Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age

[cgreenberg19]

Overview:

The Visconti Homo sapiens is a grail pen for many including myself. The Homo sapiens is one of those pens that just screams flashy Italian design. From the basaltic lava that makes up for most of the pen to the bronze accents this is by no means an understated pen. I have the "older" model with the 23 karat palladium Dreamtouch nib which writes very well having been tuned by a nib mister (at first it didn’t write at all). I tend to take the pen on a lot of trips with me because of the high ink capacity convenient mechanism. In addition, the pen is virtually unbreakable under normal war and tear. The pen is defiantly an eye catcher, but it comes at a price. $620 is a hearty price to pay for any pen, however in the grander scheme of Visconti this pen falls on the relatively “affordable” end of the spectrum. The pen is definitely one of my favorites due to the pen's pretty design and good performance.

Writing Experience:

In the past there have been a lot of QC issues with Visconti Dreamtouch nibs. In June of the last year they transitioned to 18 karat gold nibs made by Bock in Germany. I have a Visconti Opera Crystal with an old style 18 karat gold nib and that may be one of the most pleasant nibs in my collection, so naturally when Visconti announced that they were transitioning to gold nibs again I was quite happy. This pen has quite a bit of spring to it and even though it comes with a warning that states “Don’t push, this nib will follow your dreams” I can get some line variation out of it. The writing is smooth now that the tines are now in alignment and the nib is quite wet. Overall, it was was worth the investment to make the nib write properly.

Design:

The design of this pen is classic. Compared with many Visconti pens that tend to have pretty over the top designs this pen may look boring. However, this is really not such a boring pen. The pen has an old feeling ascetic with the bronze trim and dark gray material that's warm to the touch, it really adds to my enjoyment of the pen. Now, let’s get into the parts of the pen. On top there is the "Visconti -- Firenze logo as well as some other decorations. The pen utilizes Visconti’s MyPen system which allows you to personalize the finial of your pen by using s strong magnet to take the little metal piece off and replacing it with a gemstone or your initials. The cap is made of the same lava material as the rest of the pen. The cap angles up to two rings just under the clip. The clip itself is molded after the Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence. The “Visconti” name is set in enamel in the clip on both sides. From there, the cap just angles up a bit and transitions to a center brand that is on the barrel, not the cap. The cap attaches to the section with Visconti’s hook safe look mechanism, which isn’t really necessary on this pen because there aren’t any facets that need to line up, but it’s still a cool novelty. The barrel is pretty plain. It angles down about a millimeter from the ring to the blind cap. The pen is one of Visconti’s power fillers, which on this pen is just a vacuum filler because it’s a single reservoir power filler. In all, I like the design of the pen and I use it quite a bit.

Measurements:

Length (capped): 145.0 mm/5.71″

Length (uncapped): 131.0 mm/5.16″

Length (posted): 170.18 mm/6.70″

Diameter (barrel): 13.9 mm/0.55″

Diameter (section): 10.9 – 11.9 mm/0.43″ – 0.47″

Weight (all): 43 g

Weight (cap): 17 g

Weight (body): 26 g

Presentation:

Recently Visconti has changed their standard faux leather packaging to a slightly less expensive cardboard box, which is fine. There’s not much to say about it, but it carries the pen and does its job, so I can't complain. The pen comes nestled in a ribbon going diagonally across the box with “Visconti” branded on it. There is really not too much to cover about the box, so I’ll stop here.

The Visconti Homo sapiens was a grail pen of mine for quite a while and when I finally got my hands on one it was clearly worth the wait. The issue with the nib really was off-putting considering this pen was the my first from the brand at the time I purchased it. This was a review that I enjoyed writing because I really like the pen. I tend to only review pens I enjoy because I’m not a big fan of hate-reviewing. My name is Charlie and if you have and questions, comments, or concerns please let me know in the comment below. As always, thanks for reading and make sure to tune in soon for another review!

Note:

Due to the size of the files I’m uploading I have to split some between two pictures to fit the maximum file size on FPN.

 

Bottom part of writing sample

[carlos.q]

Nice review! However if you use the "Upload" tab at the top of the page you can post larger pictures up to 2mb each:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/blog/2/entry-22-the-images-upload-tab-what-is-it-how-to-use-it/

[DrDebG]

Great review! Thank you. You answered a couple of questions for me. This pen is on my "list". But I am seriously thinking about the Magma.

[Aditkamath26]

Okay, if it makes Pelikan Royal Blue look that wet and vibrant, I need this!

Thank you for the review

[cgreenberg19]

Cool

[Tseg]

Nice review. My first one I bought new but one of the "key" holes on the section end where I guess the feed gets screwed in was all gouged. Not sure how/why the seller released it in that condition. It was exchanged without problem and my second with the Fine 23K Pd nib is perfect and fantastic. I also got an HS Elegance (acrylic w/ converter) and that Fine 23K Pd nib was equally excellent. Every ink works excellently in these nibs for me, which is not real common across the balance of my nibs..

[georges zaslavsky]

Tried one many years ago but the palladium nib seemed much inferior for me than the older gold nib

[sansenri]

Thank you for the nice review, I believe you are right in saying that the basaltic lava and the bronze accents make this pen special, there is no other like this and in my opinion choice of materials is not only aesthetic but functional.

I love holding the pen, with that special warm and almost rubbery feel.

I have a B Palladium nib on mine and love it, nonetheless I think that this pen is good enough to also deserve a spare nib, which could well be an 18k.

[Misfit]

Mine is waiting to be cleaned, then filled with Visconti Blue. It has the 1.3mm stub nib.

[TheDutchGuy]

Some time ago I bought the smaller Midi version with 23k Pd nib and reviewed it. It has become one of my most-used pens. I loved it then and I love it even more now. Since then I've walked away from the full-sized version many times. I've always wanted it but could never rationalize getting one. Today I didn't walk away and got one. It's brand-new, fresh in from Visconti and hence with an 18k gold nib. All I can say is: wow. I got the Fine and it really is a fine, actually slightly on the EF-side of Western F. It's exactly what I want a Fine to be. It's super-smooth yet somehow offers a tactile response that gives me lots of control. It's not too wet and not too dry. And it was perfect straight out of the box. I've inked it with Edelstein Moonstone and I've already forgotten that I've never, ever paid so much for a pen. This is pure joy.

[Honeybadgers]

Great review! Thank you. You answered a couple of questions for me. This pen is on my "list". But I am seriously thinking about the Magma.

 

If someone said "QUICK, NAME A PEN THAT WON'T AGE WELL"

 

The magma would come screaming into my mind ahead of all others.

 

Just go for the classic. The bronze age has so much class and elegance. The red on the magma just looks so. darn. cheap. If it were a $50-150 pen, sure, go with the fun colorful option, but when we're in the $600-800 range, I'd stick with something much more subdued, and the bronze furniture does add a nice bit of bling.

 

But if you're smitten with it, go for it. Not many people would agree with me that the divina elegance in stacked coin celluloid and sterling silver is the most gorgeous pen ever made.

 

But most new visconti's are being sold with a gold nib instead of the 23k Pd dreamtouch. I don't know if the QC has stepped up, but if you go for a dreamtouch model still floating around, set aside $40 to have it tuned by a nibmeister. Dreamtouch nibs are glorious creatures when they're tuned properly, some of the best in the world, but the number of them that left the factory that flat out wouldn't write was pretty appalling.

[sansenri]

I agree with Honeybudgers' comments on the Magma.

The Bronze is lovely. If you want a more modern look, the Steel is very nice too, stylish vs the Bronze elegance (if you can still find one available, but should not be too difficult).

[TheDutchGuy]

The Bronze is lovely. If you want a more modern look, the Steel is very nice too, stylish vs the Bronze elegance

 

Personally I also like the Dark Age version very much. I got the Rose Gold myself and it was a tie between these two.

[TheDutchGuy]

...most new visconti's are being sold with a gold nib instead of the 23k Pd dreamtouch. I don't know if the QC has stepped up...

 

This week I bought a brandnew Lava Bronze with the 18k gold nib and that nib is utterly brilliant. A sample of 1, not statistically meaningful, but... well... wow.

[DrDebG]

 

If someone said "QUICK, NAME A PEN THAT WON'T AGE WELL"

 

The magma would come screaming into my mind ahead of all others.

 

Just go for the classic. The bronze age has so much class and elegance. The red on the magma just looks so. darn. cheap. If it were a $50-150 pen, sure, go with the fun colorful option, but when we're in the $600-800 range, I'd stick with something much more subdued, and the bronze furniture does add a nice bit of bling.

 

But if you're smitten with it, go for it. Not many people would agree with me that the divina elegance in stacked coin celluloid and sterling silver is the most gorgeous pen ever made.

 

But most new visconti's are being sold with a gold nib instead of the 23k Pd dreamtouch. I don't know if the QC has stepped up, but if you go for a dreamtouch model still floating around, set aside $40 to have it tuned by a nibmeister. Dreamtouch nibs are glorious creatures when they're tuned properly, some of the best in the world, but the number of them that left the factory that flat out wouldn't write was pretty appalling.

 

 

Thank you so much for your comments. I am still drawn to the Magma, but truthfully I like the classic look of the Bronze Age.

 

I love the Divina Elegance line, but I don't think I have seen the model you suggest.

 

My daughter has had issues with her Dreamtouch nib, and has had to have it tuned. Actually, it was the poor reports about the nibs like this that put me off Viscontis. But they are lovely pens, and I keep coming back to them, but just haven't purchased one yet.