Cross brand ink or another brand?

[ExcaliburZ]

I just got a ATX a couple weeks ago and so I am still using the Cross brand ink cartridges. I want to switch over to using the converter because I will be moving to Shanghai, China in the next couple of months and finding cartridges will be hard and shipping is not that practical unless I do a huge batch. I have been thinking about buying a ink bottle. So here is the question, should I continue to use the Cross brand ink or is there another ink brand that is a better choice?

[MrK]

I just got a ATX a couple weeks ago and so I am still using the Cross brand ink cartridges. I want to switch over to using the converter because I will be moving to Shanghai, China in the next couple of months and finding cartridges will be hard and shipping is not that practical unless I do a huge batch. I have been thinking about buying a ink bottle. So here is the question, should I continue to use the Cross brand ink or is there another ink brand that is a better choice?

 

There are so many inks to choose from. My Cross pens are not fussy with regard to which brand. Have fun.

 

[ExcaliburZ]

Cool, anything I should avoid?

[ballboy]

Since Cross pens are now made in China, it seems you might find ink cartridges to fit if you want, there. Pelikan make the bottled ink for Cross. I'm currently using Lamy bottled blue ink in my Apogee after briefly testing Noodler's blue with it. Both write well enough for me.

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

My ATXs have handled any ink that I have thrown at them, so I'd go with whatever good quality ink that you can find.

[ExcaliburZ]

All good news.

 

p.s. Made in China and Sold in China are two different things. ;-)

[Chazzozz]

I'm a bit of a Private Reserve fan and been using a wide variety of their inks in my Townsend. So far, the only one that I've had any problem with is Sherwood Green with a slight bit of seeping from the converter. I bought a new converter, thinking the seal had started to go on the old one, and while it mostly fixed the problem I still get a tiny bit of seeping. To be fair, I understand that Sherwood Green is a finicky ink in many pens.

 

The rest of the inks I've tried work beautifully. I especially like the Tanzanite, with a nice, glossy, wet line in a most pleasing shade of really dark purple. Black Cherry is nicest with a fine nib; a medium nib spreads it out too far IMHO and it loses some of its 'omph'. Blue Suede is a bright blue that flows smoothly. Sonic Blue is a lighter blue-black that's not entirely to my tastes, but it's still a good flowing ink.

 

The only other brand of ink that's been in it is Cross refills (black). As has been stated previously this is just a re-branded Pelikan 4001 ink, which works as expected in my Townsend but isn't a stunning performer. I've got a couple bottles of Parker Quink sitting around that I haven't cracked open for a while, maybe they will merit a try...

[TMac]

I've been using PR, Waterman and Cross bottled ink in my ATX with no problems.

 

Good luck on the move to China!

[GARY UK]

I just got a ATX a couple weeks ago and so I am still using the Cross brand ink cartridges. I want to switch over to using the converter because I will be moving to Shanghai, China in the next couple of months and finding cartridges will be hard and shipping is not that practical unless I do a huge batch. I have been thinking about buying a ink bottle. So here is the question, should I continue to use the Cross brand ink or is there another ink brand that is a better choice?

 

I have tired Noodlers with great results and Parker Super Quink with the Solv X additive has the best flow in any pen I have used. I would imagine most inks shouls work well.

 

Enjoy )

 

[ExcaliburZ]

Okay, good to hear. I have had terrible trouble with Hero pens an Chinese brand ink, if you don't write with them constantly they stop writing.

[Joe in Seattle]

I've used mostly Private Reserve Sherwood Green and Midnight Blues in my Cross Townsend. At 18 years it still writes beautifully.

[vans4444]

I have flow problem with my Century II. Using Cross cartridges, it keeps stopping. After reading two other threads about ink flow problems with Century II pens I put the converter back in loaded with Parker Black washable. The flows much improved. I know nothing about ink. I used Parker because it happened to be the black ink I have.

 

I spoke to Cross and they told me that their inks are "quick drying"

Edited April 2, 2009 by vans4444

[MidnightBlue]

Like any of our pens, use any ink you want, but try to use one with a near neutral ph level.

A good pen should take any ink you throw at it, but some work better than others; experiment, have fun.

Thanks

[drektster]

I have flow problem with my Century II. Using Cross cartridges, it keeps stopping. After reading two other threads about ink flow problems with Century II pens I put the converter back in loaded with Parker Black washable. The flows much improved. I know nothing about ink. I used Parker because it happened to be the black ink I have.

 

I spoke to Cross and they told me that their inks are "quick drying"

 

cross ink is quite robust. mine is the old version.(made in germany). but the new ones i never tried. the old ones are quick drying indeed.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I had a terrible time with Cross ink in cartridges. Not a Pelikan product, or at least it wasn't at the time: it was then and may well still be a made-to-order preparation by Chad Labs.

 

I am not the only user of Cross pens who has had trouble with the ink in Cross cartridges. As soon as I switched to Waterman Florida Blue (in Cross cartridges, refilled with a syringe) the pen became a wonderful writer. Other inks have worked well. For many pens ink flows better from a cartridge than a converter, and I did well enough with Cross cartridges if I didn't use the original ink. But I use a converter now.

 

Let me join others in this thread in suggesting that you try a different brand of ink. And, more generally, I would suggest that you forget the idea that a pen manufacturer's own brand of ink is the best ink to use in that pen. It might conceivably be, but pens and inks and papers come together in the most idiosyncratic ways. Hardly any telling in advance what will work best for you.

[Goodwhiskers]

Like others have said, just about any ink for fountain pens works well in an ATX. Just remember that, since the pen is a wet writer, you'll get wet-writing performance. If you can control the choice of the paper, that's great. If you can't control the choice of paper, experiment on a piece of unfamiliar paper before committing to using the ATX on it.

[someonesdad]

I have had terrible trouble with Hero pens an Chinese brand ink, if you don't write with them constantly they stop writing.

I suspect it's the ink. I now use Hero pens almost exclusively because they are my favorite writers; the ones I've gravitated to write absolutely flawlessly with any of the inks I want to use. But it can be the pen, as one of my Hero 332's would dry up over time; two others from the same box are two of the best fountain pens I've ever had.

[Munkfishmonger]

New to the forum and fountain pens in general, but I thought I would chip in my thoughts. I currently have a Cross Townsend and a Cross Verve (both M nibs, which I prefer as I like a much thicker stroke). The paper I have been using varies between premium notepads and Oxford University exam issue paper.

 

With the Townsend, I am using Visconti Blue ink, which writes really well, nice and free-flowing and gives a good range of colour. However, I would be quite hard pressed to tell the difference with the cross blue ink, which again flows nicely (and dries considerably quicker). On paper, there is a difference in colour, with the Visconti showing a slightly wider spectrum of blue, and a richer texture.

 

In the Verve, I am using Caran D'Ache Carbon Black ink, which writes superbly. Very free-flowing, but does take a long time to dry. But again, I find the Cross Black in to be excellent, very close in colour and much quicker at drying. I would honestly be very hard pressed to tell the difference.

 

Out of choice, I would have no hesitation in using the standard cross ink, as it is relatively good value for money, and dries much quicker than the alternative inks I have used. Have not experienced any flow problems at all.

[elysee]

I'm a bit of a Private Reserve fan

 

I love the Private Reserve American Blue ink. I do not like the Cross ink since the colors are not as deep and rich as those of Private Reserve. The Cross ink seems watery and the colors dull in comparison to every ink that I have used including Waterman ink.

 

I wish that Private Reserve made refills to fit Cross fountain pens so that I could use Private Reserve cartridges rather than having to bottle-fill; the cartridges are easier to use when I am "on the go" or giving a presentation at a conference.

[RLTodd]

I had a terrible time with Cross ink in cartridges. Not a Pelikan product, or at least it wasn't at the time: it was then and may well still be a made-to-order preparation by Chad Labs.

 

I am not the only user of Cross pens who has had trouble with the ink in Cross cartridges. As soon as I switched to Waterman Florida Blue (in Cross cartridges, refilled with a syringe) the pen became a wonderful writer. Other inks have worked well. For many pens ink flows better from a cartridge than a converter, and I did well enough with Cross cartridges if I didn't use the original ink. But I use a converter now.

 

Let me join others in this thread in suggesting that you try a different brand of ink. And, more generally, I would suggest that you forget the idea that a pen manufacturer's own brand of ink is the best ink to use in that pen. It might conceivably be, but pens and inks and papers come together in the most idiosyncratic ways. Hardly any telling in advance what will work best for you.

 

Same.

 

Try them for a while, get a good cartridge and then bad ones. Always flow problems. End up switching back to the converter. Quit buying them and gradually using up the ones that camed packed with the pens.

 

Always work great with any ink I feed them through the converters though.

 

YMMV