Cross Bailey

            With many office supply stores removing their Fine Writing sections; it can be pretty easy to find decent fountain pens at a reasonable price. Today’s pen is one of those finds: the Cross Bailey.

             Stats:

            Diameter – Body 13mm

            Diameter – Grip 10mm

Length – Body 120mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 137mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 142mm

Weight – 40g

Nib Sizes – Medium

Street Price – ~$20

            Looks

            The Cross Bailey is one of several fountain pens that, at one point in time, were being sold as Staples exclusives. This pen comes in several finishes, all of which are various colored metal. Anyone that has read enough of this blog knows that I do not enjoy heavy pens, but to each their own.

            The finial is a plain dome that continues to the clip, which reads “Cross”. The clip is fairly tight, but should slip onto most materials. The cap ends with two center bands, each of which has a slight ribbed texture to them. The pen continues in a tapper to a rounded off end. Seeing that this pen is all chrome, it becomes a magnet for fingerprints. Even uncapping this pen leaves it looking smudged and dirty, definitely not something you’d want to see at a business meeting.

            Popping off the cap (which often requires some force) reveals a slippery black-plastic grip section. The grip section is of decent size, and it tappers slightly to the nib. Cross fountain pens all have the same steel nib, but even though each is “Medium” I have never had 2 Cross pens that write the same size line. Unscrewing the barrel reveals space for Cross brand cartridges or a proprietary converter, neither of which hold much ink.

           

            The Cross Bailey is on the heavy side for my tastes. And when posted the pen is unusable for me.

            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            The nib of this pen is over polished. Some companies like to think that polishing the tip of the nib, where the nib meets the paper, is a good idea. It isn't. When the iridium on the nib is polished the pen will experience what is called “Hard Starts”, meaning that it will not write when first put to paper. It is possible to fix this problem, however I would not recommend a novice do it. Besides the bad nib, this pen it too heavy for me. Personal preference is everything with fountain pens, however just because this reviewer doesn't like heavy pens that doesn't mean you shouldn't too. Here is a writing sample with this pen (note the hard start):

            Final Thoughts:

            The Cross Bailey is an alright fountain pen, I just would prefer to use a different one. Perhaps you’d like it, and at the price why not try it out?