Cross Ion Aurora Blue - Consider This The BMW of Writing Tools
Written: Jun 15 '03 (Updated Nov 09 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sleek design, impeccable ink flow, rubber grip for added comfort.
Cons: At $25.00 a pop – most will choose to pass on it.
The Bottom Line: The Cross Ion is for the serious pen enthusiast that demands only the best ink flow, body design and visual aesthetics from their writing tool.
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| Freak369's Full Review: A.T. CROSS Cross Ion Pens |
Cross is one of the premier manufacturers of writing tools. No, these aren’t pens, these are finely crafted writing tools that will stand up to years of use and abuse without breaking, falling apart or showing wear. When most people hear the name Cross they immediately think of the pen and pencil sets given to doctors, lawyers and professionals as gifts for a job well done. Throw that concept in the trash – the introduction of the Cross Ion has taken the stuff image of stiff suited yuppies and given it one hell of a slant. The Cross Ion is one of the finest gel pens on the market and chances are that once you give it a try you’ll justify the suggested retail price.
The Cross Ion
Take every image of what you think about gel pens and toss it out the window. Now, start the building process with a high quality gel ink, add in a smooth roller ballpoint and encase it inside a breathtaking shell. Without being too verbose, that’s the Cross Ion. The concept is simple, create a pen that looks as good as it writes, is compact, features a rubber comfort grip and will look great after a tremendous amount of use. Cross created one hell of a writing tool with the Ion and I’m more than happy with the versions that I own. I initially purchased one for my oldest son as a reward for all his hard work around the house and various homeschooling projects he completed and when he first saw it his jaw almost hit the floor. Even after months of use, the sheen on the body is still sparking – and trust me – this boy uses this pen on a daily basis.
The Cross Ion has a compact design with the closed or retracted size being about three and a half inches. Of course, the wide body and almost elliptical design make it wider than most pens but even that can’t be considered a detractor since it adds to the overall appeal an uniqueness of the pen. When the Ion is in action the body opens to about four and a quarter inches so you have a little more to work with. It might take a little bit of time to get used to the feel of the Ion but once you do – you’ll fall in love with it.
Operating Your Ion
At first glance, most people don’t know what to make of the Cross Ion. The futuristic look and design is something that most can’t pass up – they feel the need to pick it up and play around with it wondering exactly what it is. To operate your Ion simply pull the edges apart to reveal the writing tip. Once open you will see the ink cartridge that is locked into place and completely secure within the body of the pen. There is no chance of the ink leaking because the internal structure encases it completely. When collapsed or in the close position the pen is completely enclosed so there is no chance of it leaking ink or writing on other surfaces – something that happens far too often with pens that have caps or retractable writing tips.
Ink Cartridges
Each Cross Ion comes with one Black Nucleus ink cartridge. These are easy to replace and relatively inexpensive with average prices between $3.00 and $4.00. There are a total of six different color refill options to choose from – red, green, purple, orange, blue and the standard black. Having the ability to change the color cartridge increases the overall value of the Ion, even if you don’t go for one of the colored refills, having the capacity to refill with the Black Nucleus will pay off over the course of time [depending on how much you write and the number of refills you purchase].
Ion Body Color Options
The Cross Ion comes in several different color designs so there are more than a few to choose from. If you are going to spend upwards of $25.00 per pen, you might as well get on that you absolutely love color wise or not bother investing in it at all. So far we have three of the designs that are currently available: Jupiter Orange, Aurora Blue and Lunar Gray. Out of the three we own, the Aurora Blue is my favorite. The color contrast gives it a hi-tech look that never fails to pique the curiosity of strangers.
Other colors and styles include a limited edition Fenway Park [$35.00 in Aurora Blue with ballpark logo], two Rusty Wallace pens that feature Rusty’s signature [Aurora Blue and Jupiter Orange [$35.00 each] and the newest Ion family member – the Chrome Ion that comes with three refills [$30.00]. Other basic colors include: Solar Red, Neptune Blue, Saffron, Plasmic Green, Corona Red, Celestial Green and others. The styles are essentially all the same with some coming a dual color blend and others featuring one color and a chrome sided piece.
Accessories
There aren’t many accessories for your Cross Ion however one of the most popular is the string lanyard cord that attaches to the end. This allows you to wear it around your neck or attach it to your knapsack or backpack. It attaches to the clip at the end of the Ion and is a great purchase if you are someone that often misplaces or loses pens. You can pick these up for about $4.00 to $5.00 however at this time they are only available in black. Cords are about 15 inches long, make of a durable nylon and cotton blend and can be machine washed if necessary. All Cross Ion pens come with a plastic case that makes it suitable for gift giving. In my opinion the case is nice to look at but not extremely durable for day-to-day use. If you shop for your Cross Ion through the website [www.crosspen.com] you have the option to order your pen with or without the lanyard cord [$30.00 with, $25.00 without].
The Bottom Line
While the price might seem a bit shocking, these are some of the highest quality pens I have come across in the past few years. The ink flow is exceptional with no skipping or smudging, the pen stays shut regardless of how roughly it is handled and the visual appeal is second to none. If you consider yourself a pen aficionado or do a tremendous amount of writing, this is a sound investment and would make a great gift for the upwardly mobile professional, soccer mom or student. When you combine all this with the lifetime guarantee against defects, the $25.00 price tag is well worth it.
As always … thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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Please note: The photo shown for this model Cross Ion is incorrect. The one shown is the Lunar Gray.
Recommended:
Yes
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