Over the years I have purchased many different refills for my Cross ballpoint pen and most times it is from the manufacturer (Cross) and from time to time these inks don't work or they stop working shortly after changing refills. Many times the store doesn't have the color I want or the point (medium, fine) I am looking for.However- I have found these refills from MONTEVERDE work great, have a great ink viscosity with little to no ink blotching like you get with any ballpoint pen. Here on Amazon you can even select from a very wide range of colors since I personally like to use the purple and brown colors for various forms I fill out.I should also stress that the price here for these refills can't be beat by any other stores and most times you can get 2 inks cheaper then the price of one Cross refill - try it for yourself and see.