Visconti Wall Street LE - review

[bugmd]

What do you think of the balance of this pen? I tried out an Opera Master Demo a while ago and found that the weight of the filler knob at the very back of the pen made it feel unwieldy to me, but then the knob on those is metal.

 

The metal filler knob on the Opera Master Demo is huge and heavy. The pen is a club, but I still use mine.

[Deirdre]

The Opera Master demo is more back heavy.

 

Of course, after my Pelikan Lighthouse, which has a blind cap weighing an ounce, nothing feels back heavy....

[eric47]

The Opera Master demo is more back heavy.

 

Really? I held one in a store, and I found it more balanced than the Wall St. LE, which I own. I made them pull the two out for comparison unposted. While the Opera Master Demo has the metal knob, it also has a metal section which I found to balance the pen more in the hand. At least that was my initial impression of the 5-10 minutes with the pens. However, overall the Opera Master Demo was far too heavy overall for my tastes.

 

The Wall St. LE was my first Visconti. It's right at the limits for me in terms in of weight and back-weight. I prefer the Voyager Anniversary (also double-reservoirs) over the Wall St. LE; the VAs are also back-heavy but less so than the Wall St. LE.

Edited November 12, 2009 by eric47

[Deirdre]

Hmm, well, I must admit that I'm waiting for my Wall Street's repair, so I can't double-check at the moment. That's my recollection, though they're not terribly different in weight.

 

I do also love the Voyager.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Deirdre

[suttong]

Has anyone had an issue with this pen where the ink leaks in between the celluloid and the resevoir tank on the shaft?

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review and pictures, thanks.

[Reppen]

Has anyone had an issue with this pen where the ink leaks in between the celluloid and the resevoir tank on the shaft?

 

 

Yes, and in fact today i took it to the Philadelphia Pen show because Dante, the owner of Visconti, was there and i showed it to him. He told me that the ink tends to get in between the celluloid and the tank and also it does this in the cap. He suggested i put the pen in a jewelry cleaner, but i don't have one and don't intend to buy one for this. Other than that, he offered no suggestion. A disappointment as the pen is stained.

[suttong]

Has anyone had an issue with this pen where the ink leaks in between the celluloid and the resevoir tank on the shaft?

 

 

Yes, and in fact today i took it to the Philadelphia Pen show because Dante, the owner of Visconti, was there and i showed it to him. He told me that the ink tends to get in between the celluloid and the tank and also it does this in the cap. He suggested i put the pen in a jewelry cleaner, but i don't have one and don't intend to buy one for this. Other than that, he offered no suggestion. A disappointment as the pen is stained.

 

Mine leaked into the celluloid the first day I had it inked, talk about bummed! Fortunatly I went through an amazing retailer and he has agreed to swap it out for a new one. My hope is this not a common defect in the seal binding the celluloid to the resevoir tank; however, I have not seen mention of this elsewhere. The comment by Dante above, given in that context, does seem to contraindicate that, "the real jewels in Visconti's crown are the limited edition fountain pens".

[goodguy]

Has anyone had an issue with this pen where the ink leaks in between the celluloid and the resevoir tank on the shaft?

Its some time since I got the pen and it is very reliable and doesnt leak.

[mongrelnomad]

I have exactly the same pen (bought from a FPNer), and find the general quality appalling. The celluloid doesn't properly align (the streaks on the barrel are at an angle); the screw-in base doesn't align either, settling off-centre from the rest of the pen when fully screwed-in. The glue around the ink-window is rough and splodgy and the nib skips with every letter (I'm going to check this out soon, as it may have something to do with it being a stub).

 

It's a massive shame because the filling system is a godsend as I travel by air at least twice a month...

 

Maybe I'm spoiled with Japanese and German pens (that generally cost less than the LE), but although faults-aside it would be a lovely pen, I've been put off buying another Italian. A humble Lamy Safari is far better made...

Edited August 14, 2010 by mongrelnomad

[fabrimedeiros]

The celluloid finish is amazing, remember me the vintage Parkers.

 

Is this Filling System the same as there are in the high end Pilots? :hmm1:

[breaker]

nice review and nice pics