Fountain Pens

Cross Bailey Fountain Pen Review

October 13, 2021

The Cross company pens are regarded as being equally affordable as they are reliable.

If you’re looking for a choice of fountain pens as a gift for a friend, or if you just want a nice pen to add to your collection and replace that old ballpoint, you’ve probably at least considered Cross.

We take a deep dive in our Cross Bailey fountain pen review to see if it’s a worthy purchase.

Cross Bailey Lacquer Fountain Pen (Our Review)

Sale

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

The pens of the Bailey Colllection, which lie comfortably and balanced in the hand, combine a traditional well-balanced profile with sophisticated finishes
The combination of rich black lacquer and chrome accents gives this CROSS fountain pen a classic and confident look
This writing pen comes with two black fountain pen cartridges (refill #8921) that are as neat and easy to replace as a ballpoint or rollerball refill
The refillable fountain pen also comes with the CROSS Lifetime Mechanical Guarantee and a luxurious gift box which makes this writing instrument a perfect present for any occasion
Items included: CROSS Bailey Black Lacquer Refillable Fountain Pen with polished chrome appointments and medium nib, incl. Lifetime Mechanical Guarantee, premium gift box

Overall Assessment

The Bailey has a look and feel that’s similar to a regular pen. It has a simple design, with no extreme contours or external threading. Due to its simple design, it’s a great entry-level pen for those just starting.

It has a sleek barrel and grip section that makes it comfortable to hold. The flow is fluid and consistent, able to withstand long periods of use without sputtering. This makes it an ideal option for students or anyone who needs to do a lot of work in one sitting.

Depending on where you buy it, the Cross pens come in classy packaging. This makes it convenient to give to someone as a gift, either for a birthday or Christmas or even as congratulations for getting into college.

If you purchase it with the box, you get 2 cartridges included. The pen can use a converter, but you’ll have to purchase it separately. The pen doesn’t accept threaded converters so you’ll need to find a non-threaded cartridge converter if you’re going with that option.

Pros

Affordable
Has a lifetime guarantee
Comfortable to hold
Writes fluidly
Chrome finish

Cons

Limited to proprietary cartridge design
Removing the cap requires some effort

Detailed Analysis

Design

The Bailey is a sleek, lacquer fountain pen that comes in a variety of colors, like red lacquer or black lacquer. There are 2 variations of this pen: the light version made of resin and the heavier version made from lacquered metal.

It has a chrome finial and a ring with engraved accents on the cap, as well as a chrome pocket clip with the brand name engraved into it, that gives it an appearance of high value. The body of the pen has a length, capped, of 5.38 inches and a width of 0.52 inches.

The nib is a medium-sized stainless steel piece and has the company name engraved into it.

It has a cap that fits tightly onto the nib section. Maybe it fits a little too tightly since removing it from its post requires some effort. The cap also doesn’t post very well onto the barrel, and it tends to rattle around whenever it’s moved.

Overall, it’s an attractive pen with a simple yet stylish design that fits well in an academic or corporate setting.

Filling System

The Cross Fountain Pen works with either a cartridge or converter. If you buy it with the Cross container, you get 2 ink cartridges of black ink.

The pen only takes proprietary cartridges, which are designed to work only for pens made by this manufacturer. You have the option of purchasing a converter for this pen if you aren’t able to get the proprietary ones.

The cartridge is a little smaller than we really like, which is why most people who use this pen choose to use a converter.

Performance

When it comes to its writing capabilities, the cross pen works remarkably well.

The medium nib has an elegant design with engravings and an embossed brand name. The ink flow is smooth and consistent, able to flow easily from the nib for long periods of work. The downside is that the ink flow can be a bit too gushy, especially with cheaper ink. This causes the ink to bleed through cheap paper.

Price

The pen has a standard design, so it’s no surprise that it’s not all that expensive. It has a lifetime warranty as well, which shows that Cross has confidence in its product.

As one of the cheaper models out there, it truly is one of the better options for a beginner.