Ink Review #1465: Cross Red

Aurora Red is from Cross’s standard collection and is available in 2 oz bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Red is a classic bright teacher red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated than it does on the Col-o-ring swab above.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Cross Red is a little more orange than Sailor Jentle Irori. Click here to see the Cross inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Maraschino Red with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice classic red but there isn’t anything about it that wows me-no shading or sheen. It’s a good basic but not an ink I have a need for.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.