A joy to write with. The nib is wet and a tad wide, but glides over paper without effort and not scratchy at all unless you use way too much writing pressure. The fit and finish is typical CROSS top notch. The chrome is well polished with the standard engraved lines. The grip area of the pen is also ribbed for ease of use. It is a bit thicker than an original CROSS CENTURY and a bit thinner than a typical MONT BLANC or CROSS TOWNSEND.I like the size as it doesn't feel like a BIC nor is the size unwieldy. This all being said, it didn't come with the converter, which is a must as it saves you a fortune on ink ... opens up a world of available colors of ink ... the converter also allows you to carry much more ink than a cartridge.