I had recently picked up an executive style pen/pencil set by Zebra. It’s not an exact matching set. The BX (ballpoint) has a cisele “grid” pattern on it, much like a PILOT Laureate. The MX looks strikingly similar to the Grandee Priere in chromed stainless steel).
While they both exhibit that old Cross Century look, I’d say that the Zebra MX is closer. You can tell by how the grooved lines follow forward past the inward curve towards the nose cone–Cross does the same thing. Of course, Cross is a different market. The body is more narrow. The clip doesn’t have an appealing shape. And it’s a twist-advance without clutch, instead of a click/clutch design.
Now, I had a bit of a interesting discovery. The gun metal Priere has a black plastic outer collar inside as part of the mechanism, whereas the chromed steel Priere uses a steel collar. They both perform exactly the same, though. They both have a large internal eraser. They both hold the same amount of lead. It appears the MX holds about the same as well. Same eraser size.
Anyway, length is stated in the image above, but I’ll state it here. The MX is 13.6 cm long, while the Priere is 13.4 cm retracted, and 14 cm extended. The MX weighs 21.65g while the Priere is 24.3g. Not a huge difference. The Priere front section cannot be “safely” disassembled, from what I can see. The MX has a screw threaded nose cone that, once removed, allows the mechanism to slide out the back. It’s seriously over-built. Click action feels a little more precise on the MX. Anyway, in the looks department, I’d say the Priere wins out. You just can’t beat that retraction mechanism, plus the tapered rear end that goes from cylindrical shape to a lateral rectangle. I also prefer the clip on the Priere.
