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Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age Oversize FP
01 / 07
Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age Oversize FP
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Product Description
From Italian pen maker Visconti, the Homo Sapiens Dark Age Oversize is a collector’s item with a commanding presence. It’s handmade with hardened basaltic lava from Sicily’s Mount Etna: the tallest active volcano in Europe Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downSwillyums
45
Aug 3, 2018
This is a pretty pen, but it's pretty garbage. Found one at a local shop with the wrong price tag, and they were willing to honour it at a steep discount. I went through a total of 8 that wouldn't write before giving up. Stood there with the owner of the store trying to get them to work. I think 2 did work, but felt like someone dropped their metropolitan on a concrete floor. I eventually gave up and went with a cheaper Pelikan, which felt great out of the box.
I highly suggest giving this a pass. I don't think a company that is willing to put out pens that often won't even work for these prices should be supported. My bet is that all the youtube and pro reviewers get cherry picked samples. Additionally, I bought a Rembrandt from them a few years ago, and it has stopping problems even after getting a replacement. I want to sell it and buy something good, but I would feel bad about offloading it on someone that may not know the horrors of Visconti.
If you absolutely must have one, send it to a nibsmith before you even open the box. Otherwise you may be spoiled by the fact that it performs far worse than any cheap Chinese $10 pen. Alternatively, just buy a Sailor, Pilot, Pelikan, etc. that will actually feel great.
p.s. the cap's locking system sucks. It basically just pops off, yet is a bit of a pain to remove the correct way. Compare that to the Pilot prera which feels like a pen orgasm to cap and uncap.
I highly suggest giving this a pass. I don't think a company that is willing to put out pens that often won't even work for these prices should be supported. My bet is that all the youtube and pro reviewers get cherry picked samples. Additionally, I bought a Rembrandt from them a few years ago, and it has stopping problems even after getting a replacement. I want to sell it and buy something good, but I would feel bad about offloading it on someone that may not know the horrors of Visconti.
If you absolutely must have one, send it to a nibsmith before you even open the box. Otherwise you may be spoiled by the fact that it performs far worse than any cheap Chinese $10 pen. Alternatively, just buy a Sailor, Pilot, Pelikan, etc. that will actually feel great.
p.s. the cap's locking system sucks. It basically just pops off, yet is a bit of a pain to remove the correct way. Compare that to the Pilot prera which feels like a pen orgasm to cap and uncap.
Swillyums
45
Feb 14, 2019
I've had great experiences with German and Japanese pens at every price point.
Muizz
1
Apr 9, 2019
SwillyumsI've had one for years and never had an issue, same with my friends who have it. I'm sorry you've had such a terrible experience; but as an owner of one, I definitely can't concur about any part of this.
The cap is also the most satisfying cap design I've used to date. It took me all of 2-3 tries to figure out. Opening requires slight pressure and a tiny twist. It will then just come apart. I keep mine loose in a pocket of my bag and I've never had any issues with it opening on its own.
jsolar
71
Dec 15, 2017
I can get it for far less any nib size and itll arrive on my door step in about 10 days from the Netherlands. Clocks in right about $483
Edit: Forgot to mention that coupon code comes from Azizah who runs Gourmetpens.com and is sponsored by LCDC and Appelboom. Its worked for me for the past couple years.
Edit: Forgot to mention that coupon code comes from Azizah who runs Gourmetpens.com and is sponsored by LCDC and Appelboom. Its worked for me for the past couple years.
1963
0
Mar 31, 2018
jsolarSeems Lacouronne have upped their price to 550 Euros, but your point is well taken. Wondering if you ever faced issues of paying customs and duties on an item such as this coming to the US from Europe...Seems in Canada it is Russian Roulette with the major couriers and customs.
jsolar
71
Mar 31, 2018
1963Make an account. If you live outside the EU it will adjust the prices based on that. If youre not logged in itll show you EU prices, which includes VAT.
Personally ive never payed any duties or anything coming into the US. most things come via DHL. And usually sit in customs for about 2-5 days depending on how much they decided to play with my purchases.
Personally ive never payed any duties or anything coming into the US. most things come via DHL. And usually sit in customs for about 2-5 days depending on how much they decided to play with my purchases.
Juvenall
44
Apr 2, 2018
I've owned this pen for around 8 months now and here are a few of my thoughts -
1) My god does this pen look sharp in person. While in retrospect, I think the one version with the silver/chrome trim is more my style, I don't have any regrets about getting the Dark Age. When this thing gets pulled out in a meeting, it always turns into a conversation. If you're looking for something that can turn heads, this isn't a bad place to start.
2) The nib on mine is an Extra Fine, which like the body, I don't have any regrets about, but from photos, it seems there's a minimal difference between EF and M. While feedback isn't something I notice in everyday writing, it's there and if the line difference truly isn't as big as it is in other pens, I suppose I would have be "happier" with the M. That said, even with an EF it writes so smoothly, I often think about the silly "Dreamtouch" marketing and go "Hum, yeah, I get what they're saying". Part of that is, I'm sure, due to how wet this thing writes. I wouldn't call it a gusher, exactly, but it doesn't spare the ink.
3) Speaking of the nib, the rumors of "quality issues" seem to be somewhat true. In my case, the first copy I picked up had a bit of a misalignment that created a lot of scratching, hard starts, and flow issues. Thankfully, the folks at Goulet Pens were amazingly accommodating and rushed me out a replacement that I've been rocking out without issue. While I love Massdrop's customer service and have had nothing but great experiences, the nature of how they source brings up a minor concern should the same thing pop up here. I have no doubt you would get a refund should you hit the same problem, but I would be worried about not being able to get a replacement (or two, as some folks have had to contend with).
4) Despite having the pen the better part of a year, I still haven't made my mind up about writing posted or unposted. The pen has a good heft to it overall, but sometimes, writing with it posted for longer sessions can feel unbalanced and back heavy. Unposted, it feels really well balanced, but I'm so used to writing with my pens posted that it just feels short to me.
5) Cleaning it is a bit of a chore in my opinion, so I wouldn't suggest changing inks all that often. When trying to find a good ink for it, it felt like it would take twice as long as my other pens to flush. So for me, I landed on Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi and I'm sticking with that until my bottle is empty AND I'm confident something will work better.
6) Here's a bad photo of my bad handwriting with this pen in a Code&Quill Origin notebook (100gsm paper)
1) My god does this pen look sharp in person. While in retrospect, I think the one version with the silver/chrome trim is more my style, I don't have any regrets about getting the Dark Age. When this thing gets pulled out in a meeting, it always turns into a conversation. If you're looking for something that can turn heads, this isn't a bad place to start.
2) The nib on mine is an Extra Fine, which like the body, I don't have any regrets about, but from photos, it seems there's a minimal difference between EF and M. While feedback isn't something I notice in everyday writing, it's there and if the line difference truly isn't as big as it is in other pens, I suppose I would have be "happier" with the M. That said, even with an EF it writes so smoothly, I often think about the silly "Dreamtouch" marketing and go "Hum, yeah, I get what they're saying". Part of that is, I'm sure, due to how wet this thing writes. I wouldn't call it a gusher, exactly, but it doesn't spare the ink.
3) Speaking of the nib, the rumors of "quality issues" seem to be somewhat true. In my case, the first copy I picked up had a bit of a misalignment that created a lot of scratching, hard starts, and flow issues. Thankfully, the folks at Goulet Pens were amazingly accommodating and rushed me out a replacement that I've been rocking out without issue. While I love Massdrop's customer service and have had nothing but great experiences, the nature of how they source brings up a minor concern should the same thing pop up here. I have no doubt you would get a refund should you hit the same problem, but I would be worried about not being able to get a replacement (or two, as some folks have had to contend with).
4) Despite having the pen the better part of a year, I still haven't made my mind up about writing posted or unposted. The pen has a good heft to it overall, but sometimes, writing with it posted for longer sessions can feel unbalanced and back heavy. Unposted, it feels really well balanced, but I'm so used to writing with my pens posted that it just feels short to me.
5) Cleaning it is a bit of a chore in my opinion, so I wouldn't suggest changing inks all that often. When trying to find a good ink for it, it felt like it would take twice as long as my other pens to flush. So for me, I landed on Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi and I'm sticking with that until my bottle is empty AND I'm confident something will work better.
6) Here's a bad photo of my bad handwriting with this pen in a Code&Quill Origin notebook (100gsm paper)
icecityx1221
1
Aug 1, 2018
JuvenallI own three Viscontis already and it is good to check to make sure they are aligned when you open them. One I got with two nibs, a 1.5mm caligraphy stub and a EF, and requested that the 1.5mm stub be installed. It came misaligned and I had to adjust the nib, but its fine now. Once you get that done, I agree the EF nib is slightly broader than most, but I still enjoy writing with it every day.
Esquaregolfer
0
Feb 13, 2019
JuvenallI agree - I tested and found the extra fine nib was the answer - I am in q for order but don’t know how to be sure I get ExactCare fine
NeWaVdubs
218
Jun 2, 2018
So after going through the comments, I moseyed on over to La Couronne, setup an account, and bought the HS Dark Age, my MyPen accessory initials, Pelikan Twist black, and a Pelikan converter for the Twist.. Used SBRE Brown's discount for 10% off.
Grand total $509.74 USD. Free shipping, Tracking & Insurance, no taxes (as ALL online sales SHOULD be).
Thanks guys!
TomaCzar
755
Jul 29, 2018
NeWaVdubsHolly Smokes!! Could this mean I never buy an FP on MD again? Going to have to give this La Couronne a try.
Emiliovillegas
19
Feb 13, 2019
Never had a Visconti that wrote. If I am going to spend that much I d rather give it to the germans to have a pen that works.
willentrekin
40
Feb 13, 2019
EmiliovillegasI have several, including two Rembrandts (EF & F), a Michelangelo Back to Black (F), an Elegance Midi (F) and a Steel Age Midi. They're all great writers.
The only caveat I'd make is that the coating that stealthed the Back to Black nib makes it write wetter and a little more broadly than its Rembrandt counterpart. I think that's a steel nib, though; I've found the palladium nibs fantastic, and had an oversize EF Elegance but I didn't love the size. No experience with the Dark Age finish, but the palladium has been fantastic.
derpytar
9
Feb 13, 2019
willentrekinI recently got the Opera Master Luna from Goulet. I agree with the Palladium nib being pretty fantastic.
SunshineCrazy
144
Apr 1, 2018
La Couronne is having a 10 year anniversary sale, these can be had at 450 shipped worldwide.
jsolar
71
Apr 4, 2018
SunshineCrazyDont forget the additional coupon code Gourmet10. Courtesy Of Azizah at Gourmet pens. Been using her discount for about 3 years now.
SunshineCrazy
144
Apr 4, 2018
jsolarThat price was with the 10th anniversary 20% off code "10yearslcdc", not sure if still active.
MurkyGobbs
53
Feb 14, 2019
One day I will buy this pen. I have always wanted one since first getting into fountain pens and I can't wait until I have enough tucked away to not hate myself for spending half a grand on a writing utensil.
cornerstonetom
263
Feb 13, 2019
This is actually a good price.
Be aware that the palladium nib is a soft alloy and not meant for flexing. Do not push this nib. It can be sprung/ruined easily.
derpytar
9
Feb 13, 2019
cornerstonetomI have the Visconti Opera Master Luna (Goulet Exclusive). I was a bit confused at first because there was a certain springiness about it. I contacted Goulet to ask and they told me that it's soft but not meant for flexing. So far, it's been a pretty nice writing experience.
Penster
23
Mar 31, 2018
Visconti has comprised their integrity and quality. They have promoted "23K Dreamtouch" nibs to replace their gold nibs which they no longer produce. They are pure junk, Sheaffer used to put palladium nibs on their entry level pens. Visconti has kept the price the same or more for a lesser product. No wonder their founder is gone. Palladium RIP off junk.
stevesurf
106
Dec 28, 2017
With the USD strong, it makes good sense to buy from great retailers like Dennis at LaCour and if I may be so bold to suggest that Massdrop should focus on better prices and much faster shipping for US products. The GP discount helps, too ;)
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