Need help deciding...Visconti Homo Sapiens Lagoon or Opera Master Polynesia?

[seimodern]

I don't have much experience with Visconti, but am currently expanding my frame of reference to include more Italian pens.

I'm planning for my next substantial pen purchase & was hoping you might be able to share your experiences/insights.

 

I really love the look of both the Visconti Opera Master Polynesia & the Homo Sapiens Lagoon. 

So, if you could only purchase one of these fine pens, which would it be? 

 

And would you go with a factory stub (albeit tuned by seller) or a custom grind like a broad > OB or cursive italic with a .7X.5mm line variation.

 

The Opera, I gather, is heavier and longer, has a metal section & nob, and features a rounded-square profile;

The Sapiens, by contrast, is rounded, a bit stockier/shorter and a little lighter (but not by much).

 

• I think I prefer the look & color of the Lagoon to the Polynesia, but still find the Polynesia very attractive.
• I like the profile of the HS a little better,
• but I like the facets of the OM
• but I tend to like heavier pens & often also like metal sections (though many people obviously don't). Mainstays of my current collection are Dupont, Caran d'Ache, & MB (heavier/continental pens, often with metal/lacquer).

 

Regarding nib choice:

 

I recently purchased the Aurora Optima with a stub & don't mind it but don't love it either. So I'm also trying to figure out whether to go broader or pull back. Will I enjoy & get more use out of Visconti's wider stub, or out of a Broad ground down to an OB or cursive italic (with line variation in the .7X.5 mm line neighborhood)

 

The Aurora stub seems to be both a little too broad (for EDC) and not quite broad enough (for more dramatic writing). I also find the Optima a little too light & on the small side unposted, but presumably the HS & OM will both correct for that.

 

Recommendations?

 

 

 

 

[MoriartyR]

I can’t help with your nib question - I only use fine and extra-fine nibs.

 

But I do have both the Opera Master Polynesia and the HS Blue Lagoon. Honestly they are both lovely pens and have the same great features (same wonderful nib, dual-reservoir, huge ink capacity, vacuum filling, quick uncapping, and airtight cap). It is down to personal taste and you have noted the differences in size and weight correctly.

 

Personally, I like my HS Blue Lagoon best. It feels a better size and more balanced, to me. I do feel the added length and weight of the Polynesia and it is slightly less comfortable for me because of that. The Blue Lagoon is still a large pen. The Polynesia also has a metal section, which some find less grippy and I think I find to give a less warm and more sterile feel. But I guess some would get a greater feeling of quality from the metal.

 

Looks-wise the Polynesia acrylic is rather impressive - it really looks like pacific atolls surrounded by white sand that sinks into the ocean, and is quite three-dimensional. But I think this may be an interesting discussion point for a few minutes, and then you wonder why a pen needs to have that. The Blue Lagoon is just as beautiful but perhaps in a simpler way and less of an attention grabber, which you might feel is more practical.

 

One other thing to consider - what inks would you like to use and how would they fit with the turquoise or blue of these pens? If that sort of thing might matter to you.

 

Bottom line is they are both truly superb pens. You will certainly love whichever one you select. I love Auroras but I think you will feel both of these Viscontis to be a step above in materials and the feeling from the nib.

 

[MoriartyR]

Gratuitous pic, because why not? Who knows, it may help.

 

 

[seimodern]

Dear MoriartyR,

 

Pretty sure FP pics are never gratuitous--and always welcome!

 

Thank you....these are all so gorgeous--you've got a lovely set of pens there! It's especially helpful to hear from people who have both--and like both.

 

That picture of the Polynesia is quite arresting. With some of the pics I'd seen randomly online, I was worried the Polynesia might look a little more plastic-y (i.e. less lux). I'm glad to hear that the material appears gorgeous in person, as it does here too. This pic definitely disproves those concerns and then some. 

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences of the pens & the pics. Looks like I probably can't wrong either way.

 

Much appreciated!! 

[seimodern]

Update---

Your pic & thoughts were indeed really helpful, especially because I hadn't come across any pics with both pens in the same image. (Since lighting & etc can be so different from one pic to the next, it makes it harder to compare).

This image helped me make decide on the Polynesia. (It's on its way to me from FPH in a fine ....).  

 

I figured I'd start with a fine for practical EDC-note taking purposes, & then (if/when wallet recovers) hit up that Sapiens Lagoon in a broad cursive italic or broad OB. 

 

And as you suggested, I would indeed like to match my inks to the pens. I just got my first bottle of Visconti blue, which I presume would be better for Polynesia. But I wonder if it's special enough of a blue.

 

Do you have any recommendations for the Polynesia? 

 

Of the inks below--maybe MB Egyptian Blue? I might also GvFC Gulf Blue (thematically it works at least), but when I've used it to date, it seems to be more legible & interesting in broader nibs. 

 

Other blues in my collection--

• CdA Idyllic Blue (my go-to blue)
• MB:  Homer blue; Maya Blue, Egyptian Blue,
• Dupont Royal Blue,
• GvFC: Gulf Blue, Cobalt blue
• Pelikan (edelstein): Saphire, Topaz, and Aquamarine;
• Pilot: Kon-peki, Ama Iro, Asa Gao, Shin-kai;
• Sailor/Kobe/Studio): #7 Kaikyo (v. dark), and #48 Sudousuji Marchais Blue; studio #743 (dark blue); Nioi-Sumire
• Takeda Jimuki/Kyo No oto: Hisoku 
• Basic blues: Lamy blue; Pilot blue; and Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue
• Kaweco: Royal blue
• Diamine: Kensington Blue

[MoriartyR]

I am very happy that the picture helped.

 

You’re right, Seimodern. The Blue Lagoon seems that it should have turquoise or (possibly) green ink and the Polynesia seems equally suitable for blues and turquoises and (possibly) greens. But maybe it shouldn’t matter and it wouldn’t feel as off to me as I expect if I put black or purple or red in either pen. I only pointed it out because as demonstrators the ink matching might matter and you may not have thought about that.

 

Honestly I think any of your blues would look great in the Polynesia. You should just experiment. Maybe something like Homer Blue matches the colour of the barrel, and maybe a dark blue or blue-black would really make the white pieces in the acrylic pop. Egyptian Blue would be great, I’m certain.

 

By the way, I don’t know how well I explained the effect of the white parts but they really do sink three-dimensionally into the blue acrylic as though it is a white sandy beach sinking into the ocean. I didn’t really see that until I had the pen in my hands. But if you look I think you can see this effect from my photo.

 

I don’t have Visconti Blue ink but from what I’ve seen it is very similar indeed to the mythical Parker Penman Sapphire (which I remember buying and using when it was released).

 

You have plenty of great choices there, for sure. It’s a personal thing and I can’t advise other than to say they would all be good matches for this pen. Maybe try not to fill the pen too far on your first fill (take the nib out of the ink straight after you push the piston in, rather than waiting a couple of seconds for the ink to fill). That way you can write and see ink sloshing inside the barrel, and not waste so much if you want to change and try another.

I will be interested to hear which ink you are happiest with in the pen. To be honest I haven’t experimented and I have only had Leonardo Blue in mine to date.

 

Oh, and one more thing I might point out to you. The thing I appreciate most about the Visconti dual reservoir system on these pens is that, because of the shut-off valve that seals the barrel when the piston knob is screwed in, the ink stays fresh and does not evaporate or darken in the pen. So my inks always look as they should. I get the impression that you might appreciate that too.

 

[seimodern]

2 hours ago, MoriartyR said:

valve that seals the barrel when the piston knob is screwed in, the ink stays fresh and does not evaporate or darken in the pen. So my inks always look as they should. I get the impression that you might appreciate that too.

 

I hadn't realized that-- what a great feature! I have way too many pens inked simultaneously and all too often, they write really dark when I do get around to them--so that a bright blurple suddenly looks more black. I will indeed appreciate that!

[RBullCZ]

Hello, my first "proper" post on this forum!  I can chime in with my (limited) experience with Visconti Opera Master Polynesia, although I have no comparison to Homo Sapiens. The Opera Master Polynesia was my first "expensive" pen purchase several months ago and it was based simply on the looks and gut feeling from the images as I had no chance to see it in person.

 

I have rather large hands and find the size of Opera Master perfect. The heft and weight was slightly more than what I had anticipated, or maybe it is the balance. I find the pen (un-capped) slightly back heavy so I am glad for the metal section which is balancing the weight out a bit.

 

However the main sensation of this pen is its nib! I have got the M nib, it is the new 18k Visconti unit and it is probably the best nib I have tried on any pen so far (YMMV due my limited experience though). I am not much into flex nibs and this one does not really flex at all. On the contrary, I find it rigid but there is one pleasant sensation which I struggle to describe properly - it resonates as if you play a music string instrument. I mean super sublime sensation, maybe there is proper term for it (springy?)? Best description I have is that this nib feels "alive" if this does make sense. In comparison, Aurora 88 nib feels dull and lifeless in comparison to this Visconti 18k nib. EDIT: Please do not get me wrong, I like the Aurora nib too for how smooth it glides on the page and how predictable it is. It just feels like 2B graphite pencil compared to Visconti. And regading the Visconti M size - it is true to M maybe more like Medium-Fine with Visconti ink on Rhodia paper.

 

When it comes to inks, I have tried Sailor blue, several Irishizuku blue inks, Waterman Inspired blue and Serenity blue and finally settled to Visconti blue. The pen behaved well with all of those inks but subjectively I feel the Visconti ink does have the right viscosity for this nib to give steady line with just the right wetness.

 

As was mentioned before, this Visconti OM Polynesia oozes quality though and through it feels like finished product to the smallest details. I have zero experience with older Visconti pens, have been reading complaints of the QC in the past, but my experience so far with this current Visconti product is top notch. It is rigid, nothing wobbles, everything is properly aligned and even under magnifying glass the details like the nib for example look like somebody took the time and effort to make sure you are getting premium product and premium writing experience out of the box.

 

With all that said I have to confess that Visconti OM Polynesia is not my most loved pen and in fact I only use it for few lines of a text per day as part of the "fondling" ritual  For daily user I use the Aurora 88 because its lower weight and smaller size.

This has to do with the fact that I purchased this pen during this year lockdown as a "reward" for surviving the somewhat dark and crazy year so just the look at the vibrant Polynesia resin swirls helps my mind to get more cheerful. But after playing with it for a while and discovering other pens I realised the weight and balance is not comfortable for me and that I do prefer piston fillers to vac fillers despite the ink capacity advantage of the later. 

[MoriartyR]

That’s a pretty useful first post, RBullCZ. Welcome to the forum. I can only agree with everything you say.

 

You describe the Visconti 18k nib very well and it has an exceptional writing feel with the springiness in the long tines. Really one of the very best nibs you can get, I think. The older 23k palladium nibs were just as nice but a little softer, which was probably the reason the nib was more difficult to tune and it gained them a reputation for poor quality control. There was nothing wrong with those nibs, though, and if you purchased from a retailer who was experienced in tuning them they were joyous. Fortunately I don’t feel anything much has been lost with the change to 18k gold nibs - they retain the same kind of feeling and the quality control is much improved.

 

[gerigo]

I have quite a few, haha perhaps too many Visconti’s because I can’t say no to their pen designs. However I have come to realize I personally no longer like the Homo Sapiens purely on the fact the grip section is short, in fact too short for me. I am one of those that grip my pens a little higher on the grip and the Homo Sapiens causes me to grip around the hooksafe system which gets uncomfortable. 

 

Having just purchased the Polynesia, I would have to say that the new and subtle changes they have made to the Opera Master has endeared the design to me even more. Of course the grip is much longer and feels great. The pen feels also more balanced than the older Masters, I think? I remember the old masters are such batons that I find then a smidge unbalanced. 

As for the stub, I only have experience with their old Palladium stubs, which are very wet and always over polished and require a little tinkering for them to write well. But based on what I have experienced I would say the stub would probably be a lot more controlled in ink flow. But that’s something that you can get the nibmeister to adjust the flow. I personally used to like stubs and italics a lot as I use it for calligraphy. If you have very large hand writing, the stub would be ideal. But if you have regular or small handwriting, the 1.3 stub will feel uncomfortable and uncontrollable. 

[seimodern]

 

As I wait for the Polynesia to arrive (Thursday, tick tock...) I was looking over the numbers again and just realized this thing is even bigger (in some respects) than my Pilot Custom Urushi and Dupont neoclassique Phoenix. Not a bad thing, but....golly! 

 

Pilot Custom Urushi:

• length (capped) 154.6mm
• length (uncapped) 140.2mm
• diameter (barrel) 15.9mm
• diameter (section) 12.3mm
• weight (capped) 43g
• weight (barrel) 25g

Visconti Polynesia (#s per Goulet Pens)

• length (capped) 156.2mm
• length (uncapped) 140.8mm
• diameter (barrel) 15.6mm
• diameter (section) 10.1mm
• weight (capped) 51g
• weight (barrel) 31g

Dupont neoclassique is 152mm capped, 138mm uncapped, and considerably thinner (11mm barrel diameter), but slightly heavier than the others (57.3g capped, 34g barrel).

 

And RBullCZ, welcome and thanks for sharing. An impressive pen and auspicious first proper post!

 

 

[RBullCZ]

Thank you seimodern, hope you will enjoy your Polynesia! I am curious how you will find it in comparison to the Pilot Custom Urushi.

[MoriartyR]

1 hour ago, seimodern said:

 

As I wait for the Polynesia to arrive (Thursday, tick tock...) I was looking over the numbers again and just realized this thing is even bigger (in some respects) than my Pilot Custom Urushi and Dupont neoclassique Phoenix. Not a bad thing, but....golly! 

 

Pilot Custom Urushi:

• length (capped) 154.6mm
• length (uncapped) 140.2mm
• diameter (barrel) 15.9mm
• diameter (section) 12.3mm
• weight (capped) 43g
• weight (barrel) 25g

Visconti Polynesia (#s per Goulet Pens)

• length (capped) 156.2mm
• length (uncapped) 140.8mm
• diameter (barrel) 15.6mm
• diameter (section) 10.1mm
• weight (capped) 51g
• weight (barrel) 31g

Dupont neoclassique is 152mm capped, 138mm uncapped, and considerably thinner (11mm barrel diameter), but slightly heavier than the others (57.3g capped, 34g barrel).

 

And RBullCZ, welcome and thanks for sharing. An impressive pen and auspicious first proper post!

 

 

I think you’ll be fine with it, seimodern. It isn’t crazy big, just a bit longer. The section is not fat so it does not feel unwieldy when you are using it. As RBullCZ said, the length and the metal piston knob make it slightly back-weighted but the metal section mostly balances that and it feels quite comfortable and controllable to write with. The weight adds to a sense of quality, that’s all. It doesn’t feel heavy to me - at least not in any way that disturbs my writing.

 

Some pens are light and airy. Some pens have gravitas. This is one of the latter type.

 

[seimodern]

Gravitas...the perfect word! I actually prefer heavier pens, so long as thr balance is right. I recently tried Aurora optimas but find them a bit too light and short (at least unposted), so I am quite looking forward to the opera master design. 

[foreignexport]

you have sold me on the Polynesia - just ordered it from Rome

I love large pens and couldn't resist adding this one to my current Visconti stock

thanks all

[seimodern]

An update....thanks to your collective guidance, I went (initially) with the Polynesia (in a fine) from Fountain Pen Hospital, and it is indeed beautiful!

 

As the reviewers above indicated, the Opera Master is long but not overly so and also well balanced. And the resin pattern is much more striking than my camera can capture.

 

Aa beautiful as it is, the siren song of the greener turquoises of the Homo Sapiens Lagoon proved too much for me to resist. So several months later, the ebullient Lagoon has come to join its slightly haughtier OM sibling.

 

With both before me, I agree with MoriartyR that the Lagoon only very slightly edges out the Polynesia. (Speaking purely subjectively here). The turquoise just has a more ebulliant effect than the calmer blues of the Polynesia. This is a weird metaphor I realize, but the Polynesia has a more distant aesthetic (think aerial shots of island networks) while the Lagoon more proximate effect (a snorkeler's immersive experience of the water). But truly, they are both exceptional and captivating. One really can't go wrong with either.

 

***Embarrassing postscript:

 

In case my errant path might prevent someone else from making the same stupid mistakes, I will also confess a string of bad decisions and their consequences. (Sigh...the cruel clarity of hindsight!l)

 

With the Sapiens, I negotiated  great deal for a new pen on Ebay. (Several hundred under msrp.) This seemed too good to pass up even though I wanted a stub and this came in a medium. I figured I could just order a spare stub later and then have 2 nibs for only slightly more than retail. Terrible plan!

 

I wish I had gone through a proper dealer as with the first. The medium was terribly misaligned and even after aligning the tines it would barely write. Only after changing the nib and considerable tinkering have I gotten it to write at all. But with a much thinner drier line than the Polynesian F. (Both 18k). Ok, I half-expected this given the number of reviews indicating out-of-the box issues and the likely necessity of sending them to a nibmeister.

 

I am not really all that keen on a thin medium, though, so thought I could just swap the screw-in nib units on the Polynesia and Lagoon while waiting for a spare stub to arrive.

 

("Danger! Danger! Don't do it!" you are instictively mouthing, and rightly so).

 

Since the two pens are roughly on the same tier and with same nibs, I mistakenly assumed they were both screw-out nib units.

 

First go at the Polynesia: hmm, that's quite tight! Let's apply just a little more pressure until it unscrews...

 

(Don't worry....my self-recriminations surely outpace anything anyone else might offer!)

 

While I didn't apply excessive force, it was apparently enough to bring the nib and feed ever so slightly out of alignment. To the eye (even under 10X magnification), nothing looks amiss with tines or feed. But now there is a slight clicking of the nib when I write, and the perfect juicy fine that Fountain Pen Hospital sent me is now a much less saturated squishy fine-medium. That clicks. Incessantly. Its click click click click ever so annoying even when transcribed!

 

End result?

Entirely foreseeable. 

 

I now have to send the Polynesia off for servicing via Cole's, which could take up to 4 months to return.

 

And I have also just spent another $500 for a spare stub with a cursive italic grind for the lagoon. Which also means I will have to wait awhile before I can write decently with either. 

 

Moral of the story? (For the less than 1% of fpners as stupid as I...)

 

1) Don't try to save bucks on ebay (at least not at this price point). Just get the nib you want from a reputable dealer. 

 

2) Don't try to unscrew the nib unit on the Polynesia Opera Master. Just don't. 

 

A side note for those trying to decide between these two stunning pens:  it is much easier to swap out nib units on the Homo Sapiens Lagoon. (Whereas for the Polynesia, you will probably need to send it out for nib swap).

 

And lastly a pic....

 

Despite the frustrations of this unfortunate but entirely avoidable chain of mistakes these are both remarkable and deeply satisfying pens! 

 

[Detman101]

On 5/19/2021 at 6:25 PM, MoriartyR said:

Gratuitous pic, because why not? Who knows, it may help.

 

 

OMG....my favorite...the Corsani... 😍

[gerigo]

Wow someone got up on the wrong side of bed today. We all have taste that are unique.  While some of us share similar appreciation of certain aesthetics, please help everyone celebrate their right to buy pens that tickle their own fancy. Pooing on people's parade just because the pen is not to your liking is not very nice. Think of it this way, it keeps everyone's favorite Italian pen company afloat. You can aspire to the black Homo Sapiens and we can buy the colorful variation.

[drsky125]

17 hours ago, gerigo said:

Wow someone got up on the wrong side of bed today. We all have taste that are unique.  While some of us share similar appreciation of certain aesthetics, please help everyone celebrate their right to buy pens that tickle their own fancy. Pooing on people's parade just because the pen is not to your liking is not very nice. Think of it this way, it keeps everyone's favorite Italian pen company afloat. You can aspire to the black Homo Sapiens and we can buy the colorful variation.

 

Cannot agree more. I own a Homo Sapiens Midnight in Florence and I chose this pen specifically because it was different from the relatively "standard" volcanic material version. This pen actually presents a number of features not found on the HS bronze (e.g., double reservoir, visual access to ink level). What some may consider undesirable may be extremely important to others.

[seimodern]

The Midnight in Florence is such a beauty....very tempting!

 

Even though I made some stupid decisions (eg trying to unscrew the Polynesia's nib unit), I sent it off to Cole's for repair and they got it back to me in a little over a week. (I'd imagined it was going to be 4 or more months...). Great service, and with only 15$ charge for shipping! That kind of service certainly makes it easier to spring for another Visconti down the road.

 

The spare stub nib with an italic grind (by the talented Sarah Rice) also arrived from Nibs.com, and it was just what I wanted for the Lagoon. The plucky pen duo are now cohabitating happily and ready to serve!