Review: Visconti Millennium Arc Rainbow

[TheGreatRoe]

I love Visconti pens–their sense of design really appeals to me. There are a couple of pens I was watching the classifieds for, and one of them was the Millennium Arc series from a few years ago. So when the new colors came out I abandoned my hunt for one of the older models and snatched up this one. I chose the Rainbow color over any of the Moonlight colors largely because I didn’t like the clip and crescent filler on the Moonlight models as much as the ones on the Rainbow.

Full disclosure: I originally ordered this pen in a Stub nib, but there was something wrong with the pen—it was so wet it would completely empty within a half-page. I sent the pen in for service, but the result was a pen that was so dry it couldn’t write a complete sentence. Instead of more back and forth I traded the pen in for a Fine nib version, and this one has had no troubles. I got this from Bryant and Chatterley Pens and his customer service—as well as the service from Coles of London—was impeccable.

 

Appearance: 9/10
The pen is striking. When choosing which pen I wanted I had to make a decision. I liked the look of the Blue Mononlight colors best of all, but I didn’t like the style of the clip and the crescent. In my heart it felt like the Rainbow was a compromise. But now that I have the pen in hand, I’m happy with my decision. I won’t pretend to know how they make the colored resin layers, but the shimmering swirls of the resin are hypnotic. I get that the rainbow will be polarizing—a little too garish for some--but I quite like it. The rounded ends harken back to the shape of the older Van Goghs, so it ties in nicely with the rest of my collection

Construction: 9/10
I’ve come to expect my Viscontis to be well-built. They are put together by the hands of craftsmen, not by machines and line workers, and it shows up in the final product. The pen is solid, without being heavy. When uncapped, the nib and the crescent align, and when capped the clip lines up with the crescent. To be fair there are four orientations depending on how you close it, but it’s easy to figure out how to align the cap and pen so that when you screw the cap closed everything lines up.

At first I wasn’t totally happy with the play in the crescent. A little research told me that this is a common issue with most crescent fillers, but I’ve found that if I turn the crescent all the way around—a full 180°—from open, that it locks the crescent nicely.

Filling: 9/10
This is my first crescent filler—I’ve never even held one—and only my second pen that uses a sac, after an Esterbrook J. I like the Esterbrook more than I like how it fills, so I really wasn’t expecting to like the crescent filler very much. The best I was hoping for was that I wouldn’t dislike it. But much to my surprise I’m rather happy with it. It fills enough with just one press and release, and two fills it completely. I base this conclusion on the bubbles expelled with each successive press: 1 = lots of bubbles, 2 = a few bubbles, 3+ = no bubbles. And very much unlike my Esterbrook, it’s fairly easy to clean. I’ve done it twice now, and both times I fill it, gently shake, and expel the water and repeat twice. It’s actually one of my easier pens to clean.

This pen has the tubular Smartouch nib (more on that below) so it’s compatible with the Mosquito filler—but one of those fillers doesn’t come with the pen (that’s why this one isn’t a 10/10).

Nib: 9/10
Another first for me is the tubular Smartouch Chromium 18 nib--which I’m pretty sure is a lot of marketing-speak for a steel nib. I love Visconti’s standard steel nibs so this one had a lot to live up to--and it mostly does. It’s not as slightly-springy as the regular ones, but it’s wetter and smoother. It also has a very slightly upturned tip which can give a little line variation with some practice. I mentioned it’s wet--it’s actually VERY wet. I’ve learned that immediately after filling the pen it’s necessary to blot the feed, or risk a fat blob somewhere in the first few lines--but after blotting it it behaves just fine, even after sitting overnight. But the wetness does kind of even out any line variation you might get with a little pressure. It’s not a perfect 10 because I would prefer a little more springiness

Test Drive: 9/10
I’m liking this pen more each time I write with it. It’s a fairly light pen especially uncapped--almost half of the weight is in the cap. The light weight combined with the wet nib, results in almost no hand fatigue. I wrote for 3 pages straight before I had mild cramping in my hand, and that normally happens every page-and-a-half.

Overall: 9.0/10
I’m glad I got this. Not only does it add a nib and a filling system that I don’t already have in my collection, but it’s also a beautiful, well-made pen. Frankly I like it more than I thought I was going to.

P.S. We’re having a series of overcast days. When I have some good light I’ll try to add some pictures and a writing sample.

[aderoy]

It is a very nice pen. Approx same size as the Van Gogh maxi original.

 

I have the same pen in EF number 018/200.

 

Thank you for the review.

Edited December 24, 2015 by aderoy

[europen]

I appreciate your review. It's thorough and you made the pen sound fun to use.

 

You are right about its repellant nature, for some at least. Visconti make wonderful pens, but this has to be one of the most hideous to look at, and I am not sure who was thinking what when it was designed.

 

I myself could never use it because I couldn't stand to look at it while writing. But enough of that. There are other Visconti to go around. I include a few photos of another Arco, the Millennium, in their red swirl design.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to review the pen.

[mehandiratta]

how is the grip section... does it feel slippery....

[europen]

I myself don't use the grip when writing, as I hold the pen farther up, but I have other pens with silver or other metal sections, and it doesn't bother me at all. I prefer a sterling or stainless grip in fact, because it doesn't stain when dipped in ink.

[TheGreatRoe]

how is the grip section... does it feel slippery....

 

It's metal but it's not a particularly slick finish, and the section is concave, so even though I generally have slick hands I've not had any problems.

[Misfit]

Thank you for the review Dale. We have yet another Visconti in common. I got the Millennium Arc Moonlight in sky blue. I liked the green color. But the only color among them I associated with the moon was blue.

 

It has burgundy swirls in the blue shades. Photos don't do it justice, but that's true of most pen photos.

 

I was looking for filling advice, so thank you for your thorough review. Just what I needed to know because I got those blots of ink as you described.

 

The grip is easy to hold and not slippery. The pen is light weight compared to Visconti HS, Wall Street, Cosmos.

 

I got the stub nib, and filled it with a late 1990s era Parker Ruby ink. It never shaded in a fine nib Waterman Laureat that I can recall. But I didn't have premium paper when I used that pen and ink. In the Moonlight, there was shading.

 

Once again, very helpful review, so many thanks to you.

[Misfit]

Curses! I tried the filling and blotting, but later the drop rolled down. Drat, strange issue I've never had with Visconti before. Different nib design though. Perhaps I didn't blot it correctly.

[TheGreatRoe]

Curses! I tried the filling and blotting, but later the drop rolled down. Drat, strange issue I've never had with Visconti before. Different nib design though. Perhaps I didn't blot it correctly.

 

I was never able to get the stub to work for me. With the F nib, after I fill, I wipe it off like you would with any pen, then using a paper towel I hold the nib and feed between my thumb and finger. This dried out the nib quite a bit, but it re-saturates quickly. With the F nib, that does it. If it keeps blobbing after that, you'll need to contact the seller and exchange it or get a repair. The guy from Coles said that too much air was flowing through the feed into the sack, but after the adjustment it was too little. *shrug*

 

Who did you get it from?

[Misfit]

I got it from Bryant at Chatterley Luxuries (pentime.com). I haven't tried the method you described using fingers. I will.

 

If I have to send it for a fix, I hope that works because I like the number I got.

[TheGreatRoe]

I got it from Bryant at Chatterley Luxuries (pentime.com). I haven't tried the method you described using fingers. I will.

 

If I have to send it for a fix, I hope that works because I like the number I got.

 

LOL. I know what you mean. The number on my first pen was nothing special but I like the number on my new pen quite a bit.

[Misfit]

I asked Bryant for the numbers available in the stub nib version. Eleven was on the list, so I happily asked for it because of Apollo 11.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited January 18, 2016 by Misfit

[leeann_weaver]

I've been searching for this pen in a fine or extra fine. Does anyone know where it might still be available for a reasonable price?

[TheGreatRoe]

I've been searching for this pen in a fine or extra fine. Does anyone know where it might still be available for a reasonable price?

Looks like Chatterley still has it in Fine. https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/visconti-limited-edition-millennium-arc-fountain-pen-rainbow/

[Misfit]

I've been searching for this pen in a fine or extra fine. Does anyone know where it might still be available for a reasonable price?

I got mine from Chatterley too, after price checking. I hope you found the one you wanted.

[ZeroDukE]

On 12/23/2015 at 2:29 AM, TheGreatRoe said:

At first I wasn’t totally happy with the play in the crescent. A little research told me that this is a common issue with most crescent fillers, but I’ve found that if I turn the crescent all the way around—a full 180°—from open, that it locks the crescent nicely.

Filling: 9/10

 

Yes!  That's right. Problem solved. Thank you.