REVIEW: VISCONTI HOMO SAPIENS LAVA COLOR FOUNTAIN PEN

Visconti's flagship pen, the Visconti Homo Sapiens (already somewhat of an icon, despite its relatively modest 10 years of existence!) has seen an absolutely incredible variety of styles and finishes over the years: From the absolute classic Homo Sapiens Bronze age or - now discontinued - Steel Age (reviewed HERE) made from Visconti's proprietary lava resin, the various acrylic versions (such as the Chiantishire, that I reviewed HERE), the modern Evolution, one of the various version with an ink window (such as the current HS Crystal), down to the more affordable resin 'Elegance' version... It's fair to say Visconti has experimented quite a bit with its Homo Sapiens product line, and they're far from done!

Two distinctly different variations, yet the Homo Sapiens design is recognizable from a mile away!

The latest iteration of the Homo Sapiens to leave the factory in Firenze is this one: the Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava Color - an interesting departure from the tried-and-true 'modern classic'. My thanks go out to Visconti, for sending this pen over for review.

The name 'Lava Color' of course indicates the most prominent feature of this Homo Sapiens: the material! Gone is the matte grey-black, lava-infused resin, and in comes a pop of color with three earthy tones that stay within the volcano theme (Earth red, Ash white, and 'Tuff' - a volcanic rock type - yellow). The resins are still a mixture of basaltic lava and resin, though this time the material has a pleasant muted color, even in this yellow 'tuff' colorway, it remains quite muted. The HS Lava Color retains the soft, matte feeling of the original HS, though I do suspect the ratio lava-to-resin has shifted more towards resin for this one (the original HS supposedly contains upwards of 50% lava, this one certainly looks more resin-based).  The material has a pleasing speckled look from the lava powder sprinkled into the resin.

Ink wipes right off this 'anti-stain' treated material

The new colored resin also has a neat trick up its sleeves, one I wish my Steel Age also had: the resin received an 'anti-stain' treatment, which prevents the material from absorbing ink and moisture into the pores of the lava rock. Since my Steel Age did pick up some light stains on the section from refilling, I'm happy to see that this treatment actually works really well. Otherwise, these lighter colored materials would be an absolute nightmare to keep clean!

Across the many iterations the Homo Sapiens went through, its design has always remained unique and distinctive. It's difficult to put a label on the Homo Sapiens, yet perhaps that is exactly the reason why it appeals to so many people. Especially for a brand like Visconti - who don't shy away from a rather experimental or elaborate design -, the Homo Sapiens is a remarkably sober-looking pen. 

It doesn't draw too much attention with its chunky, straight, flat-top design, and yet the two wide decorative bands across the cap, and an even wider center band on the barrel just below the cap, define the look of the Homo Sapiens. The Homo Sapiens strays from the traditional, classic Italian design, nor does it feel very modern. Although the mix of colored resins and black trims does give the Lava Color a much younger, more modern appearance, I have to say.

The Ponte Vecchio 'bridge' clip of course makes a return, and it's the first Visconti I've held in my hands that has their laser-etched logo engraved on the sides of the clip, instead of the enamel-filled logo. While the enamel added a luxurious touch, I actually prefer the laser engraving as it's more consistent and clean-looking.

Gone is the 'Hook Safe' capping mechanism...

Another change I'm quite excited about is the shift towards a magnetic cap. Visconti is no stranger to using magnetic caps, yet it's the first time (to my knowledge) that they've implemented it on the Homo Sapiens. The result, I have to say, is absolutely excellent! The traditional hook-safe mechanism found on other Homo Sapiens models is great, but the 'hooks' can be a bit harsh on your grip depending on how you hold your pen. The magnetic closure takes away any form of threads or hooks, and instead, you get a smooth and comfortable step towards the center band, which isn't obtrusive at all in my grip. The magnetic closure is secure and practical to use. It has also proven to be perfectly airtight to prevent the nib from drying out. The magnets in the cap and section do add a noticeable heft to the pen, though, which might make this pen lean on the heavy side for some users.

L to R: Montblanc 149, Pelikan M1005, Leonardo Momento Zero Gande, Visconti HS Steel Age, Visconti HS Lava Color, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

The Homo Sapiens Lava Color is based on the 'oversized' version of the Homo Sapiens, so it's quite a sizeable pen. Measuring in at 14.6 cm/ 5.7" closed, and 13.3 cm/ 5.2" uncapped, it should be a comfortable pen even for larger hands. The gently concave section (with a diameter around 1.1 cm/ 0.44". As already mentioned, the magnetic closure makes for a hefty first impression! While other versions of the Homo Sapiens tend to hover around 40 grams, the Lava Color comes in at a rather hefty 56 grams. A decent part of that weight comes from the cap, so uncapped you're left with a pen that - while still retaining some heft - balances nicely in the hand and doesn't cause fatigue.

Build quality and construction is excellent, from the perfectly coated black metal trims to the smooth and consistent finish of the 'lava' material... except for one area: The cap lip on my particular pen looks rather rough and unfinished. I'm not certain if this is the case on all pens, but certainly, it's something that could be improved.

The Lava Color utilizes Visconti's standard Power Filler filling system - not the 'Double Reservoir' version. The latter has the superior ink capacity, though it tends to be reserved almost exclusively for limited editions. That said, the normal Power Filler, which is just Visconti's name for a vacuum filler, still has a fairly 1.5 mL ink capacity.

That brings us to the nib. And let's be honest, Visconti certainly doesn't have a perfect track record in this department! The spotty quality of their Palladium Dreamtouch nibs eventually led Visconti to step away from the, back to 18k gold nibs (also made by Bock), and ultimately Visconti's in-house produced 14k gold nibs! 

The looks of the in-house nibs are vastly different from the very classic design of the older nibs, though I've come to appreciate the more modern imprint that has the Visconti 'V' logo cleverly embedded in it!

 

Of course, I was anxious to try out Visconti's own creation, and I was relieved to find a stellar nib out of the box. This particular pen came with a Broad nib, and it's exactly what I expect from a Western B. The tipping is nice and round and produces a true-to-size, consistent line. It's not overpolished, so it still has a subtle but pleasant amount of feedback to it, and I didn't encounter any skipping or hard starting issues (even after leaving the pen unused for quite some time). Compared to the soft Palladium nibs from before, these new nibs definitely lean on the firm side, though. The plastic feed remains unchanged from older Visconti nibs and offers a consistent ink flow that leans noticeably on the wet side. 

If Visconti can keep the quality consistently at the (high) level they're showing off here, this is yet another (the new Bock-made 18k nibs are reportedly also already a lot better than the Palladium nibs used to be) step in the right direction for them.

Even after countless reiterations, Visconti still manages to bring a lot of new and refreshing elements to the Homo Sapiens with this Lava Color collection. All those new features do add up to a small price hike, when compared to the classic HS Bronze age, though the difference isn't that drastic. That's not to say this is a cheap pen, of course. Yet, for 720€/ 695$ (at our site sponsor Appelboom. Don't forget the discount code 'friend' for 10% off!), the HS Lava Color does have many features I'd look for in a premium pen, all packaged in a design that deserves to be called iconic in my opinion. Especially if they can keep up the nib quality, I can't really fault it.

Note: This product was provided by Visconti so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

VISCONTI HOMO SAPIENS CHIANTISHIRE L.E. FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Honestly? I never thought I'd buy another Visconti. Frankly the brand never really spoke to me that much, and I already own -what I'd consider- their most intriguing pen, the Homo Sapiens (aka. the lava rock pen! Find my review HERE). Hearing and reading some of those 'horror stories' about Visconti's lacking quality control didn't exactly put them high on my wishlist either. 

But unexpected things can happen. And so I found myself at the Tilburg Pen Show, with Dennis from La Couronne Du Comte shoving a brand new Visconti Homo Sapiens Chiantishire fountain pen in my hands. I've known Dennis for many years, he's a great guy, and an even greater salesman (learned that the hard way)! He had an amazing show exclusive deal on them, so I caved and bought it against all odds. Quite an impulse buy for sure, but one I haven't regretted so far. 

Very impressive packaging, worthy of a pen in this price class!

The Chiantishire is part of a series of acrylic pens with the same design as the regular 'lava rock' Homo Sapiens, and they are inspired by cities and regions around the world. Chiantishire comes from the Chianti region in Italy, and is a mocking term for the British upper-class that live and go on vacation in the Chianti region in Italy. This region is obviously known for their Chianti red wine, so of course the color theme is red. 

The cap, section and piston knob are made of a red marbled acrylic with subtle white streaks. The main focus is the barrel, which is made from a custom clear acrylic filled with ribbons of red and gold celluloid. There's a whole lot going on in this pen, different materials, different colors and different patterns. The swirls in the acrylic part perhaps aren't spread as evenly across the body as I would've wanted, but that's unfortunately not something you can choose with cast acrylics. What I do like about the celluloid ribbons, is that they are red on one side, and gold on the other. Rotating the pen reveals the pearlescent chatoyance of the gold, which gives the pen some depth. 

The Chiantishire, being a more expensive limited edition, comes with sterling silver cap bands and clip. The center band and other trim at the piston knob are supposedly plated metal (rhodium or platinum?), but I personally can't tell the difference. The arc-shaped clip is not everyone's cup of tea, it's definitely not the most functional. But in terms of design I do quite enjoy it. It's unique and adds a recogniseable character to Visconti's pens. The branding on both sides of the clip is enamel-filled (with white enamel to match the white swirls in the red acrylic parts!). 

Another constant across all Visconti pens is the removable metal medallion on the cap finial. The 'My Pen' system allows you to change the finial with your initials or a gemstone to your own preference. It's a cool gimmick that I'm sure will appeal to some, but I actually like to stick with the visconti logo.

The L.E. Chiantishire has the exact same dimensions as the large Homo Sapiens. Measuring in at 14.6 cm (5.7") closed, and 13.2 cm (5.2") uncapped, these are considerably large pens. The widest diameter at the cap is 1.7 cm (0.6"). The section measures a comfortable 1.1 cm and has a gentle taper. The total weight is close to 40 grams, but it doesn't feel heavy (a big part of the weight lies in the cap as well, so in terms of comfort it doesn't weigh down).

L to R: Pelikan M805, M1000, Montblanc 149, Visconti Chiantishire, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

It's large, but definitely not unwieldy. The section is large and has a comfortable shape. As all Homo Sapiens pens, the Chiantishire uses Visconti's 'Hook Safe' closure mechanism. The funky shape of the 'threads' is noticeable when you grip the pen, but the edges are polished so they didn't bother me. The raised center band behind the threads is smooth and rounded so it doesn't cause any discomfort either. I never felt the need to post the cap. It is possible but I wouldn't recommend it. The cap doesn't post very deep, and adds a lot of weight to the back. Overall, the lack of annoying steps or sharp threads, the comfortable section, and the larger dimensions, make for a very pleasant pen to use. Comfort is definitely a strong suit, it's not just a pretty pen to look at.

The double reservoir power filler, is a vacuum filling system that allows for a rather high ink capacity (1.5ml when completely filled). The double reservoir means that the inside of the barrel is literally separated into two reservoirs, a smaller one right behind the section, and a main reservoir behind the plunger. The smaller writing reservoir holds enough ink ready to go for a decent writing session, so you don't have to open the blind cap each time you write (which is a downside of normal vacuum fillers). Being able to close off the main ink reservoir means that it's less prone to leaking, making it ideal if you travel a lot.

Visconti's 23k palladium Dreamtouch nibs have seen their fair share of issues. However my experience with this fine nib has been as positive as my previous experience with the 1.3mm stub on my HS Steel oversize. Of course it's impossible to judge an entire brand based on two of their pens, but either they upped their QC, or getting a good nib is just a matter of luck. In any case, I'd always recommend trying before you buy (and not just when you buy a Visconti).

But as I said, my (limited) experience with Visconti nibs has actually been quite good. This fine nib has a balanced flow, not too wet nor too dry. The feed keeps up well. It's smooth to a certain extent, but definitely not overpolished. It's a reliable writer, and I never had it skip or hard start. I expected a springy nib, but this one is surprisingly hard.

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Chiantishire retails for 850 EUR / 1100 USD, which is a 300 dollar premium over the regular lava rock oversize Homo Sapiens. That's a hefty premium on an already quite expensive pen. While I find the regular HS to be worth their price, this maybe feels a bit too expensive. If I hadn't bought mine at a discount, I probably never would've bought it at all. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a good looking pen and a fantastic writer. If it's worth it for you is -in the end- still a very subjective and personal choice.

The Chiantishire is a limited and numbered edition of 888 pens. They usually remain available for a good while, and you can occasionally pick them up at a good deal (La Couronne Du Comte has a Christmas deal going for 680EUR on them right now!).

Note: La Couronne Du Comte is a sponsor of this blog. I received a discount on the purchase of this product. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links. 

VISCONTI DREAMTOUCH 6 PEN HARDCASE REVIEW

A few months back, I realised something...

My collection had grown substantially, and I bought some -what I'd consider- really nice pens along the line. But with the Tilburg Pen Show coming up (this was somewhere late august, september), I realised that I had nowhere to put them in if I wanted to take some with me.

I did have my Lamy three pen pouch, which had been, and still is, my EDC case. But I felt like that didn't offer enough protection, especially for the more expensive pens. So I had to buy a new pen case, and I also realised that -quite ironically- despite this blog's title, I had never done any reviews on pen cases (or pencil cases if you will)!

So I immediately thought about the Franklin-Christoph penvelope cases, but knowing the Belgian customs office, I knew I'd end up spending quite a bit on declaration costs, which is a pure waste of money. So I searched for something I could find closer to home, and I found this: The Visconti Dreamtouch 6-Pen Hardcase! 

I ordered one right away from Penworld, because apart from the fact that it looked like it would do a much better job at protecting my pens than the lamy case, it was also relatively affordable (compared to what I'd pay for a Franklin-Christoph case after customs charges). 

About eight months later, and I'm still using the Dreamtouch case daily to protect and transport my 'finer' pens! It's a pretty bulky, large case, made entirely out of full-grain leather, and finished with Visconti's Dreamtouch procedure, which is used on all of their leather accesories. Construction on this case is top-notch. It's stitched all the way around, and the edges are nicely folded over and stitched together. The slots are made up out of hard strips of plastic or something (?), covered in soft, black velvet. The only thing missing would be a protective edge on the inside that protects the pens from coming into contact with the zipper, but that's just a minor complaint.

The Dreamtouch case, being a 6-pen model, is obviously quite a lot bigger than the Lamy 3-pen case (16cm/6.25in high, 13cm/5.25in wide, 2.7cm/1in deep). But even if it were just for three pens (which is also available, along with a 1-, 2-, and 12-slot version), the Visconti Dreamtouch would still be noticeably bigger. That's because of the way it is designed: the Lamy is a softcase, which means it can expand to accommodate larger pens. But with normal pens, it's relatively flat. The Visconti on the other hand, is a hardcase. No matter what size pens you put in it, the slots will always stay the same size (I assume there are plastic or cardboard pieces inside that retain the shape of the case). 

Being from Visconti's hand, and knowing their love for larger pens, they made the slots pretty sizeable. It easily accommodates oversize pens like the Omas Paragon, or Delta Dolcevita OS. Pens of up to 15.5 cm long (6.1"), and 1.8cm wide (0.71") should fit quite comfortably. 

The large size slots are a benefit, but also a downside for me. If you put in 'smaller' pens, even something like an M800, it'll sit quite loose, and rattle around inside. I don't think that it'll actually damage the pens, but nevertheless it feels like it might be just a bit too big for some pens. If you're into oversize pens, this will be ideal, and it'll fit pretty much everything up to a certain point (Those ridiculously huge Japanese maki-E pens might not fit...). But if you want to store your collection of Kaweco Lilliputs, it might look a bit ridiculous (yes, I tried)! 

So it's all about perspective. Perhaps if you don't need the best protection, or if you have normal sized pens, the Lamy case could be an equally good option, at a lower price. Yet if you want a really nice case, nicely made, and something that protects your pens really well, the Visconti Dreamtouch is the one. At 85 EUR / 95 USD, it's not exactly the cheapest case (if you live in the US, that FC Penvelope might still be a better deal), but it does what it's supposed to do, and it has been in good use ever since I bought it!

Note: Penworld is a sponsor of this blog. I received a discount on purchase of this product, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared here are completely my own! This review does not contain any affilate links.

VISCONTI HOMO SAPIENS STEEL REVIEW

Visconti is a pretty well-known Italian brand. They make really nice, eye-catching pens, amongst which a lot of very expensive limited editions. However, their standard production line definitely deserves some attention as well!

Probably the most intriguing pen from their basic offerings is this: the Homo Sapiens! It's a pretty nondescript, low-profile pen, made from a unique material: lava! Visconti used a combination of lava stone from the Etna, and resin to construct all parts of the pen. The result is a pretty cool looking fountain pen with some cool tricks up its sleeve.

If you're not the kind of person that wants to attract all the attention with your pen, you probably won't be looking at Visconti's offerings in the first place. But if you'd have to choose one, the Homo sapiens would quite possibly be your best choice. In fact, the reason why I held off on buying this pen for many years is because it looks almost too basic and too understated. (and probably also because it's quite expensive, I'm not going to lie) However, underneath the rough appearance of matte black (actually more of a grey-ish color) lava, you'll find the same high quality and unique character of Visconti.

So I've already mentioned it at least twice, but the special thing about this pen is the material its made out of. The combination of lava and resin makes for a warm, soft material that is slightly porous. Due to this porous nature, it'll absorb moisture from your hand, which enables you to keep a solid grip on the pen. This might sound a bit weird (that's because it IS weird!), but in fact, if you hold it in your hand, you'll notice that it's a very pleasant and comfortable material. Aside from the comfort, it's also quite scratch resistant, and Visconti claims that it's very shatter-resistant as well. I haven't tried the latter, but I did find that it is indeed quite scratch-resistant (or at least you won't notice small scratches and scuffs on this rough material)

The Homo Sapiens comes in a few different options. I bought the Steel oversized version, there's also a normal size and the choice of bronze or gold trims. Sizewise, the oversized model is indeed oversized (Stating the obvious!). It's comparable in length and girth to a Pelikan M1000 or Montblanc 149, so it's indeed quite big. For the people that prefer a slightly more normal pen, the standard version might be the better choice, and it saves you a considerable amount of money too! 

In the pictures above and below, you can see that it's quite a beastly pen. Compared to the Visconti, the Pelikan M805 Stresemann and Lamy Al-Star Copperorange appear small!

As the name suggests, the Homo sapiens Steel has steel trims. Visconti claims to use a special type of steel, 'Marine steel', that doesn't rust or corrode, however the two rings on the cap are a bit dull, which makes me doubt the corrosion-resistance. I was slightly dissapointed by this, especially because all other trims appear better polished. The appearance of the cap rings and the overall slightly 'rough' (read: not as much eye for detail as some other brands) fit and finish is something I didn't really expect on a pen in this price category. It might be a standalone case, but overall I expected slightly higher standards from a reputable brand like Visconti.

As with all other Visconti pens, the Homo Sapiens uses the 'My Pen'-system, which allows for the metal fineal on the cap to be replaced with something else (initials, gems,...). For those that are actually interrested in using this, it's there. But honestly I couldn't care less about it.

The Homo Sapiens Steel comes with a normal piston filler, or rather 'captured converter' ' (due to the porous material, they couldn't just leave the inside of the barrel exposed to ink.). The fact that it uses a smaller captured converter is noticeable with the wide nib I chose, as I have to refill it quite often!
Properly filling the pen is not as easy as it looks, though, because you wouldn't want to just dip the whole section in your ink section (unless you want you pen to have the color of the ink you used, as well as ink all over your hands when you use it!). That's why Visconti designed a clever little tool to get an easy fill: the Travelling Inkwell.

This small inkwell, sized roughly like a pen (in theory, you should be able to even fit it into certain pen cases), has a rubber seal that holds the pen in place, and protects the section from getting ink all over it. You push the nib in it, turn it around, and fill it like you normally would. It actually works quite well, however turning it upside down feels slightly counterintuïtive. The inkwell is an excellent tool to get a good fill without screwing up the section of the Homo Sapiens.

When you're done filling up the pen, you can finally enjoy (hopefully) what I think is the best part about this pen. As you know from the first part of this review, I wasn't overwhelmed by the eye for detail and fit and finish of the Homo Sapiens, but as soon as I start writing with the 23k Palladium 1.3mm stub nib, I remember why I like this pen so much. 

The Palladium nib, dubbed 'dreamtouch' because it requires almost no pressure to write, is a joy to use. The material and size of the nib give it some spring, and the flow is definitely on the wet side. The 1.3mm stub is stock, and I was a bit worried that it wouldn't perform well since I heard of people that couldn't get it to perform consistently. However I haven't found that to be an issue at all! It starts right up, and only stops when I want it to. No skips or stuttering in the flow whatsoever. On a smoothness scale, I'd place it somewhere between a Lamy (enjoyable but with feedback) and my Pelikan M1000 BB (buttery smooth). As far as writing experience goes, I can only conclude one thing: I need more of these nibs in my life!

There's only one issue: price. I got mine right before they went up in price, a couple of months ago. I'd say 400 EUR(the price it was at before) is quite decent (even when knowing that there are pens with better fit and finish and amount of detail available for less). The price it's at right now, 550 EUR / 700 USD might be a bit too much for me.