Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age Fountain Pen Review

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age fountain pen is one of my grail pens. It is one of those pens that catches your eye with its striking bronze embellishments and basaltic lava finish. There's nothing quite like it.

I held off ordering one for quite awhile, simply because the pen looked enormous and heavy. It is a big pen, measuring 5.75 inches, and it is weighty at 45 grams (both measurements are with the pen capped). Nevertheless, it balances perfectly in the hand. A seller on Fountain Pen Network offered this Homo Sapiens for an "I-can't-pass-this-by" price, so I bought it.

The packaging is sophisticated and suits the pen. The outer cardboard box is cream colored with the Visconti logo. Inside is a large, leather-like clamshell box. When you open it, the Homo Sapiens is encased in cream-colored cloth that contrasts nicely with the pen. The clamshell box has a slide-out drawer that contains information about Visconti pens and a polishing cloth for the bronze.

The cap attaches using Visconti's special "hook safe lock." I like the design and it's certainly quicker than unscrewing a cap, but I haven't found it to be all that "safe." The cap comes off too easily. I wouldn't trust it in a shirt pocket.

A removable bronze finial with the Visconti logo adorns the top of the cap. You can replace it with Visconti's "My Pen" system and choose your initials or a stone. I like the Visconti finial but might someday buy a stone just for variety.

In addition the cap is encircled by two solid bronze bands and the Visconti clip. The Visconti name is painted on both sides of the clip. I think they should have engraved it. If you want to attach the pen to a shirt pocket or papers the clip lifts easily.

The barrel has two bronze bands. The top band is engraved with "Homo Sapiens." The letters are filled with black ink so they stand out nicely against the bronze.

The bottom band is slender and encircles the piston. It actually popped off when I was cleaning the pen. It's not hard to press it back into place, but I'm not impressed when bronze parts fall off.

The pen uses Visconti's high power vacuum filler system. It's simple to use. You unscrew the piston, pull to extend it, submerge the nib in the ink and push. I do this two or three times to make sure I get a good fill. Unfortunately, the Homo Sapiens does not have an ink window, so you don't know how much ink is in the barrel. And vacuum fillers are notoriously difficult to clean. When I changed ink for this review it took a half hour of plunging to get the water to run semi-clear.

My nib is a 23K palladium stub (1.3mm). It's a beautiful nib with scrollwork and the Visconti name. Visconti calls it a "dreamtouch nib" which means it writes without any pressure being applied. It is definitely a smooth nib. The stub lays down a thick, juicy line. But, I've experienced hard starts and skipping, which is disappointing considering the retail price of this pen ($695.00). I suspect I'll have to send it to a nibmeister to tune it and maybe turn it into an italic.

Over time, the bronze elements tarnish. In fact, I've only had the pen a few months and the bronze has tarnished substantially. I used the included polishing cloth before I took photos for the review. It got some of the tarnish off, but the bronze isn't as shiny as before. The cloth is thin and doesn't seem to work all that well. Some Homo Sapiens owners prefer the look of the tarnished bronze; I prefer it shiny.

The lava body is something you simply have to touch to appreciate. It's a mixture of basaltic lava from Mt. Etna and resin. The lava surface is smooth to the touch, but has tiny pits in it, giving the pen a matte look.

The material quickly warms to your hand. And, if your hand gets sweaty, the lava absorbs the moisture. I've read elsewhere that when you ink the pen you should wipe off any remnants on the grip quickly with a wet cloth so the ink doesn't get absorbed into the lava.

The Visconti Homo Sapiens is an iconic pen. It's unique and beautiful. I've read that Visconti nibs can be hit or miss, and mine definitely has some faults. But, after a trip to a nibmeister, I suspect this will be one of my favorite pens.

Pros

• The basaltic lava composition of this pen is unique and wonderful to touch
• The power-fill system works well, but it's hard to clean thoroughly
• The nib is gorgeous and writes a wet, smooth line (but see below)
• Although the pen is large it balances nicely in the hand
• The matte black and bronze accents are striking

Cons

• Some people might find this pen too heavy
• There's no ink window, so you don't know how much ink is left or if you've gotten a good fill
• The bronze appointments tarnish over time
• The cap is easy to remove accidentally
• My nib exhibits hard starts and skips occasionally
• At retail price, this pen is very expensive

Visconti Opera Typhoon Blue Fountain Pen Review

I picked up the this Visconti Opera Blue Typhoon at last years Atlanta Pen Show. It wasn't on the shopping list - the Visconti Wall Street was the pen I was hunting for - but I couldn't pass up a good deal, especially on a pen as pretty as this.

When you see pictures of the Opera Typhoon online, the first thing you are likely to notice is what they call the mosquito filler. This is what blew my mind well before purchasing this pen. It is a long, skinny, syringe-like apparatus that slides over the nib and section of the pen to help you fill the pen with ink easier. I love this idea because it eliminates some of the mess involved with filling fountain pens, similar to a snorkel filler. That is, when it works.

I gave the mosquito filler a few tries, but it does a poor job of filling the pen to capacity. It performs much worse than the built-in power filler (Visconti's piston mechanism in this pen) does. That's why you won't even see the mosquito filler pictured in this review. Don't buy the Opera Typhoon for that feature alone.

That small downer aside, there are several great reasons to check this pen out. Fist of all, the blue swirl resin barrel is spectacular. Pictures barely do this pen justice - see this one in person if you can because the color variation and depth of the swirl is amazing. It feels great too. There is some heft to it, allowing you to feel the density of the barrel when writing, but it is well balanced so you don't tire out quickly when writing.

Ink drawn into the rear chamber.

The tubular Chromium nib is something I had never experienced before, both in material and design. I was expecting a wet writer based on all of my research on this pen, but found it to write on the dry side of the spectrum. Normally, that is my wheelhouse, but with larger pens and wider nibs (this one is a European fine nib) I want more ink flow. I shipped it off to Shawn Newton for a quick adjustment and it came back writing perfectly.

The way the tubular nib is designed allows you to write at a more vertical angle if that is your style. I used to write that way with gel and ballpoint pens so it was nice to try it out, but I still prefer a slanted, more traditional fountain pen writing angle, which the Typhoon handles perfectly as well.

As pretty as it is, and as cool as the nib is, I think my favorite feature is the double reservoir found in the pen. In a nutshell, there are two chambers in the barrel that can be sealed off from each other, if needed. For example, if you are traveling and are worried about the ink leaking, just point the nib in the air and unscrew the piston on the back of the pen to draw the ink into the rear reservoir. Screw the piston back down tight and that locks the ink into the rear, keeping ink from sitting in the writing chamber and helping prevent leaks when you least expect it. Reverse the process to release ink back into the bottom chamber and the Typhoon is ready to write immediately.

Ink back into the writing chamber.

The feature list continues with what Visconti calls a "hook safe lock" that keeps the cap securely screwed onto the barrel. Think block threads with a bit more oomph. Visconti's clip design is one of its calling cards with its sleek, curved design and stamped logo. It clamps down firmly but has some travel built into it which allows you to raise it easily if needed.

Only 1000 pieces of this model were made, and with an MSRP of $695 it is a little panic inducing. That said, I see this pen going for much less in various places online. I paid less than $400 for mine, and Chatterly Luxuries currently has it on sale for $350, so that is the ballpark you should be looking to pay.

Would I recommend this pen to anyone looking for an interesting, unique fountain pen to add to their collection? No, I don't think I would, at least not without doing a ton of homework on it first. I enjoy mine, but don't go into this one blindly, and definitely shop around for the right price.