Pineider - La Grande Bellezza

[TheDutchGuy]

It's the same with a musical instrument. It should be a given, taken out of the equation, not to be considered at all, it should detract nothing from the musician. So the only thing that remains is what the musician is going to do with it. I write for a guitar magazine and I got that notion from Carlos Santana, when he was asked why he played guitars made by Paul Reed Smith. Wonderful way to look at it.

[dapprman]

Finally got round to it, so here's a shameless plug to my write up on my La Grande Bellezza

https://dapprman.wordpress.com/2018/10/29/pineider-la-grande-bellezza/

[Inkheart]

I’ve blamed Ghost Plane for my growing collection of Viscontis in recent years (so thanks, BTW!) , and now for the Pineider that just hopped into my basket. Thanks again.

 

I’d been wondering about the Pineider Grande Bellezza for months, unable to get that malachite green lusciousness out of my head. Goulet’s current sale pushed me over the edge, as it brought this pen down into a more affordable range for me.

 

Yes, Goulet has just reduced the cost of this model by 30%! Act now!

[Ghost Plane]

While I’m corrupting people, let me recommend the Pineider pen filler. I’ve ended up with two so far so I can alternate inks quickly & I’m running through Herbin bottles like there’s no tomorrow.

[Inkheart]

While I’m corrupting people, let me recommend the Pineider pen filler. I’ve ended up with two so far so I can alternate inks quickly & I’m running through Herbin bottles like there’s no tomorrow.

Oooh, I missed that! Will definitely look into.

 

“Corrupting” is such a strong word. One of my chief pleasures in life is writing with Italian fountain pens upon French paper. If that’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

[TheDutchGuy]

I’m running through Herbin bottles like there’s no tomorrow.

Which ones? (Inquisitive minds want to know, especially those who like Herbin inks.)

[Ghost Plane]

Which ones? (Inquisitive minds want to know, especially those who like Herbin inks.)

Grenat, Vert di Gris, and Orange Indien at the moment. I’m a strong proponent of grabbing whatever appeals in the moment.

[TheDutchGuy]

I’m a strong proponent of grabbing whatever appeals in the moment.

+1. I'm a habitual ink changer, though for obvious reasons I try to limit this urge to C/C pens.

[Says]

My Sunset red just arrived! And it is absolutely stunning... I saw the Malachite Green and Lapis Blue on the shelves, and was a little "Meh" about them, but this is something else.

Got a Medium, and looks like I got lucky. Floats right across the page right from the start. I think enough have been said about the nibs above, so I won't add on.
But I see why people complain about metallic sections. I have relatively small fingers, so my gripe is fine, but would advise to try it first before you buy.

Something else I read previously was on the Magnetic caps in Visconti not being helpful if you post your pen, and it might swim around. I find that the magnet ere actually holds the cap in place when it is posted.

[Inkheart]

My Sunset red just arrived! And it is absolutely stunning... I saw the Malachite Green and Lapis Blue on the shelves, and was a little "Meh" about them, but this is something else.

 

Got a Medium, and looks like I got lucky. Floats right across the page right from the start. I think enough have been said about the nibs above, so I won't add on.

But I see why people complain about metallic sections. I have relatively small fingers, so my gripe is fine, but would advise to try it first before you buy.

 

Something else I read previously was on the Magnetic caps in Visconti not being helpful if you post your pen, and it might swim around. I find that the magnet ere actually holds the cap in place when it is posted.

 

 

Congratulations!!

 

In my experience with Visconti and their magnetic caps...some fit like a glove when posted, others do not. I had a Van Gogh Portrait pen that posted perfectly. Due to a household incident, the cap was damaged beyond repair. I eventually ordered another pen, but aesthetically preferred the barrel of the original pen (you know how with their resin blends, no two are alike.) I used the cap of the new one on the previous pen, and just left the "replacement" pen to fend for itself - mostly as a dip pen LOL! New cap didn't fit the old pen when posted at ALL.

 

So I'm wondering if when the two halves get separated and mixed up in manufacturing, not having been turned together originally, it throws off the fit. Or it could be just a random thing.

 

My Michelangelos have all posted perfectly, as have my Rembrandts. The Van Goghs seem to be more hit and miss. And my other Viscontis are all threaded anyway.

[Says]

Anyway, I realize that the Limited Editions (2-tone 18K) have a totally different Nib compared to the normal Bellezzas (iperflex nib)

 

While the 2-tone is great, I find that there are pens out there with comparable performances. On the other-hand, I am totally in love with iperflex...

 

Why can't they just do a 2-tone or gold layover on the iperflex nib for the limited editions? Its the best feature for the Bellezzas!

[TheDutchGuy]

Tried a stub again today, after first trying one about two months ago. The design of the pen is stunning. The shape of the nib is stunning. The bounciness of the nib is stunning. But it didn't write, not even when dipped in a bottle. The nib was so soft that it bended away from the feed at the merest hint of pressure and the ink flow couldn't keep up. I also suspected a healthy case of baby's bottom. The pen only wrote on cheap, coarse office paper and was unusable on Rhodia. Too bad. I really want to like this pen.

[Ghost Plane]

Argh! Do NOT smush these! Theyre soft, not old school flex. And do NOT get me started on mistaking feed issues for the mythic babys bottom. Grrrrrrr!

[TheDutchGuy]

Uhm, uh, wellll... just to be clear... nobody has a lighter touch than me :-) . And I've never forced a pen to flex and I never will. We're talking normal writing with a very light touch here, not grinding the nib into the table.

[Ghost Plane]

Okay. Fell off the page while leaping to conclusions. Splat! Lemme wipe the egg off my face. It was one of those days at work...

 

But seriously, money is on a feed issue.

[TheDutchGuy]

No worries! Happy New Year! Write on.

[Portia_of_Belmont]

...and I just ordered another one from Bryant. I was torn between the EF and stub, and ended up going with the Tiger Eye with EF nib as I'll get more use out of it. He still has that amazing sale running on them, if anyone is still interested.

 

(How long, do you think, until I'm placing an order for a third one and finally with that stub?)

[Says]

I have 2 fines, 1 medium and a stub... I totally forgot about the EF! please do demo that for us to see!

 

The stub is quite... addictive

[Portia_of_Belmont]

The extra-fine nib on my Tiger Eye Pineider is phenomenal! The F always felt more like a M to me, I was willing to take a risk on the EF (when I've hated every other EF I've ever tried). It writes absolutely beautifully! Wet, smooth, bouncy--it's glorious!

 

After writing with the EF nib and realizing which color inks I'd like to use with each of my Pineiders, I decided to put the EF on my Rodolite Red and the F on the Tiger Eye. So, I swapped the whole nib/section. The F nib and section worked flawlessly when screwed into the Tiger Lily. But, when I screwed the EF nib and grip section into the Rodolite pen, the cap magnet didn't work the way I have come to expect it to.

 

When capping these pens, I usually insert the body into the cap, holding the body lightly enough that it can turn on its own for the magnets to align. The pen almost snaps in. The Tiger Lily pen does this with both its original EF nib/section and the F nib/section. The Rodolite only works this way with its original F nib/section. The cap goes on kinda mushy with the EF nib/section and I can't figure out why.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Portia of Belmont

[avlisyar]

OK ... I caved in and just ordered one through Bryant. Between Ghost Plane's review and Bryant's price,

resistance was futile! I ordered the Black with a Stub. And since he had a sale on the filler, I have one of

those along with the snorkel included in the order.