Faber-Castell CX Colour Ballpoint Pen Review

Like many people my passion for pens started with the revelation that there was something better than the average store cupboard ballpoint. This lead to a certain prejudice against ballpoints in general but the Uni Jetstream and my fairly recent discovery of the Schmidt 9000 EasyFlow have convinced me that it is possible to find a ballpoint that’s a pleasure to use.

The Faber-Castell CX Colour is a hybrid ink ballpoint from a company whose fountain pens I love. How does it shape up?

I was able to purchase this pen at a discount thanks to the support Cult Pens are giving Pens! Paper! Pencils! You can but the pen direct from Cult Pens here. These are my own opinions and Cult Pens did not require a review in return for the discount.

Price: £0.75
Tip size options: medium
Barrel options: plastic, colour matches ink
Ink type: hybrid ballpoint, in black, brown, blue, green, lime green, lilac, orange, pink, red, turquoise

Hybrid ink combines the write-anywhere and permanent qualities of a ballpoint with the easy flow of a gel pen. The Jetstream shows how wonderful it can be. The CX Colour shows that hybrid ink is no guarantee of a pleasant experience. It has all the hard starts and skipping of a normal ballpoint and the ink isn’t particularly black.

The transparent barrel doesn’t look too bad on one side but has a huge bright bar code on the other. The refill rattles about inside it. The ridged grip section provides sufficient grip without being uncomfortable.

The soft plastic clip is fine. The cap pushes on to post securely and closes with a reassuring click.

The CX Colour, as it’s name suggests, comes in a variety of colours and it may be that you have a need for a ballpoint in one of those colours. Otherwise, whilst not a terrible pen for the price, I just don’t know why I would want to use one of these instead of a Jetstream or something with the 9000 EasyFlow refill.

Pros

Inexpensive
Good range of colours

Cons

Ink flow is inconsistent
Rattles