Franklin Covey Lexington Matte Titanium Grey Lacquer w/Chrome Appointments and Stamped Logo Clip w/Matte Black Fill Rollerball Pen

This pen came in a nice little container (I wasn't expecting a box for such an inexpensive pen), and I have a lot of good things to say about this pen:- It has a very nice design, especially with the gold nib.- It feels perfect in the hand - not too heavy and not too light.- It is the perfect size for my hand in both diameter and height, (I would consider my hands as fairly "normal" sized).- It is very affordable.- It is very smooth; one of the smoothest fountain pens I have.- I got it to flow right after inserting the cartridge that came with it.- The ink doesn't feather for the most part- I find that most Cross cartridges (that's what I think came with this pen, correct me if I'm wrong) lay down ink more consistently than Parker cartridges; if the ink is black then it's black, unlike Parker's black ink, which ranges from a very light black to a slightly darker black.I've only had one problem with this pen, although it was my fault for the most part. Seeing as how Cross refills are very small, I thought the barrel of this pen was meant to hold an extra cartridge. So after I inserted the cartridge that came with the pen (which is in the barrel and takes a bit of shaking to get out), I put another Cross cartridge in, facing the other way. I tried reattaching the barrel and ad difficulties getting it to close, so I twisted even harder. Very stupid of me, as I soon found out that I had jammed the second cartridge in the barrel. I tried many things to get this out, such as squirting soap and shaking it, using a toothpick, using tweezers. I ever tried to suck it out with my mouth and then with a vacuum, but nothing worked. I finally managed to dig it out after about an hour with one of my aunt's titanium crab meat pickers (which she would later give me a huge scolding for). It has curved ends which were perfect, although I did mess up a few times and ended up scratching up the inside of the barrel, but that was better than not being able to use the pen at all. I got it to come out by penetrating the cartridge all the way with the crab meat picker, then giving it a nice twist in order to secure the cartridge and then pulling very hard. It finally came out after an hour, a wasted cartridge, a crab meat picker gone to waste, and ink all over the sink as well as my shirt. But it was worth it for such a nice pen, and I learned my lesson. Moral of the story is not to put an extra ink cartridge into any barrel. I know some fit, but even if I'm sure, I would rather just carry an extra fountain pen all the time than have to go through this whole mess again.

One of my fountain pens bit the dust, and in my search for a replacement I came across this model from Cross. The price was low enough that I decided to buy it.Taking it out of the package I was immediately impressed. The construction is good, with a black enamel barrel and chrome cap and section. The exterior is very smooth and comfortable to hold. The cap snaps tightly into place with no wiggling. It has some heft to it, far more than my other fountain pens; the desirability of this is a matter of personal preference. Visually it's an eye-catcher: the black-and-chrome combination just screams "executive class", and I get complemented on it all the time.In spite of what some have claimed, they *do* make converters that fit it. I found one in my desk that fits perfectly; I believe it's from Monteverde.I was surprised to see several reviews that describe the nib as "scratchy". I have found this to be a problem only on poor quality paper. On good quality paper with good quality ink, it's as smooth as silk.I only have two (admittedly minor) complaints about it, for which I took off one star:-The nib is advertised as "Medium". However, it makes a line that looks like it was made by a needle. This is most definitely a fine tip, no matter what they call it. This isn't necessarily a problem (I like fine nibs) but someone expecting a medium point won't get what they want.-Occasionally I find the nib section that screws into the barrel has come slightly loose (unscrewed just a very little bit). I suspect that this is because it is chromed metal, and so the threads do not grip the barrel as well as plastic. This isn't much more than an annoyance.I have used this pen for months, and still like it as much as I did when I received it. Solid construction, smooth writing, Cross quality, inexpensive price. This pen is worth your consideration.

I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to fountain pens, but am quite particular about my writing utensils of all kinds. I write every day and have used this pen for the majority of my writing since the day I got it. The pen itself is gorgeous, holds nicely in my small hands, and has the perfect amount of weight to keep my thumb from going numb after long writing sessions. Mine came with an ink cartridge hidden in the barrel so I was able to use it right away. I have never needed to prime it, the ink is very smooth-flowing, and the nib does not scratch. The ink itself seems to be decent (minimal feathering, and pretty true black color though when examined closely the black appears grey), but certainly not the best available.The product writes nicely, is a fantastic starter fountain pen or a cheap one to bring everywhere. My only complaint is not with the pen itself but the lack of information about ink replacement possibilities. I decided to buy another fountain pen because there was no information about converters that fit this one and the international-sized cartridges (the only ones that fit this pen) are an add-on only item for amazon. I was hoping I might find a converter for this one so that I can switch inks more regularly and have a larger selection for ink-types, but the cartridges are convenient and great for how much traveling I do.Overall, this is a fantastic, high quality fountain pen and I love that I have a beautiful pen that I can bring everywhere and use all the time without a steep investment.

Arrived when promised. The product is more stunning than the pics could do them justice. I had them engraved and the recipient was more than pleased. For that, I am most appreciative.

Erm, well just to touch base with reality - not brilliant.It costs ten pounds, so not extortionate. Let's look at what you get:Good points:Uses standard international cartridges.Reasonably nice to look at.Good weight (although verging on unbalanced)...It isn't poisonous? I have ran out of good.Bad points:Ink flow is dry, on its way to Sahara level.Scratchy nib (this was a medium, order fine at your peril)Poor feed design (which unsurprisingly leads to point 1 on the bad list)At this price point, is hopelessly outgunned by about 15 other makes you can get - even on Amazon.I suppose if you are inordinately curious it's something different, but brilliant it is not.

I love the style and feel of this pen. The only issue I have is the refill it came with has dried up and not working. I’m also having difficulty in finding the correct refill to buy for it. If it wasn’t for these issues I would have gave this 5 stars.

While I Like the pen I found that Amazon did not include the different type of ink cartridge required for the pen. It does not take the standard Cross Ink cartridge. Fortunately I was able to obtain the cartridges elsewhere. Nevertheless the description needs to clarify this. Also Amazon does not currently stock this type of cartridge.

This is a great looking pen however, the ink refill is a let down. It is not as smooth as I would have liked and that is the reason it is not a 5 star. One would say the ink is the whole point of the pen but there is also the impact of construction and looks which in both case is very good. With the ink issue, I have replaced with Schaeffer rollerball refill which I feel is more superior. This combination makes it into a lovely writing piece of equipment.

don't take this pen at face value!It'a shocking writer.However take the refill out and replace it with a pilot g210 gel rollerball( i prefer 1mm nib)and you have a very sexy pen.the franklin covey is pretty much indestructible,it has a lifetime guarantee.I lost mine after a year of it being in and out of my trouser pocket and i nearly cried.Bought another as soon as possible.