Pen Review: Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age (Oversize)
The Visconti Homo Sapiens is a pen that I was fascinated by from the first time I read about it. A pen made from volcanic rock ash, who wouldnt think that is cool? When I finally was able to, I did not think twice about purchasing one.
Appearance and Design
It is a big pen! The Volcanic Ash that it is made from gives it an almost stealthy, matte black finish. Add in the solid bronze accents and clip and you have a pretty simple yet very nice looking pen. The pen also incorporates the my pen system where you can get small medallions with initials or gem stones to put in the end of the cap.
Construction and Quality
The quality of the parts used in making this pen are great. The feeling of the Volcanic Rock Ash is smooth and almost feels soft in my hand. I have read that many people say the pen feels warm to the touch, but I really do not get that. Thought was put into construction in that nothing feels sharp, or out of place. The closing system that is used for the cap is a push and quarter turn. The cap has never come off on me by mistake. Also the groove that the cap secures into does not feel sharp or uncomfortable if you generally hold your pen higher on the section. The clip is also well constructed. It has a good amount of spring to it, but will hold the pen securely to your pocket or pen case.
Nib Performance
The nib on this pen is a joy to use! It is 23 kt. Palladium, mine is a medium. The pen glides effortlessly across the page. There is ever so slight feedback, but the nib is extremely smooth. The Palladium gives the nib a huge amount of spring (not flex), you can push some decent line variation out of it. The one downside is that the nib skips every once in a while. When I did the writing sample, the nib skipped 5 times in a short period of time. Now that much skipping is not the norm for the pen. It is also a pretty wet nib!
Weight and Dimensions
As I said before, this pen is big and heavy. When I weighed it, it had ink in it. Could not have had much since by the time I finished the writing sample the pen ran dry.
Total weight: 45 grams (1.58 oz.)
Weight uncapped: 25 grams (.88 oz.)
Length Capped: 145.5mm (5.73 in.)
Length posted: 147.4mm (5.81 in.)
Body including section (not nib): 108mm (4.25 in.)
Diameter: 14.5mm (.57 in.)
Filling System and Maintenance
The filling system on this pen is called the High Vacuum Power Filler. It operates by unscrewing the blind cap and pulling back the vacuum rod. When it is depressed, the pen expels the air and sucks up the ink. It works well, though I never actually measured the amount of ink it holds. You cannot perform any maintenance on this pen on your own. You need a special tool to remove the nib, and there is no evidence of a way to remove the vacuum rod. This limits regular cleaning to basically just sucking up and shooting out water until it is clear. This can be a pain depending on ink selection. I like pens that I can take apart a little to insure good cleaning like being able to use a bulb syringe to flush nibs.
Cost and Value
The MSRP on this pen is $595. That being said, I searched three well known pen sellers and the prices on this pen today were $650, $520 and $445.
Is the pen worth that, that is a question you need to answer for yourself. Between the nib, the filling system and what the pen is constructed of, the quality is evident. Whether or not that justifies spending the money is up to you.
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed this pen since I bought it. I love the look, the feel and how it writes. The minor skipping issue that I brought up has been known and discussed, but it does not bother me at all. In fact, I like the pen so much that I also bought the Steel Age Homo Sapiens.
Writing sample
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