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Visconti Van Gogh Midi In Musk Green - Medium Cursive Italic

irbyls

By irbyls
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irbyls Extremely Rare

irbyls

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I joined FPN almost six months ago and haven't done a single review. It's not that I don't care, it's just I always thought that there were a multitude of reviews on pens I had because, honestly, reviews were the deciding factors when it came to choosing a new pen.

 

However, I was browsing the Pen Review forum and saw that there were only two reviews on a Van Gogh Midi--two! There were easily five times as many for the Maxi. I am setting out to change this.

 

First Impressions:

The first moment I saw the Van Gogh online I knew it would be mine. It was love at first sight without violins or fireworks; instead, a feeling of overwhelming pen-lust captured me. It was green, for one thing, my favorite color. The body style was charming, and the ribbons of orange and yellow were lovely. For my eighteenth birthday it arrived as a gift from my dad (the greatest man in the world to ever support a daughter's pen and ink obsession), and I loved it even more.

 

Appearance and Design: 9.5/10

The body and cap are mostly green, but there are flecks and smears of orange and yellow (especially on the cap). The silver clip is a sort of crescent shape with "Visconti" on it. The raised portions of the cap band are an absolute pain, however, as they don't let me slip the Van Gogh out of a pen sleeve easily; I always have to wrestle a bit. The body is translucent, and the colors become even brighter once you hold it up to the sunlight. You can see the silver converter inside, which is fine with me. It's a lovely converter, all things considered.

 

The section is metal, something a lot of people dislike. Something about sweatiness, maybe? Fingerprints are a slight problem, but not many people are focusing on the section when the body of a pen is so gorgeous.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4750106087_a90f5db1f0.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4750041769_1243d19f60.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4657271889_e63b8d77d2.jpg

 

Construction and Quality: 6/10

The pen is made out of a sort of resin, if I remember correctly, so don't expect to drop it off a two story building and have it survive like a Lamy 2000. I would never want to drop it on concrete, but I think a short fall onto carpet would still be safe. It isn't a cheap feeling pen, either--I think it feels and looks a lot more expensive than it was.

 

Weight and Dimensions: 10/10

The pen is around the same height and girth as the rest of my pens, shown in the photo below. (From left: Lamy AL-Star, Parker 51, Van Gogh, Pelikan M205, Parker Vacumatic, Pelikan M400, Levenger True Writer.) It is perfectly balanced left unposted, but a bit back-heavy when posted. It does post well, and I don't worry about scratching the barrel with the cap. It's a mid-weight pen and about as heavy as a Levenger True Writer.

 

The Maxi is a larger pen--too large for me when I tried it out in a B&M. The Mini is smaller than the Midi, but I never got to handle one of those.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4750666078_d9e1a4af6e_z.jpg

 

Nib and Performance: was 0/10, is now 9/10

The nib was a free upgraded 14k. Midis come standard with a steel nib. Some of you may remember my panicked post the day I received the Van Gogh. It wouldn't write. I flushed it, filled it, reflushed with dish soap, the whole shebang. Nothing was working! Luckily, the Little Rock pen show was the next day and Mike Masuyama tuned it, and it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, the medium nib was still way too wide for me and I didn't enjoy it. Thus the 0/10.

 

Fortunately, cursive italic nibs exist and nibmeisters love to grind. A couple of weeks ago my lovely Van Gogh was shipped off to Pendemonium where it was made into my favorite fancy writer. It's smooth and gorgeous and has subtle but effective line variation.

 

Plus, Visconti makes the most gorgeous nibs in the world. You dig?

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4750708788_729e76f87c.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4750023093_c479e99e27_z.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4750665896_cb992b3623.jpg

 

Filling System and Maintenance: 6/10

C/C. Nothing amazing, but still effective. I prefer piston-fillers. (The converter is pretty, though, and it screws in! Gives it a bit of extra protection from slipping out, in my opinion.)

 

Cost and Value: 9/10

This pen MSRP'd at around $200, I think, but I got it for $118 from Bryant. :) Amazing seller! I think this was an amazing value for the price and a totally awesome birthday present.

 

Conclusion: 49.5/60

:) I love this pen. You may not, but I do. It's enough for me.

Edited by irbyls

-irbyls

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Imzadi Vintage

Imzadi

Posted
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Good review. Thank you especially for the comparison to the more (for lack of a better word) common pens. A lot of people compare pens to MB pens and not only do most of us not have one, I've never seen one. Nice job.

Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

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Yuki Onitsura Collectors Item

Yuki Onitsura

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Nice review! And only six months before a review? I've been a member here since October '08 and I still haven't written one. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Yuki

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esterbex Collectors Item

esterbex

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Great review. I love the photo comparison...nice collection, too! That Midi is pretty.

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IWantThat Collectors Item

IWantThat

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Very nice review :) I too have a Van Gogh Midi (in Evergreen). I bought it on the spur of the moment, but every time I use it, I think, "Wow!"

Tamara

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Margana Collectors Item

Margana

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Thanks for writing your review. The comparison photo is extremely useful. Like you I have a Periwinkle True Writer and now know the Midi would be the perfect size for my hand. :)

A certified Inkophile

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irbyls Extremely Rare

irbyls

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Thanks for writing your review. The comparison photo is extremely useful. Like you I have a Periwinkle True Writer and now know the Midi would be the perfect size for my hand. :)

 

I'm glad it was helpful! The Van Gogh has a longer section than the True Writer, as you can see from this photo I just took:

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4750705275_b33018a58b_z.jpg

-irbyls

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Taurean Rare

Taurean

Posted
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nice review and cool collection. I love blue and green and all shades in between :)

I am not over fond of metal sections, but the musk green is so attractive..

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Margana Collectors Item

Margana

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Thanks for the additional photo. Like Taurean the metal section doesn't thrill me but the rest of the pen looks great and a CI would be perfect. Not that my wish list needs another pen but should one come my way, it will likely find this a good home.

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Koyote Collectors Item

Koyote

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Mike Masuyama reground it for free, and you sent it to Iowa for the CI job? Tsk, tsk. You need to send your next mod job to Mike!

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irbyls Extremely Rare

irbyls

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Mike Masuyama reground it for free, and you sent it to Iowa for the CI job? Tsk, tsk. You need to send your next mod job to Mike!

 

Hahaha, it was my impatience that did that. It was only a one-week turnaround from Pendemonium. Besides, I had already sent him my Pelikan White Tortoise (my baby!) to get a tune-up. :)

 

Edit: Redundancy.

Edited by irbyls

-irbyls

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jasam Extremely Rare

jasam

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Thanks for the review! I've been lusting after this pen for a while.

 

Great review !!! Great pen, I've always been a fan of the Van Gogh series, great pens.

 

Do you happen to have a sample of the before and after the CI? What experience do you have with the nib? does the CI gives feedback? is it soft?

Edited by jasam
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irbyls Extremely Rare

irbyls

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Thanks for the review! I've been lusting after this pen for a while.

 

Great review !!! Great pen, I've always been a fan of the Van Gogh series, great pens.

 

Do you happen to have a sample of the before and after the CI? What experience do you have with the nib? does the CI gives feedback? is it soft?

 

I unfortunately don't have a sample of the nib pre-CI. I didn't use it very often. The cursive italic is very smooth, and I don't experience any feedback unless I catch the edges on the paper. You have to be careful to hold the pen correctly, although not as careful as if you were using a straight italic.

 

It's not particularly soft, but it's not a nail like my AL-Star. Hope that helps!

-irbyls

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carlmaloschneider Mint

carlmaloschneider

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Wow,nice pen...

"Like a girl, valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes" ... Tennyson

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Parker Sonnet, Parker '34 Vacumatic Junior Slender, Geha Goldswinge 736

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josephfabry Mint

josephfabry

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Good review. Thank you especially for the comparison to the more (for lack of a better word) common pens. A lot of people compare pens to MB pens and not only do most of us not have one, I've never seen one. Nice job.

 

Wow, you've never seen one, really?

 

Wow.

 

Love,

 

Joe

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