Spider pen...spider pen

[feiye]

Visconti Art Nouveau from the Art series

My first fountain pen review

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider01.jpg

Writing sample done with the pen using Visconti Blue ink, however the colour looks washed out in the photo - it's actually a very deep, rich blue. The paper is 8mm ruled.

 

1. First Impressions 5/5

The first time I saw a picture of this pen, I laughed. Homer Simpson's voice rang out in my head singing "Spider pen, spider pen..." and I knew that I would HAVE to hold/own this pen one day.

 

2. Appearance & Finish 4/5

The pen is made from black lucite with a silver overlay, cut out to form a spider in a web. The silver has been coated in rhodium to prevent tarnishing. It was a lovely pen that looked exactly like the photos. I think this pen is fascinating and just as spidery in person as in photos and is lovely to behold. It comes in the large Visconti standard box with a free bottle of ink, I love the free bottle of ink with the Visconti pens, it's a lovely touch.

 

My pen cap and body were misaligned when I first received it. This meant the pattern didn't line up properly at where the cap meets the barrel, so that the entire pen did not form a complete piece of art. I contacted Visconti and they fixed the problem free of charge with an impressive 10 day turnaround. -1 for the fault but kudos to Visconti's customer service.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider02.jpg

Note how the pattern now completely lines up now.

 

3. Design/ Size/Weight 4.5/5

The pen is a fairly light pen as most resin pens tend to be. However, it does have the slight added weight of the silver overlay. The clip like all Viscontis, is spring loaded. The pen is a medium sized pen, very similar lengthwise to the Pelikan M800. However, the barrel diameter is not as large so overall the pen feels smaller than a M800. The dimensions of the pen are:

 

Capped: 140mm

Uncapped: 125mm

Posted: 160mm

 

The pen feels rather top heavy when posted but since I never post my pens, it is not an issue. The balance when unposted is great but I would've like just a smidgen more weight to the pen. Like all Visconti pens, the cap can be customised by taking out the Visconti logo and popping in your own initials.

 

4. Nib Design & Performance 4.5/5

The pen comes with the standard small 14kt single tone white gold nib from Visconti. My Art Nouveau came with a fine nib that is smooth, like I expect all my Viscontis to be, and a fairly wet writer - it definitely writes like a fine though! There is no discernible flex at all in this nib, unlike the larger sized nib on the Opera Clubs that are fairly springy. It has a plastic feed.

 

I prefer ebonite feeds overall but the flow in this pen is exceptional. For something whose MSRP is close to $700, I would've liked to see a slightly larger nib. However that said, this nib is the same one found on the Visconti Metropolis (which is a $895 pen) and also the Van Gogh Midi (I think...). It's faultless when it writes, my main problems with it are aesthetic.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider03.jpg

 

5. The Filling System 4/5

Visconti calls this pen a piston filler. I think it just has an inbuilt converter. To fill this pen, you unscrew the back and there is a piston turn nob very similar to those found on the Visconti converters. It's not a bad filling system though. I would've liked to see the famous Visconti double piston fill system on this pen though, but that said, the piston fill on this pen is quite reliable. I haven't tested the ink capacity though.

 

There is a possibility that the back, which needs to be unscrewed, can be lost while refilling the pen if you aren't careful.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider05.jpg

 

6. Cost/Value 3.5/5

The current MSRP on this pen is US$695 I believe. I wouldn't pay that much for it, it's not worth the MSRP because of all the tiny issues I have with it that all add up together. The nib size, the fact that my pen cap and body was misaligned from the start (a common problem with Viscontis though), the filling system...they're not huge issues but together they add up.

 

I bought mine new for around US$425 which I believe is fair value for the pen. I would pay the same amount for it again since it is still a lovely pen that is a work of art. Also, how many spider pens in the art nouveau style have you seen hmm? Yeah, I thought so

 

7. Overall Opinion/Conclusion

Well, there wasn't all that much hype about this pen, it was just one I was interested in personally. I'd recommend it to anyone who was after an interesting looking pen and who would also go around all day with "Spider pen, spider pen, does whatever a spider pen does..." running through their head. Whenever I look at the pen, the tune just comes to mind and the two are inexplicably linked. *sigh*

 

There are a few other pens I would like but given the choice to purchase another in its place, I doubt I'd do so. The look of this pen, truly is a unique Visconti design.

Edited September 13, 2008 by feiye

[Imzadi]

Nice looking pen, but spiders give me the creeps. Good review.

[feiye]

Nice looking pen, but spiders give me the creeps. Good review.

Funny enough, spiders (and all bugs) give me the creeps...but something about this design just called to me.

[bgray]

My three year old always sings that Spider Man song.

 

I'll be teaching him the new lyrics.

 

[jandrese]

Interesting pen. Thanks for the review. I can't wait for the Spider Pig pen!

[feiye]

My three year old always sings that Spider Man song.

 

I'll be teaching him the new lyrics.

 

 

:roflmho: You're bringing him into the fold awfully early.

 

Interesting pen. Thanks for the review. I can't wait for the Spider Pig pen!

 

I'd buy one of those too!

[penpimperLV]

Personally, I think it is an awesome pen. Excellent choice. Thanks for a wonderful review!

[Ghost Plane]

I've had mine nearly a year now. Bought it because of the Art Deco silver overlay. It's a bit small for what I like, but so gorgeous and such a smooth writer that I keep going back to it.

[Merrib]

That is one fine looking Visconti pen, beatiful but different. I would imagine

that is draws it's share of comments when you use it. Looks like you have a winner !

Best regards on your new acquisition.

Bob

[fuchsiaprincess]

Visconti Art Nouveau from the Art series

My first fountain pen review

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider01.jpg

Writing sample done with the pen using Visconti Blue ink, however the colour looks washed out in the photo - it's actually a very deep, rich blue. The paper is 8mm ruled.

 

1. First Impressions 5/5

The first time I saw a picture of this pen, I laughed. Homer Simpson's voice rang out in my head singing "Spider pen, spider pen..." and I knew that I would HAVE to hold/own this pen one day.

 

2. Appearance & Finish 4/5

The pen is made from black lucite with a silver overlay, cut out to form a spider in a web. The silver has been coated in rhodium to prevent tarnishing. It was a lovely pen that looked exactly like the photos. I think this pen is fascinating and just as spidery in person as in photos and is lovely to behold. It comes in the large Visconti standard box with a free bottle of ink, I love the free bottle of ink with the Visconti pens, it's a lovely touch.

 

My pen cap and body were misaligned when I first received it. This meant the pattern didn't line up properly at where the cap meets the barrel, so that the entire pen did not form a complete piece of art. I contacted Visconti and they fixed the problem free of charge with an impressive 10 day turnaround. -1 for the fault but kudos to Visconti's customer service.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider02.jpg

Note how the pattern now completely lines up now.

 

3. Design/ Size/Weight 4.5/5

The pen is a fairly light pen as most resin pens tend to be. However, it does have the slight added weight of the silver overlay. The clip like all Viscontis, is spring loaded. The pen is a medium sized pen, very similar lengthwise to the Pelikan M800. However, the barrel diameter is not as large so overall the pen feels smaller than a M800. The dimensions of the pen are:

 

Capped: 140mm

Uncapped: 125mm

Posted: 160mm

 

The pen feels rather top heavy when posted but since I never post my pens, it is not an issue. The balance when unposted is great but I would've like just a smidgen more weight to the pen. Like all Visconti pens, the cap can be customised by taking out the Visconti logo and popping in your own initials.

 

4. Nib Design & Performance 4.5/5

The pen comes with the standard small 14kt single tone white gold nib from Visconti. My Art Nouveau came with a fine nib that is smooth, like I expect all my Viscontis to be, and a fairly wet writer - it definitely writes like a fine though! There is no discernible flex at all in this nib, unlike the larger sized nib on the Opera Clubs that are fairly springy. It has a plastic feed.

 

I prefer ebonite feeds overall but the flow in this pen is exceptional. For something whose MSRP is close to $700, I would've liked to see a slightly larger nib. However that said, this nib is the same one found on the Visconti Metropolis (which is a $895 pen) and also the Van Gogh Midi (I think...). It's faultless when it writes, my main problems with it are aesthetic.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider03.jpg

 

5. The Filling System 4/5

Visconti calls this pen a piston filler. I think it just has an inbuilt converter. To fill this pen, you unscrew the back and there is a piston turn nob very similar to those found on the Visconti converters. It's not a bad filling system though. I would've liked to see the famous Visconti double piston fill system on this pen though, but that said, the piston fill on this pen is quite reliable. I haven't tested the ink capacity though.

 

There is a possibility that the back, which needs to be unscrewed, can be lost while refilling the pen if you aren't careful.

 

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk41/souveran/spider05.jpg

 

6. Cost/Value 3.5/5

The current MSRP on this pen is US$695 I believe. I wouldn't pay that much for it, it's not worth the MSRP because of all the tiny issues I have with it that all add up together. The nib size, the fact that my pen cap and body was misaligned from the start (a common problem with Viscontis though), the filling system...they're not huge issues but together they add up.

 

I bought mine new for around US$425 which I believe is fair value for the pen. I would pay the same amount for it again since it is still a lovely pen that is a work of art. Also, how many spider pens in the art nouveau style have you seen hmm? Yeah, I thought so

 

7. Overall Opinion/Conclusion

Well, there wasn't all that much hype about this pen, it was just one I was interested in personally. I'd recommend it to anyone who was after an interesting looking pen and who would also go around all day with "Spider pen, spider pen, does whatever a spider pen does..." running through their head. Whenever I look at the pen, the tune just comes to mind and the two are inexplicably linked. *sigh*

 

There are a few other pens I would like but given the choice to purchase another in its place, I doubt I'd do so. The look of this pen, truly is a unique Visconti design.

 

 

Dear Feiye,

 

Thank you for the beautiful review and the even more beautiful handwriting example! It is a lovely pen!

 

Regards,

Soki

 

 

[inkyfingr]

Cool pen. I'll bet that gets some attention when it comes out in a public setting. It lays down a really nice line too.