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Pen Review - Visconti Van Gogh Midi (2009)

Pen Review: Visconti Van Gogh Midi (2009)
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Just like my other review on the Visconti Rembrandt said, I've wanted a Visconti since I first saw the Homo Sapiens and found out it was made of volcano ash. Still haven't been able to free up that $600 and my Best Offer on a BIN price won twice...so here's the second pen I won. :)

Appearance and Design
This pen is just a touch shorter and lighter than the Rembrandt model I got last week, putting it at about the same as my Sheaffer. The pen doesn't have Visconti's My Pen system so no customization here. That being said, the colours of this pen are just spectacular. It's a gorgeous blue with multiple colours (primarily white) streaking through. I believe this was the pre-Impressionist version of the Starry Night.

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Construction and Quality
The pen seems to be constructed very well. It isn't as smooth in my fingers as the Rembrandt is and being a bit lighter means it feels like I have a bit more of a stable grip. The pen is made of resin and has Palladium accents and a steel nib. This one has a screw-on cap and requires three full turns to put on or take off. Definitely shouldn't get any ink from a leaky pen onto your clothes with this sucker. The nib feed doesn't have the visible capillaries that I'm used to seeing on fountain pens. It's a nice touch but un-needed. I kind of like seeing those capillaries!

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Nib Performance
Smooth nib, but not as smooth as the Rembrandt F or my Sheaffer. I like the way it writes, showing more of the character of the ink than either of the other two nibs. Seems to be a fairly dry writer in comparison as well.

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Weight and Dimensions
There wasn't anything that Visconti had (that I could find) with the specifications. The only thing I know for sure is what the seller posted, which is the length. :)
Overall Size - 5 1/2 in. x 9/16 in. (140mm x 15mm)
Weight - just less than 30 g

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Filling System and Maintenance

Filling system is a basic converter or cartidge. No fanciness there. I haven't done a test of the filling system yet as I'm still not 100% sure I'm going to keep the pen.

Cost and Value
The MSRP on this pen is $300+ (in Canada). I was able to get it on the 'Bay for quite a bit cheaper since it's not this year's model. It did say it was used but there are no marks or anything on the pen. It didn't come with the ink or manuals, neither of which was a deal breaker for me. No issues with customs for this one.

This pen was actually a little cheaper than the Rembrandt I bought, probably because the Rembrandt is/was new and this one is used. That being said, the Van Gogh looks like it's new which was a key for me to purchase it. I didn't want a pen that was used and looked that way, especially at this price.

Conclusion
I love the colours on this pen. The nib I'm not sold on yet. Between the two I'm leaning more towards the Rembrandt right now but that may change when I've written a little more with the Van Gogh. So far I've only written up a 1/2 page for my writing sample here. It is nice, decent weight and a fine writer. Why do these decisions always need to be so hard??

Cheers,

M.
 
Wonder if the nubs are swappable

The specs on the pen should be on goldspot.com if you want to add them in

Beautiful pen, and great write up Matt
 
That's a great looking writing instrument and a awesome review. Thanks for putting the time into doing it for us.
 
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