Fountain Pen: Visconti Homo Sapiens

VISUAL

The Visconti Homo Sapiens was my first true 'grail' pen. I absolutely love this pen. It is a large, oversized pen that I find very classy in its starkness. The cap features two broad cap bands in raw bronze as well as the iconic curved Visconti hinged clip.

The body also shows a medium-wide band of bronze featuring the Homo Sapiens model name, and a thinner band of bronze above the blind cap.

The volcanic resin has a satin-matte appearance with a hint of texture.

TACTILE

The lava resin used in this pen makes for an amazing texture and overall feel. It is smooth but with a hint of almost chalky texture, while also feeling weighty and substantial. It's also a bit warm to the touch and transfers heat differently than plastic or metal pens. It's warmer than metal when first picked up, but takes a little longer to pick up the heat of my hand.

This is a substantial, heavy pen. The cap can technically post, but it's such a long and heavy pen, this isn't ideal. Further, posting makes the cap rest entirely on the knob for the vacumatic filling mechanism. Given that this isn't a piston knob, accidentally unscrewing it doesn't result in immediate disaster, but it's still not ideal.

PRACTICAL

The 18k gold nib is a dream. I chose to get the Extra Fine, and I'm glad I did - it's such a wet nib that it does make it write more like a Fine or Medium. It also puts out so much ink on paper. I've heard many people have issues with Visconti nibs, but I seemed to have lucked out in my particular experience - this nib has worked great for me from day one. I love the slight bounciness that it has.

The cap is held on with their special interlocking cap system that is very satisfying to use. It uncaps in about 1/5 of a turn. It makes for very quick pen deployment!

This pen is a vacumatic filler. On the plus side, vacumatic filling is rather fun. On the down side, it's impossible to check the ink level on this particular pen without risking a mess. I know that there are other versions that incorporate an ink window, but I was just too much in love with the stark, solid look of the Bronze Age to the interrupted look of the Crystal Dream.

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STATISTICAL

Pen Measurements:

Weight: 45.26g

Weight of Cap: 15.89 g

Length Capped: 145 mm

Length Uncapped: 131 mm

Length Posted: 175 mm

Nib: 6mm 'Extra Fine' 18k Gold

Body Style: Classic

Fill Method: Vacumatic

Fill Volume: 1.3 ml

Comparison Pens: Pilot Metropolitan, LAMY AL-Star

My Fountain Pen Database

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OVERALL

Pros:

• Really striking design

• Exceptional engineering

• Heavy and oversized: My particular preference!

• Very smooth and exciting nib

Cons:

• Nib is juicy (which I like) but I have to be careful about what paper I use to avoid too much feathering.

• Posting is not recommended

I am glad to have acquired this pen, and I really enjoy using it. There is enough uniqueness in design, material, and the nib itself that it justifies its place as the most expensive pen in my collection.

DISCLAIMER: Pens and inks purchased by myself. Photos and opinions are my own.