, pharma sales, etc.). For a while there, the most popular colors to be had on eBay were the white ones and/or the green ones. Great pens!

[s_t_e_v_e]

I've come across quite a lot of solos in India. I bought a black GT solo last week for about $30.

[Taki]

About ten years ago I bought yellow Solo BPs at local dollar store for $3 or so. I gave away a few and kept one for myself.

[andyk]

Hi,

 

They do turn up from time to time on ebay, I'm sure that somewhere a couple of months ago there was a post about a new Cross pen which was basically a revamped Solo, can't find it and can't remember what it was called.

 

Not much help am I.

 

Andy

[RLTodd]

I think they quit making, actually importing from the subcontractor Pilot, the fountain pen a decade or so ago, more or less..... As far as the BP, I believe they kept that on a bit longer for their oem advertising pen business. I thought I noticed bulk printers of advertising pens still had the Solo BP in inventory up to last year, maybe plus a few months.

 

Nice pen, but a market failure. Might be one of the reasons Cross seems to avoid plastic bodied pens and the lowend FP market these days. To bad, I would really like a lucite bodied & capped Black or Brown GT Townsend.

[garyc]

I have them all!!! Bwwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhaaaaaa

 

Actually I noticed that there were getting harder to find on even fleabay so I picked up as many colors as I could get. I even have a couple of frankenpens that were not comercially produced. Some were not available in the US, and what seems to be filtering down is the old backroom stock.

So that's why I had to go all the way to ebay.com.au to get a broad green example . As far as I am able to tell, the nib is identical to my Pilot Lucina, but the pen itself is not so nice looking as the Lucina (though it came with a piston filler which the Pilot did not).

[Geddinight]

I own one Solo. That's plenty for me. Metal is where it is at for me.

 

[solaris]

Two of them here. Both superdooper writers. Great pens.

[andyk]

I have a full set in Blue with GT (FP/BP/MP and Selectapoint), also an FP in Light Blue with Black Trim and somewhere a translucent green BP which came with a matching swiss army knife.

 

Very good pens for the price.

 

Was the replacement/remake called the Radiance, or something similar, I think they were only on sale in the US.

 

Andy

[RLTodd]

FWIW, Not sure but...... I think the black trimmed ones were the OEM units for imprinting and the gold trimmed were the retail line.

[Tweel]

From what I can make out, the "hierarchy" goes:

 

Solo (various colors, black trim, single flush cap band)

Solo Classic (ebony/navy/forest/burgundy, 23k plated trim, single flush cap band)

Solo Classic Radiance (same colors and plating as above, raised "double" cap band -- similar to Townsend's, but larger)

 

The "Classic" and "Radiance" seem to have the same SKU numbers, and the box that my "Radiance" came in simply identifies it as a "Solo Classic". I'd like to know the timeline of these pens -- the one on the Cross website isn't that great.

 

-- Brian

 

[M3Pilot]

Hi all,

 

I have the Cross Solo FP in shinu black with gold trim with an EF & F nib. I wanted to get the roller ball & ball point set as well but have been told the line is no longer in production. If so I have tried ebay etc various retail & online pen shops but to no avail. Shame as out of all my FPs the cross is the most confortable and reliable. Considering I have a range from Waterman's to Cross CII, Parkers & MB that is a great accolade!

 

Regards

 

 

I'm also interested, if anyone finds a source. I have a set in black/gold as follows: Ballpoint, Mech Pencil, Rollerball, Rollerball w/ Stylus, Fountain.

 

I use the fountain daily, and would like to get another one or two in case something happens to it.

[jak]

I'm also interested, if anyone finds a source. I have a set in black/gold as follows: Ballpoint, Mech Pencil, Rollerball, Rollerball w/ Stylus, Fountain.

 

I use the fountain daily, and would like to get another one or two in case something happens to it.

 

they're available on ebay. I just bought one, though searching for 'cross solo' produced no results, i had to search on 'cross fountain pen' and then drill into the 'fountain pen' category and then filter the price to under $20 and then they started appearing in the results.

 

Examples:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Beautiful-Green-CROSS-...p3286.m20.l1116

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROSS-FOUNTAIN-PEN-LAQ...p3286.m20.l1116

 

 

Those two sellers seem to have a bunch of them.

 

I didnt buy from them but from some other ebay seller and mine even came with a converter

 

I like it so much it has replaced my lovely parker rialto for the moment. Cross is really under-rated I think. Every Cross I've tried so far has been pretty great.

Edited May 21, 2009 by jak

[cpsantillan]

I have one green solo,and it has a fine nib,though it writes a very fine line,more like an extra fine...I like it very much,it is simple and elegant,very good quality,and for the price,you cannot get anything better...

[Tweel]

My daily user for the last four years or so has been a black Radiance (M nib). At this point, it has a green Solo cap, because the derby broke on the original due to the sheer number of times it's been jacked in and out of its pouch.

 

I think Cross made a mistake in discontinuing the Solo -- it could be their FP equivalent of the Century ballpoint, selling for many years on end.

 

-- Brian

[RLTodd]

.....

I think Cross made a mistake in discontinuing the Solo -- .........

 

Had to. Couldn't sell them. Still find unsold ones around.

[thmsjordan]

I just ran across this thread and just wanted to add my +1 for the posts that mentioned that the Solo was a great pen. I have one (black fine point fountain pen) I bought some years back. I wrecked the thing by learning on it. I started as a very heavy handed lefty and I'm afraid I wrecked the fine point nib as I learned to lighten my grip. The thing went in to my "office drawer of no return" after I purchased a Waterman.

 

I recently got back into fountain pens and decided to call Cross and inquire about the possible repair of my Solo. They kindly replaced the nib with a medium point for nothing more than the $10 service & handling fee. It is now one of my favorite pens. It still looks like I just bought it. ( That is more than I can say for my Lamy Al-Star)

[hazcat]

I guess I'd better get 'em while I can if there are any left. I have a couple with the gold extra fine nibs and they are my main puzzle pens. I hate doing sudoku or crosswords without them. I got them on eBay for less than $10 years ago. BTW, mine like Aurora ink best.