Visconti Metropolis

[asimplemaestro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFlsXgw_SFE

 

Visconti Metropolis Review

 

Music: New York State of Mind

 

There are pens…and there are PENS. The Visconti Metropolis falls into the latter category. I can take my Pilot Vanishing Point and use it just about anywhere and never catch a second glance. Understand that I love my Vanishing Point, but I’m also aware that it’s not the brightest eye catcher. My Metropolis, however, is a vastly different story. I cannot think of a single instance where I’ve pulled it out, uncapped the slender and sleek beauty, and twisted it’s tail to rotate and produce the ornate nib and the pen HASN’T merited comments or at least interested glances. I’m more than comfortable with this. You could even say I like that the pen draws attention and I would imagine that anyone who spends the money being asked for a Metropolis would most likely agree with me.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/asimplemaestro/FPN%20Pics/CIMG2050.jpg

 

Appearance and Design:

 

This is by far one of the Metropolis’ strongest areas. Being a technical person myself I’m fascinated with this pen. The Visconti is an engineers dream as there are so many components of the action, filling system, and nib extraction and retraction that work together with such fluidity. The outside of the pen is a gunmetal tinted sterling silver. When shined, this pen all but glows. Sleek, slim, streamlined, and all out sexy is the vibe it gives off. This isn’t a pen that makes me think of Shakespeare or Mark Twain as some do. I imagine that if Donald Trump or Richard Hilton used a fountain pen, they’d smile on the Metropolis.

 

The 5 star rating for appearance comes from the little details on the Metropolis. Atop the cap, there’s a magnetic “button” that bears the Visconti logo. These can also be swapped out for monogram segments that will allow the user to add his or her initials to the design of the pen. The clip is sleek but strong looking. It bears the Visconti name and gives the appearance of a bridge or arch which makes yet another testament to the almost architectural nature of the pen. At the bottom of the pen, there’s a tail button that can be depressed or released to fill the pen. It’s adorned with a textured finish and Visconti “V’s”. All in all, this pen is about as aesthetically pleasing as it gets and Visconti did it with minimal “fluff”. If you’re looking for a sharp looking “power pen”, look no further. You’ve found it.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/asimplemaestro/FPN%20Pics/CIMG2064.jpg

 

Comfort and Durability:

 

Personally, I’ve found the Metropolis to be a very comfortable pen and a not so comfortable pen all in one. To explain, I’d say that this is a pen that should not be written with while the cap is posted unless you want a very heavy pen. I’m one who likes a bit of heft in a pen but the filled and posted Metropolis weighs more than my filled and posted Montblanc 149. This is just a tad too much weight for me and in this condition I give the pen a 2 in terms of comfort. There is a solution, however! Take that cap and set it aside. Uncapped, this pen has a fantastic balance. It still retains just the right amount of heft but balances it perfectly and allows for hours of comfortable writing. The Metropolis is about par with the Montblanc 144 or Starwalker in terms of thickness. This is a medium range thickness and serves most people well. There will be those that just have to have a thinner or thicker pen but those will be rare. Again, this is an uptown pen and honestly not one that I would carry every day. To put it in different terms, I may think that the Mercedes SLS AMG isn’t super comfortable but that’s not going to stop me from driving her every Sunday. Uncapped, this pen jumps to at least a 4 rating.

 

3) Filling System:

 

The Metropolis is a piston filler but different in a few ways. It’s got the same internals as most piston fillers but the outer workings are just plain cool. To fill the pen you must uncap it, push the piston-working cylinder into the pen which will pop it out when released, and then twist the tail of the pen to expose the nib. Once this is done, it fills like a regular piston filler. I never have to operate the piston more than once to get a full charge and the pen holds plenty of ink in it’s reservoir for extended periods of writing. This may seem like a lot of steps to go through in order to fill the Metropolis but it’s a very fluid process and one of the least boring pens to fill that I’ve ever handled.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/asimplemaestro/FPN%20Pics/CIMG2060.jpg

 

4) Nib and Writing Performance:

 

The nibs are the main reason I keep coming back to my Viscontis. I don’t know what took me so long in my collecting life to discover Visconti nibs but I’m a solid believer in them. The Metropolis line comes with a 14-carat white gold nib that’s beautifully ornamented with Visconti’s take on the classic Fleur-de-lis. The feed is interesting on this pen because it’s much smaller and thinner than most pens. I don’t know what the logic was behind the feed design but it’s been more than functional so I haven’t had any complaints.

 

Writing with the Metropolis is enhanced wonderfully by its white gold nib. The nib seems to have been given the thinning treatment that was handed to the feed and it serves it nicely. My pen is a medium. The thin nib allows for a bit of flex that gives the writer the option of a slight variation in his or her line. This is nice as there’s different situations that require different boldness variations in line. There is just a hint of feedback given from the nib when writing. I’ve never had a problem with just a light presence of feedback in my nibs and I know that some prefer it. However, I know that there are those who don’t like it and fortunately this is an aspect of the Metropolis that can be easily changed under the hands of a skilled grinder.

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/asimplemaestro/FPN%20Pics/CIMG2066.jpg

(Nib retracting)

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/asimplemaestro/FPN%20Pics/CIMG2062.jpg

(Nib retracted)

 

Cost and Value:

 

Let’s be frank. The Visconti Metropolis is not a cheap pen by most standards. I’ve seen them sell for anywhere from $400 to $900. There is no real way to describe this as anything other than a luxury item. However, in terms of luxury you can do far worse than a $400 masterpiece like this one. Also, I’ve noticed that the Metropolis holds it’s value quite well and if you ever need to part with yours, the resale value is normally quite good. This is a pen to save for and you may even tear up a little when writing the check for it but when you have it in hand, you’ll be glad you bought it.

 

Conclusion…

 

I really don’t know what else to say about this pen. It’s fantastic to say the least. The simplicity of its looks caters to the desires of class and elegance but the intricacy of it’s inner workings are enough to make any gadget guy smile. This pen is shiny, this pen is bold, this pen is classy, it’s an Aston Martin DBS rolling through Manhattan, it’s a 3 piece hand tailored Gucci suit, it’s that last sip of 30 year old Scotch that you’ve been saving for a special occasion, this is elegance, this is power, this is the Visconti Metropolis.

 

 

Final Rating:

 

Regards,

Marcos

 

 

[Namo]

This is a pen I always found very attractive - why did you have to do a positive review of it?

 

Now I really want it!!

[asimplemaestro]

  On 9/15/2010 at 10:36 AM, Namo said:

This is a pen I always found very attractive - why did you have to do a positive review of it?

 

Now I really want it!!

 

It's definitely one of my favorite pens. I used to think that the only really high quality pens were Montblanc. Since I've been into Visconti's I've had to keep myself from neglecting my Montblancs. Haha

[Wideguy]

Marcos let me neglect your Montblancs for you !

Gmar Hatima Tova !

[bugmd]

Thanks for a wonderful review of this pen. Visconti did a good job, at least in my opinion, with this safety filler. The only complaint that I have with mine is that they use the smaller Visconti nib, therefor the non-finned feed. Unless I give up a drop or two of ink after filling, which I never like to do, I will oft end up with an ink blob. Same nib on the Copernicus, Cervia and Manhattan. All great pens from my favorite maker.

 

On another note, man the price of these has gone through the roof recently. I got both of mine used a couple of years ago, good thing I did after checking out the current prices. I have the silver and gunmetal versions, non-Gordonian knots.

 

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_DTUiJGMLxHs/S5PMTuc2zWI/AAAAAAAANoQ/6ff_P0gTb3E/s912/P1030281.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_DTUiJGMLxHs/S5PMUR52XHI/AAAAAAAANoY/mdfcEXn-Id0/s912/P1030282.JPG

Edited September 15, 2010 by bugmd

[asimplemaestro]

Beautiful pictures! Thank you for posting. I wish I had a better camera.

 

Also, the Metropolis is definitely not a cheap pen and never has been. However, you're right to say that the price has gone up over the last few years. Glad I got mine before the price hike.

 

-Marcos

 

P.S. You need to get Bryant to send you a Visconti stand...that Omas just won't do. ;-)

[777]

Beautiful Viscontis! Thanks for the review!

[significantpass]

That's a cool pen!

[asimplemaestro]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm a fan of the pen and love doing reviews so this one was a winner.

[ethernautrix]

Great review, Marcos!

 

I had a Metropolis -- it is a totally cool fountain pen, from its sleek silver gleam to its retractable nib. I really liked mine... except for the filling system. The filling system (alas!) proved to be too much fuss and bother for me.

 

Your review almost makes me regret selling it. I knew that I wouldn't use it, though, as cool as the Metropolis is. It's much better off in the hands of one for whom the filling system is part of the enjoyment.

[alvarez57]

I must again compliment the unexpected detail of adding music to a review, you only need another sensual input but please, do not turn on a cigar!

 

Very nice pen, I was not familiarized with it. Usually I do not like metal pens, but, this is a Visconti. I hope you wont' have issues with the mechanism as I had with my Bohème. Enjoy it.

Edited September 19, 2010 by alvarez57

[kuno]

What an elegant pen. Wowie!

[asimplemaestro]

  On 9/19/2010 at 1:11 AM, alvarez57 said:

I must again compliment the unexpected detail of adding music to a review, you only need another sensual input but please, do not turn on a cigar!

 

I think that if the Metropolis were a cigar, it would be a CAO MX2.

http://www.tophatcigar.com/images/CAO.jpg

[breaker]

a nice pen by visconti

[abend]

  On 9/15/2010 at 4:44 PM, bugmd said:

Thanks for a wonderful review of this pen. Visconti did a good job, at least in my opinion, with this safety filler. The only complaint that I have with mine is that they use the smaller Visconti nib, therefor the non-finned feed. Unless I give up a drop or two of ink after filling, which I never like to do, I will oft end up with an ink blob. Same nib on the Copernicus, Cervia and Manhattan. All great pens from my favorite maker.

 

On another note, man the price of these has gone through the roof recently. I got both of mine used a couple of years ago, good thing I did after checking out the current prices. I have the silver and gunmetal versions, non-Gordonian knots.

 

 

I just got a great deal on a plain gunmetal version. This is a way cool pen that also happens to be an excellent writer, a rare combination indeed. The 'F' nib writes more like an 'M'+, which suits me fine and saved me the downtime to send it out for an exchange. The larger Visconti nibs are too wide to fit into the barrel, the pen would have to have a much larger girth to accommodate them. Which would make it all the more appealing to me. Funny about the feed, though. My Black Divina Midi appears to have the same nib as the Metropolis but the feed, while similar, has more of a comb. If I ever pull the nib on the Metropolis I'll report back on whether the feed/nib are interchangeable.

 

Bruce

[abend]

...so I was inspecting the point under the loupe this evening, and the nib/feed just sort of fell out. It turns out the Divina Midi and Metropolis nibs are identical, and the feeds nearly so. Both feeds have extensive combs inside the section, and the section portion is much longer than the visible portion of the feed. Both feeds also have combs underneath the nib (where they can't be seen). The only significant difference is that the Divina feed has an extra bit of comb on the underside of the feed. This doesn't amount to a lot of extra surface area, but it might make a difference. Visconti would probably sell you a Divina Midi feed if you talked nicely to them.

 

Bruce

[abend]

I went on a bit of a swap-a-thon - the nibs and feeds seem interoperable. When the dust settled I wound up moving a really sweet 'B' from the Divina to the Metropolis, restoring the Divina to it's original 'M', and relegating the 'F' to the parts drawer. 'B' is the new 'M'.

 

Bruce

Edited February 25, 2012 by abend

[Chi Town]

I have the silver Metropolis and can say it is an exceptional writer. Lucky for me I got it on Pentrace and scored it for a great deal!

Edited April 10, 2012 by Chi Town