[Pen/Pencil Review] The Cross ATX Pure Chrome Rolling Ball
This week’s pen was part of my Birthday Pilgrimage to Paradise Pen Company during ConDFW. I bring you the Cross ATX Pure Chrome rollerball pen. This is a gorgeous pen, and though it was technically a birthday present, I did pick it out, and it was on sale. This is definitely a more expensive, gift pen.
The Cross ATX is 5.47″ long capped and a bit longer with the cap posted. It’s a solid pen, weighing it at just over an ounce. It’s wider than a normal Cross ballpoint – it’s just under a half-inch in diameter, making it comfortable. The grip is also metal, so there’s no squishy ergonomic bits, but it is well balanced and comfortable in the hand.
The barrel and grip are highly polished chrome plated – which is gorgeous, but does show fingerprints. So if that matters to you, you’re going to need something to wipe it down with, like a microfiber cloth. The design is modern and sleek with a contemporary rounded clip that looks like it caps the top of the pen. The cap clicks on the barrel and posts securely. I never feel like I’m going to lose the cap.
The ink is a medium, gel ink refill in a 0.7mm rolling ball. It’s a solid, dark line. This is completely refillable with a variety of Cross refills – including the Selectip Rolling Ball refills, the Jumbo Ballpoint refill, and even the porous fiber tip refill. This pen can totally be customized for the type of ink you like (except fountain), which makes this an “investment” pen.
I say that, because it’s Cross, it’s not cheap, nor are refills. But it’s a statement type pen, if you need to make an impression, you can do that with this pen. But it is comfortable, so if you need to be an “impressive” writer, this pen lets you do that comfortably.
To the numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 It’s good. Cross makes a decent ink and solid pen. The gel rolling ball makes a good, solid writing experience.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s gorgeous, but because the grip is the same chrome as the barrel, it’s slick and hard. There are no ergonomics, but the diameter is good.
3. Material – 1 It’s gorgeous, high-quality chrome plated silver metal. It’s a solid pen.
4. Overall Design – 1 – I like this design. It’s sleek and modern with classic lines. It’s a style and feel I would expect from Cross. It’s beautiful and feels good in the hand.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s expensive. These retail for $65 on the Cross website. You can get them cheaper if you find a sale, but that’s still going to be a lot for some people – and the refills run between $6 and $7 a piece. So again… pricey. But this isn’t a pen one picks up for grins, you know what you’re doing when you buy this.
4 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
