Visionnaire Fountain Pen

[Cartooner]

I'm all for new fountain pen companies and I love innovation. However, after watching the promo video, I have huge skepticism about this new pen company. My skepticism began with the intro footage of a pen being filled with Quink (I do use Quink daily, but there are so many better options to choose from especially for video footage). Any notion of my support disappeared a second later when the "designer" is shown marking up drawings with a cheap blue BIC pen.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730727524/visionnaire-fine-writing-instruments-0

 

The video does mention things like 'connections to instruments' but fails to convey anything about the nib design, the barrel material, weight or anything else about the details of the pen. It is in these details that draw me toward fountain pens.

 

I am also confused about who this pen is marketed for.

 

I may be wrong, but these pens seem similar to a few Jintao or Hero pens that I've tried. They were fine a first (actually, quite scratchy nibs), but are no longer part of my daily use set.

[edelgul]

I asked what nib he was using. The response was "No specific Brand name on the nib. Even though the company I have chosen for the built is making pens for the top brands."

 

Didn't make me want to pledge for it.

I've contacted Elsbeth Reemtsma of Bock and after providing pictures of the nib have asked her, whether the nib is Bock made an whether it could be German made.

Her responce was - no definitly not Bock made, and coudn't be German made.

She also added, that "Those lousy nibs should have been made by Chinese or Indian manufacturers."

Edited July 19, 2013 by edelgul

[CAG_1787]

I've contacted Elsbeth Reemtsma of Bock and after providing pictures of the nib have asked her, whether the nib is Bock made an whether it could be German made.

Her responce was - no definitly not Bock made, and coudn't be German made.

She also added, that "Those lousy nibs should have been made by Chinese or Indian manufacturers."

 

Sounds like there's at least one definitive judgment on their quality. I really don't know what the motivation for making another pen is.

[Cyanite]

I'm debating if I made the right choice in backing this now... Any thoughts?

Edited July 19, 2013 by Cyanite

[Raskolnikov]

I'd never want to damage anyone's image but if I have to be sincere, this pen looks to me like another generic looking, cheap pen out there. The guy doesn't know much of fp culture (like someone else already pointed out) and it looks to me like he's just luring other people who are not in the field.

Also, I'm using euphemisms here.

[edelgul]

I'm debating if I made the right choice in backing this now... Any thoughts?

As a person, who involonturaly created all this hype with the questions i have to say, that it is really your choice.

 

The worst case scenario (the one that i tend to consider as the most plausible now) is that you'll receive the pen, and it will be some Hero or other Chinese pen with custom engraving.

Perhaps you'd be albe to get it (without custom engraving) or very simmilar on for a few dollars in China.

So worst case scenario is you beeing ripped off for some 35 Dollars (not something big to make a tragedy about). There even might be a chance, that you might put a (allegedly designed) barrel on some of your existing pens.

 

So really, that is your call.

Edited July 19, 2013 by edelgul

[bigd]

Well, if any good has come from this ks campaign is that it got me turned on to the FP culture. I bought my lamy safari i love it. I still really miss my thick dark lines and super smooth writing from my gel ink pens but It will only be a matter of time beore I find a pen and ink combo that will fit me perfect!

[RMN]

As with many cheap brands, the product you get in hand may write okay.

The pen looks attractive enough.

 

However as others have stated, I feel not assured by the presentation.

 

Pen in trouser

Grip of pen in hand

Handcrafted iridium German precision nib (hand crafted????? in Germany??? for that price??? and is the whole nib made of iridium??)

A specially designed round nib for lefthanders....

 

the remark about the bottle of ink is plausible, if you, as many people, write about one letter and a few wishing cards a month a bottle could last 10 years.

 

 

D.ick

[edelgul]

After 5 days of campaing in the comments the project starter has finally admitted in FAQ, that the pen is actually Chinese.

 

Now we know for sure, that we have a Chinese pen. The quality controll is to be done by a person, who has self confessed, that he knows next to nothing about them.

Even if he is happy about the prototype (that would be of better quality, then mass produced pens) he has no way of conducting the controll.

The only way that in his opinion assuers the QC is that "The contractor I have partnered with has more than 20 years of experience in making high quality pens.
So the fit and finish as well as the materials, and the "savoir-faire" are excellent."

 

Really? Hero has 80 years of experience, but the QC is still a gamble.

 

 

 

Btw, he already stated before, that "Our manufacturer have spent the past 25 years perfecting fine writing instruments for the top high end industry leaders."

So the company probobly was established somewhere in 1988-1992. Any ideas, what pen company could it be?

[Wheatflower]

I'm not sure how I missed this thread, but I only learned of the kickstarter today after someone on FB posted the link to my wall. My first reaction after reading through the Visionnaire's page was, "the person writing the FAQ knows nothing of fountain pens."

 

My second was, "What does this pen do that the Pilot Metropolitan doesn't already do for less money?" Did anyone else have this reaction?

[flyingfox]

<snip>

My second was, "What does this pen do that the Pilot Metropolitan doesn't already do for less money?" Did anyone else have this reaction?

 

I think your statement is valid toward many fountain pens out there, not just this particular one. Pilot Metropolitan is such a great writer, I LOVE mine! Of course I have a whole bunch of other pens that have different nibs, nice design and all, but Visionnaire doesn't have any other nib options either. Interestingly enough, mine is a silver with no design on the barrel, so- it really is the closest one to this Visionnaire's pen in terms of the design.

 

 

I am just surprised that this pen got so much support... It is actually not a bad thing, if it turns out to be an introduction to the people who have never had a chance to use a fountain pen before.

 

Of course- it'd be a tragedy, if this one turns out to be the kind of pen that would turn users off from fountain pens... I mean- my first "real" pen was a Safari, a great writer that is totally low maintenance.

 

I have encountered my share of "lemons" since (super-scratchy, ink drips a lot faster than I can write, super-dry, and so on,) but I had a point of reference by then, enough to know that, at least, not all fountain pens are like that. So- for the sake of future newbies, I hope this Visionnaire pen turns out to be reasonably good quality.

[edelgul]

My second was, "What does this pen do that the Pilot Metropolitan doesn't already do for less money?" Did anyone else have this reaction?

Well, perhaps "German Iridium nib" - i heard about nibs out of silver or gold, but this is exclusive! The nib is of cource handcrafted (and, i assume, handbend).

 

Or maybe copper body to go well with your Iridium nib.

 

You maybe would be drawn by the excessive durability of the pen. It is so durable, that one can carry it in the jeans pocket. Perhaps there is a special durable copper, that defies the Mohl table.

 

Another unique aspect of this pen, is that it is compatible with any ink color. The cartridge/converter system is so unique, that it could use all cartridges by most popular brands (so it will not only work with International long and short cartiridges , but would also support Lamy or Parker).

 

The designer of this pen spent bloody 6 months with another designer finalizing the design of those two pens. In those 6 months he perhaps discovered too many things about fountain pens, most users of this forum never heard about. So you'll get a perfect pen with absolutley unique and exclusive design for 37 USD, together with the opportunity to say, that it wholesales at 45 USD (so perhaps Parker Sonnet level). You don't want to look like a cheapo with 15 USD retail price Pilot Metropolitan, do you?

 

If wholesale price doesn’t sound impressive enough, everybody around the project starter, who had the opportunity to test the pen were ready to pay 80-120 USD for it (a psychologically impressive HUNDRED BUCKS of average). See - great resale value. Just buy a hundred, and hang out with the project creator - every resale will triple the money spend.

 

Even if that wasn't enough, the pen is produced in China by the same factory, that produces Mont Blanc (i don't think it is related to Montblanc) and Parker pens for over 20 (25 to be more specific) years. So the fit and finish as well as the materials, and the "savoir-faire" are excellent. Nevertheless, that designer will personally do Quality Controll of every pen before shipping it to the backer (currently over 6,000 pens are to be checked, and projected figure exceeds 15,000 pens, the will be personally QC'ed by the designer/project starter).

 

Also the pen is very nice to hold, weights 34 grams, and if you tap it on the table or tap your nail on it it make nice solid sound, thus it doesn’t feel like cheap plastic tube giving you an aura of exclusivity +3. In other words it is a very nice pen that will be noticed if you are taking notes in a coffee shop or signing documents.

Most importantly, the surface of the pen is nice and smooth and when you close the cap it makes a nice "click".

 

And if all of the above wasn't convincing enough, the pen is so eco-friendly, it will conserve your ink so well, that one Quink bottle will last for 10 years.

 

So why are you still reading this post at FPN, and not yet backing the project or increasing your pledge?

 

If you don't care about yourself, think about your unborn kids - this pen is specifically designed to sign their birth certificates. You don't want to have you child's birth certificate to be signed with "Johnny's Bait and Tackle" pen, do you? Think of your kid, when he will become of age, he will definitly ask you about the pen have you used to sign his certificate Do you know, what to answer? To you want to looks as a disgracefull and incompetent father from the Day 1?

Well, if you already have a kid (How unthoughtfull of you - you shoud have waited till you pen arrived) - get that pen in advance, and give it to the kid as a wedding gift, so that he won't follow your mistakes.

 

Btw, if you for some strange reason think that i’m sarcastic read the description of the project, and Project Starter’s comments to it.

P.S. Since this community loves pen so much, while Visionnaire (for reasons above) is such a bestseller, that New York times will devote two pages about in their next issue, many FPN were not able to grab their one-five-ten-hunderd pens at the Early Bird prices. But i’ll reveal a secret for you:

If you want the black (Noir) model, and missed the Early Bird at KS (Early Birds for Noir are closed for quite a while) don't back the 45 USD version, just head to the Project website, where you can order Noir pens at the Early bird price.

 

Edited July 22, 2013 by edelgul

[Namru]

Just... No. What the hell is so special about it?

 

It really does look fantastically dull. Seriously, I bought a WH Smith pen for £3 that looks more interesting.

 

Also, Parker shown with a retail of $240, that I bought for $10. Slick.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Namru

[bigd]

I don't understand why its so bad to carry a pen in your pocket? How is one supposed to transport a pen?

[bigd]

I don't understand why its so bad to carry a pen in your pocket? How is one supposed to transport a pen?

[RMN]

I don't understand why its so bad to carry a pen in your pocket? How is one supposed to transport a pen?

Oh, I won't stop you. But please do not sit on my chairs....

 

 

D.ick

[nicholasyeo]

Haha, at least the video was cool... the sketches.

[Opooh]

It's a pen , yeah like there are 12 in a dozen. Much ado about nothing.

[edelgul]

I don't understand why its so bad to carry a pen in your pocket? How is one supposed to transport a pen?

That is the reason, why bags and backpacks were invented. You can also have an inside pocket in you jacket for that.

 

but to remain on the topic with this pen.

This is a copper made pen. Copper is not steel or titanium. It is not even bronze - it's a soft metal, that could lose its original form once hads enough pressude is applied.

[bigd]

Thanks for clarification! I didn't realize they could leak.