Visconti Homo Sapiens Steel Age Oversized Ef

[Rubicon]

Great review - now I want one. But I am confused about the filling system. As a previous poster mentioned, all the literature says the Midi gets the piston filler and the Maxi gets the power filler. If anyone has measurements comparing the Midi to Maxi that would be great, I think even the Midi is a decent size so that's where I think I'm looking.

 

I e-mailed FPH, the dealer, about it and as usual, got no response. I'm quite tired of their service. Before, when I ordered this pen, it was placed on backorder because it was unavailable. Two subsequent e-mails inquiring about the status of the item were not replied to, when they were perfectly responsive before I purchased the pen. It seems that after I paid them, my opinions and words just stop mattering. I will not be dealing with them again.

[Ouroboros]

Great review - now I want one. But I am confused about the filling system. As a previous poster mentioned, all the literature says the Midi gets the piston filler and the Maxi gets the power filler. If anyone has measurements comparing the Midi to Maxi that would be great, I think even the Midi is a decent size so that's where I think I'm looking.

 

I e-mailed FPH, the dealer, about it and as usual, got no response. I'm quite tired of their service. Before, when I ordered this pen, it was placed on backorder because it was unavailable. Two subsequent e-mails inquiring about the status of the item were not replied to, when they were perfectly responsive before I purchased the pen. It seems that after I paid them, my opinions and words just stop mattering. I will not be dealing with them again.

 

I'm glad to know that as that's where I was thinking of purchasing from. Haven't dealt with them in the past, and while they answered my questions about a MB 146 I was considering, none of my emails got any responses. Any other recommendations for a good place to purchase a Visconti?

[raging.dragon]

Great review - now I want one. But I am confused about the filling system. As a previous poster mentioned, all the literature says the Midi gets the piston filler and the Maxi gets the power filler. If anyone has measurements comparing the Midi to Maxi that would be great, I think even the Midi is a decent size so that's where I think I'm looking.

 

I e-mailed FPH, the dealer, about it and as usual, got no response. I'm quite tired of their service. Before, when I ordered this pen, it was placed on backorder because it was unavailable. Two subsequent e-mails inquiring about the status of the item were not replied to, when they were perfectly responsive before I purchased the pen. It seems that after I paid them, my opinions and words just stop mattering. I will not be dealing with them again.

 

I'm glad to know that as that's where I was thinking of purchasing from. Haven't dealt with them in the past, and while they answered my questions about a MB 146 I was considering, none of my emails got any responses. Any other recommendations for a good place to purchase a Visconti?

 

I've bought several Viscontis from Pentime.com (email bryant@pentime.com), and also Airline International. One of my friends recommends The Ink Flow, though I haven't bought from him myself.

[Trivan]

I too purchased my HS from pentime last week. I must have exchanged at least 7-8 emails during the process, and even though I got a auto reply saying Bryant was traveling, I received responses very quickly. Very happy with his service. FYI, I have a Maxi Steel and it's a piston filler.

[Faulkner]

So, are two editions of maxi steel HS or they all are piston fillers?

[MiloWilo]

Ive got hold of a new visconti price list which details the oversized and midi steel versions as having piston mechanisms and the bronze (only available in Oversized) as having the vacuum filler. The midi version is the same size as the bronze rollerball, if this helps.

 

Having seen them both, the midi is a little smaller than an M800 and the oversize is closer to M1000.

 

The ink capacity of the midi piston fill is disappointing, i have tested my M800 many times and got around 2ml using a small medical syringe, the type that only takes 1ml, with 0.1ml increments labelled. The same test on my new Midi Homo Sapiens Steel came back with 0.7ml at best. I know this is about the same as a piston converter, but I expected more. Does anyone else have experience of this sort of test or comparison with the oversize piston model or the vacuum filler?

 

Love the pen though, the nib is wonderfully smooth and flexible. The bayonet cap and unique feel of the barrel make it a joy to use.

[fabrimedeiros]

Here's a writing sample captured using iPhone (my excuse for the crappy picture). http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m495/Caesaris/photo7.jpg

I have the same impression when I'm using Diamine Syrah on the Clairefontaine/Rhodia paper.

 

Nice review! I've been using my HS Bronze 1.3 stub for 15 months now, and I'm still very impressed with this pen. It was worth every penny in my opinion. I think HS has pretty revolutionary components which will become this pen a truly classic in the future. The nib in Palladium 95% is great pleasure to write with (Pd, a noble metal, is cheaper than gold, but is harder to manipulate, so the price of the Pd nib can reach the gold one).

 

I love this pen a lot, so I want another one, with F or EF nib, but It's hard to choose between Bronze and Maxi Steel. I also like the steel trim, however bronze is awesome, mainly when it oxidates and shows the patina color. I prefer the Power Filling, but Piston Filling is also great. My 2nd choice, though.

Edited March 31, 2012 by fabrimedeiros

[fabrimedeiros]

Ive got hold of a new visconti price list which details the oversized and midi steel versions as having piston mechanisms and the bronze (only available in Oversized) as having the vacuum filler. The midi version is the same size as the bronze rollerball, if this helps.

 

Having seen them both, the midi is a little smaller than anI have the same feeling when using Syrah on the Clairefontaine/Rhodia paper. M800 and the oversize is closer to M1000.

 

The ink capacity of the midi piston fill is disappointing, i have tested my M800 many times and got around 2ml using a small medical syringe, the type that only takes 1ml, with 0.1ml increments labelled. The same test on my new Midi Homo Sapiens Steel came back with 0.7ml at best. I know this is about the same as a piston converter, but I expected more. Does anyone else have experience of this sort of test or comparison with the oversize piston model or the vacuum filler?

 

Love the pen though, the nib is wonderfully smooth and flexible. The bayonet cap and unique feel of the barrel make it a joy to use.

I've tested HS Bronze ( Power Filler= Vac Fill) with a precison balance and syringe and it holds 1.5mL when full loaded (NOT a single shot. Must use the techinique that removes the air and two shots OR need to use the Travelling InkPot). In my tests, all my 3 M800 also hold 1.5mL (volume of reservoir+feed both filled).

 

So, I think Visconti themselves have made this confusion about filling system in their catalogs. Resuming: Steel Age serie (large and small versions) is PISTON, isn't it?

[carlc]

 

 

So, I think Visconti themselves have made this confusion about filling system in their catalogs. Resuming: Steel Age serie (large and small versions) is PISTON, isn't it?

 

Was this ever resolved?

 

Susanna has the oversize as a power filler My link as does Goldspot My link

 

Colorado pens direct have both as piston fillers My link as does Pure Pens My link and Andys Pens My link

 

And so on...

[raging.dragon]

 

 

So, I think Visconti themselves have made this confusion about filling system in their catalogs. Resuming: Steel Age serie (large and small versions) is PISTON, isn't it?

 

Was this ever resolved?

 

Susanna has the oversize as a power filler My link as does Goldspot My link

 

Colorado pens direct have both as piston fillers My link as does Pure Pens My link and Andys Pens My link

 

And so on...

 

Another thread came to the conclusion that all Steel Age fountain pens are piston fillers. I believe there was a Visconti catalogue or some such with them listed as such, and everyone who had bought one and joined the discussion had recieved a piston filler.

[fabrimedeiros]

So, I think Visconti themselves have made this confusion about filling system in their catalogs. Resuming: Steel Age serie (large and small versions) is PISTON, isn't it?

 

Was this ever resolved?

 

Susanna has the oversize as a power filler My link as does Goldspot My link

 

Colorado pens direct have both as piston fillers My link as does Pure Pens My link and Andys Pens My link

 

And so on...

 

LOL! Thanks for the links and info (or misinformation...Lol).

[terminal]

So, what is the consensus about how fine their extra fine is? From what I can tell... it's not very fine. Is it even as fine as a Lamy Safari extra fine?

[Olliwerder]

So, what is the consensus about how fine their extra fine is? From what I can tell... it's not very fine. Is it even as fine as a Lamy Safari extra fine?

I can't speak to the extra fine, but my fine's basically a medium

[raging.dragon]

So, what is the consensus about how fine their extra fine is? From what I can tell... it's not very fine. Is it even as fine as a Lamy Safari extra fine?

 

It's a very we extra fine. When combined with a wet ink, the result is quite a wide line. With drier inks it's a true (European, not Japanese) extra fine.

[terminal]

So, what is the consensus about how fine their extra fine is? From what I can tell... it's not very fine. Is it even as fine as a Lamy Safari extra fine?

 

It's a very we extra fine. When combined with a wet ink, the result is quite a wide line. With drier inks it's a true (European, not Japanese) extra fine.

 

[raging.dragon]

So, what is the consensus about how fine their extra fine is? From what I can tell... it's not very fine. Is it even as fine as a Lamy Safari extra fine?

 

It's a very we extra fine. When combined with a wet ink, the result is quite a wide line. With drier inks it's a true (European, not Japanese) extra fine.

 

 

My pen is an Opera Master Demo, but it uses the same nibs as the big Homo Sapiens. I don't have a Lamy, or for that matter any Japanese EF nibs, to compare to. With Montblanc Toffee Brown and a light touch I get a wet line a bit thinner than my TWSBI or OMAS EF nibs. With Noodler's #41 Brown I got a much wider line, it's been awhile but I recall thinking that combination wrote like like a wide fine.

 

I find with my Visconti Palladium nibs the line width varies more than other nibs when changing inks. I believe this is because the nibs are wetter than most. Also the Palladium nibs are quite soft and if used with a heavy hand will lay down significantly wider and wetter lines.

[Ouroboros]

In the brief time I got to play with my Visconti SE Midi, I found that it was wetter than most (but I knew that coming in) and that the flex of the palladium nib certainly did contribute to the wet line. Write lightly, pick the right ink, and clean the feed of excess ink after filling and it writes well. My only caveat is that my pen was customized to 0.5 CI so I can't tell you if a stock fine is wide from experience, only extrapolation.

[devaldez]

Great review, but I have to say, my bronze HS is one of my very favorite pens ever. I had a catastrophic accident with my HS...that apparently happened when I wasn't around and the pen was in my saddle-bag briefcase. Don't ask me how, but my HS snapped in half?! It's away getting replaced now, but my wife gave me a Carbon Dream as a wedding present, so I still have a 23k Palladium nib. It's EF and I would say it's wet and a bit thicker than most, but it's SMOOTH for an EF.

 

Quite honestly, though there are others with much more experience who will refute this, I find Viscontis to be the best pens, both in build and nib quality. I've written with MBs and find them much less impressive. I have a Waterman with a 14k nib here which is nice, but simply doesn't compare. I gave my wife a Van Gogh with an 18k nib (plug for classifieds here!) and it's delightful, too...

 

Oh, and a HUGE shout-out for Bryant at pentime.com...simply the best service, pricing, and selection for Viscontis...I will ALWAYS buy my pens from him because of his awesomeness!

[tanalasta]

My EF ... which was purchased tuned from Bryant was very wet and wrote almost as wide as a 'medium' to 'broad' in the western style.

 

I have since swapped the nib for a stub. Which is also very, very wet - I only got 3-4 pages of letter writing on A4 on my last fill.

[fabrimedeiros]

Great review, but I have to say, my bronze HS is one of my very favorite pens ever. I had a catastrophic accident with my HS...that apparently happened when I wasn't around and the pen was in my saddle-bag briefcase. Don't ask me how, but my HS snapped in half?! It's away getting replaced now, but my wife gave me a Carbon Dream as a wedding present, so I still have a 23k Palladium nib. It's EF and I would say it's wet and a bit thicker than most, but it's SMOOTH for an EF.

 

Quite honestly, though there are others with much more experience who will refute this, I find Viscontis to be the best pens, both in build and nib quality. I've written with MBs and find them much less impressive. I have a Waterman with a 14k nib here which is nice, but simply doesn't compare. I gave my wife a Van Gogh with an 18k nib (plug for classifieds here!) and it's delightful, too...

 

Oh, and a HUGE shout-out for Bryant at pentime.com...simply the best service, pricing, and selection for Viscontis...I will ALWAYS buy my pens from him because of his awesomeness!

 

 

Has it broken in half?!! Do you have pics? I thought the Lava body was unbreakable!

 

I agree with you that Visconti make theirs pen in high quality material and they are very well designed, probably better than Montblanc, Pelikan etc. However, sometimes, some of their metal (probably steel parts, I don't know...) used to get rusty, but it's a minor issue. Usually their pens are made in high quality, with the very best materials available.

Edited April 29, 2012 by fabrimedeiros