Visconti Nibs - Van Gogh Series

[THRobinson]

Just curious about the nibs on the Visconti pens... I heard that European sizing is a bit different, not sure how though... is their Broad like a Medium? or vice versa?

 

I've been debating a new pen for a while, between a TWSBI 580 and a Monteverde Prima... then while researching I kept seeing Visconti's name show up, and outta my price range so never really looked, but, made the mistake of watching a few videos and looking online, and that Starry Night pen in the Van Gogh series has me hooked.

 

Maybe it's time to get a really good pen, vs a few mediocre pens.

 

I'm looking for a nib that is about as thick/wide as my Jinhao X750 Medium. Thick enough to show off the shading of the ink, but narrow enough that my small handwriting isn't a blob.

 

I have a few Lamy pens, which seem to run a bit dry, and the medium doesn't seem quite wide enough, but the Lamy broad nib that I have is a bit too fat for my handwriting.

 

The Jinhao X750 M, is pretty much where I'm looking to be.

 

What would the Visconti equivalent be?

 

... and I guess, compared to the TWSBI 580 and a Monteverde Prima, is the pen worth the extra price? Apart from looks, because I just love the look of it.

 

Thanks

[Ghost Plane]

Visconti nibs run wet and wide. I don't use anything smaller than a B, so I can't help you there, but I suspect the M might more than make up for the Lamy's M not being wide enough.

 

Caveat - the only steel nib Visconti I ever had was a Pericle. Awesome steel, nicer than many gold nibs. I have no clue how the new ones feel. I'm a sucker for their discontinued 14kt Van Gogh Maxis which are the closest thing to a MB 149 I've ever experienced in a c/c filler. I own both and I use them interchangeably. So for me, yeah, they're worth the price of admission.

[THRobinson]

Thanks... pricey pen so if I do finally get one, I'd like to get the right nib. Downside of where I live, I have no access to any pen stores that would carry such a pen. Toronto might have one, but, the time/gas to get there and back is half the cost of the pen. Be cheaper to buy an extra nib.

 

Few pens out there I read a lot about, like the Montblanc 149, but, I dislike cigar-shaped pens (like my Jinhao x750) I prefer flat ends, as well as some sharp angles... so the faceted body and that clip on the Van Gogh Visconti had my interest piqued.

 

I'd like to use broader nibs, which is why my last Lamy was ordered with one, but, for every day writing, I find it too wide. Debating buying another M for my newest Lamy, but, can't do it. The B nib with the Apache Sunset has such wonderful shading I can't bring myself to do it.

[Highbinder]

I used to own a Visconti Van Gogh mini with medium nib. I'd say it ran slightly closer to a broad. Great nib - I only got rid of it because the mini was too small. I'd love to pick up another - probably a Maxi - at some point.

[THRobinson]

This Van Gogh should be ok size wise I think... saw a few reviews and no mention of mini. I'm 6'3" tall and have gorilla hands so, anything mini I avoid.

 

But good to hear... like I said, the Lamy M is a bit dry/narrow but the Lamy B is a bit too fat so, from what I am hearing/reading/seeing... the Visconti M should be a good size.

Edited September 29, 2015 by THRobinson

[Newjelan]

I have a Visconti Van Gogh Maxi with a 14kt Gold Broad nib. It's a beautiful pen and the nib is wet and smooth. It's the wettest, broadest Broad nib I own. I also have 3 Rembrandts and the one with the M steel nib is only a little broader than my Lamy M nibs. HTH

[THRobinson]

Sounds like M is for me then... my Lamy M is just a bit too small, though again, hard to really tell with the dryness of the one when it was inked up with Noodler's Black... the Lamy M with Eel Rattler Red, works much better and the M is almost what I'm after. So based on that one, I was after something a bit wider/wetter.

 

Good chance this week I'll have the Starry Night...

 

Sorta off-topic... but related... are there any inks that work better/worse? ie. my Lamy with Noodler's Black, always ran a bit dry I found and lots of creep. I put in some J. Herbin's Poussiere de Lune and runs much better. However, I put the same ink in my Jinhao and was borderline sloppy how wet it was, and in an even cheaper Hero pen, it dripped out. Noodler's black in the Hero, runs perfectly fine.

 

Looking at Diamine Twilight, which both colour and name I think will match that Starry Night perfectly... unless someone with a Visconti has noticed some issues with it.

 

I love the Noodler's Black, good solid black and bulletproof... but I bought it for my Lamy, and in the Lamy... it kinda sucks.

Edited September 30, 2015 by THRobinson

[Ghost Plane]

Sailor inks are pretty close to perfection in any pen I've run. Private Reserve Tanzanite has a reputation for being the "laxative" ink for dry pens. Waterman is a "safe" ink if in doubt.

[THRobinson]

Laxative ink... oh my.

 

Never tried Sailor yet... I had a few samples of reds to test, which was nice because those samples let you try a lot of inks with no real commitments. But, never tried, well, any of those three.

 

Is there a black laxative I can use in my Lamy?

[Ghost Plane]

I don't use black so I don't pay attention, but a hunt in the ink forum should yield a few candidates.

[THRobinson]

So happy...

 

Just grabbed one off eBay, in Canada... usually have to buy from the USA but by fluke a local had one for sale. New, in box... $97USD.

 

Ink wise... still debating, though that Diamine comes in a 1/2 size bottle, and looks beautiful... though may grab a blue sampler from Goulet or something.

[THRobinson]

Just an update... got the pen, and now the inks... the M nib is the perfect size for me.

 

Noodler's Blue-Black | Visconti Blue | Diamine Twilight | Private Reserve Electric DC Blue | De Atramentis Indigo Blue | Private Reserve Sonic Blue | De Atrementis 'Black Edition' Blue-Black | Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo | Private Reserve Ebony Blue | Rohrer & Klinger Verdigiris

 

http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a611/THRobinson/Forum%20Crap/_MG_6418_zpskfsgaifq.jpg

Edited October 20, 2015 by THRobinson

[Ghost Plane]

Verdigris and Ebony Blue would be my first choice, followed by Twilight and Visconti Blue. Enjoy!

[THRobinson]

Twilight is in it now, it was my first choice because I liked that off-teal tone... but, bit dark on paper, not as much shading as I would have hoped, but, it's a fairly wet writer. Verdigris and Ebony Blue were actually my 2nd choices. I also grabbed 2 blues, that weren't blue-blacks... though I suspect a bit too bright for my taste, but, Visconti pen, so I had to grab the Visconti blue to test. I have a small pile of reviews I need to post soon.

 

Nice pen though, very smooth... amazed at the price I got it for. I was going to buy another as an xmas gift, but when they reposted them, the price jumped way up to more than doubled. :S

[THRobinson]

Grabbed the camera today... sadly, good lens is busted, but, got a decent shot off of the Visconti, as well as my customized Lamy for another thread.

 

http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a611/THRobinson/Fountain%20Pens/_MG_6427_zpsffx9o0dz.jpg

[THRobinson]

  On 9/28/2015 at 9:12 PM, Ghost Plane said:

Visconti nibs run wet and wide. I don't use anything smaller than a B, so I can't help you there, but I suspect the M might more than make up for the Lamy's M not being wide enough.

 

Well, you were spot on. The M Visconti is a bit wider than the Lamy M, and not as wide as the Lamy B.

 

I was going to get a few nibs for the Visconti, but decided to just get one.

 

I have a Parker Reflex that I am using at work. Sat un-used since the '90s... dug it out and filled it up and liking it a lot. Nib says nothing apart from Parker, but on the underside of the feed it says M. So I assume this is a Medium nib? however, it's finer than the Lamy.

 

I like it though, and my handwriting seems to look better, and still shows off the nice shading of the ink (J. Herbin - Poussiere de Lune).

 

So... Visconti... would the EF or F be similar to this Parker nib?

[Ghost Plane]

I've got no experience with Parker. Glad the Visconti worked for you.

[THRobinson]

Contacted Visconti, who redirected me to their Ontario distributor, who just happened to be the same place I bought the Lamy parts from.

 

They remembered me and will send me a few writing samples done with the nibs so I can see how thick they are and decide from there.

[Mickey17]

Hey, you should write a review of this pen! This is one of the pens I'm considering and I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on it. Love the color of the Van Gogh.

[THRobinson]

I was thinking of doing a review of all my pens. I have a lot of reviews written out for various ink samplers I've tried, made and posted a form, used it but, never got around to scanning them in.

 

Have to research a few pen reviews first, see what info most people cover.

 

Briefly though, I like the Visconti a lot. Put the ink in, and without any issues it wrote perfectly. Few cheaper pens took a bit of adjusting and work to even get the ink flow started. Medium nib is a bit wider than a Lamy M nib, and very smooth... I'm looking to get another nib/section though. Ontario supplier for Visconti is sending me a few writing samples so I can see if I want the EF or F. I like wider nibs because shows off ink shading really nice, but, honestly no idea how people write with a B or 1.1 Stub... unless your lettering is double-height.

 

I was surprised at the finish. Initially worried, because swirl pens are always random and was worried mine would be ugly, or almost no swirl, but I got a good balance of blue/yellow. The surprise though, was that it has a subtle pearl effect. I assumed solid colours, like the paints used by Van Gogh, but, some areas have a decent amount of pearl/shimmer in the colour. I'm not sure I like the pearl... I don't hate it, but would rather it had been solid like oil paints.

 

Cons... so far only one. The grip. It's so smooth and polished, with my hard/very dry hands it's hard to get a grip. Had I the ability, I'd have it knurled, or at the very least sandblasted and roughened up a bit. Not sure if any other Visconti nib/feeds will fit the Van Gogh? if so, do any have a textured grip? even satin black, would be nice, then I'd get it instead when I order a new nib/feed.

 

Price wise though... mine was cheap(ish). Someone here in Canada had it posted, along with about 10 others, all for $93US (I think $133CAD) all new in box. I bid on one, wanted to bid on two but worried how high the max would go... and no one bid at all! Kicking myself because I wanted a 2nd one as a gift for someone. Since then, they're all being listed for about $390CAD (over a $250 jump in price).

 

That all being said, I really like the pen, for the price I paid. As great as it is... I personally, can't warrant spending $390CAD on a pen, even if it were solid gold and did my taxes for me. I simply don't write enough.

 

It's also the most expensive pen I've ever used, so I can't compare it to a Montblanc, Pelikan, etc... so can't even say if it's really any better/worse than anything else in that price range.

Edited November 11, 2015 by THRobinson