I'm excited about the possibility of not having spent 20-something bucks on a pen that I'll never use (even though I suppose that's a small amount to spend to a lot of the people on FPN. Ultimately, it does not matter who makes their ink or nibs as long as it is of the quality that you associate with Cross’s products. The only difference being the size and thereby the amount of ink they hold and how long they will last before needing to be changed. Two differences I've noticed so far: the Cross brand and the PR refills react quite immediately and seem to last longer than the kits refills.

Their great German technology and Bauhaus design principles of function over form mean all of their products are top notch.These are, without a doubt, manufactured by Schmidt, and sometimes they hint at the refill’s origins in their descriptions by referring to high-quality German ink. Some brands have specific sizes and profiles to fit their pens, some take standard sizes, some brands even do refills designed for other brands.

Compatible with Coles, Conklin, Diplomat, Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell, Hugo Boss, Kaweco, Laban, Lexon, Montegrappa, Ohto, Online, Otto Hutt, Parker, Pelikan, some Sheaffer ranges, USUS and Visconti.

Monteverde refills use “Soft Roll Ink Technology,” a very low viscosity ink sometimes known as hybrid ink. That said if you're feeling risky there's plenty of options to choose from which will most likely fit. Is this a standard issue with the cross rollerball refill and is it possible to get a ballpoint to replace it?

Cross rollerball refill for Selectip pens A smooth alternative to the free-flowing ink of a fountain pen, with the convenience of a ball-point. The only issue is that although very similar and most can be used across the different brands they vary slightly.As you say the refill looks like a small version of the Cross ballpoint refill, there must be a plastic top with a screw thread at the opposite end to the writing tip. If you like fineliners then the Selectip porous point refill is ideal because, as the name suggests, it has a traditional fineliner-style fibre tip.