Visconti Rinascimento

[tawanda]

Here is a review of a loan pen I have the privilege of using this week: The Visconti Rinascimento.

 

First a piccie or two:

 

 

 

Details from the Visconti Museum:

 

Name: Rinascimento Silver Collection

Edition:

Material: Black Lucite

Nib size: 14Kt gold F/M/B

Filling: Double Reservoir

Item: 190 celluloid - 220 Deco - 230 Organza - 240 Vienna

Year: 2001

Features: All models with special body dress and hand engraved in silver 925.

 

 

The one I have on loan is the Deco. Its pretty enough for a lady to whip out from her handbag/purse, but not too pretty for a man to handle at the office. This one has quite a bit of the silver plate worn off particularly on the clip (see picture). I'm not sure if that's because the plating is very thin or its been lovingly used for quite some time. In any case, I rather like its battered look. But, supposing the plating is thin, it may not be a pen for those who like them to look pristine for decades.

 

So, on to the design. The etching is quite discreet. The black cap, tapered section and blind cap at the end complement the silver nicely, without being overbearing. The cap has a rhinestone set in the top, which is a little 'blingy' for my personal taste, but its not huge so I can ignore it most of the time. It's a screw on cap which I like more than push-ons, as they give added security.

 

The nib is a 14k silver plated broad which has been custom ground to a cursive italic. It lays down quite a wet line (but not overly so). It also has some spring, so allows for a little flex (see picture).

 

Although the body of the pen is metal its not too heavy, and the balance, unposted, is perfect even for my small hands. I'm not one for posting pens in general, but when I tested this one out it felt slightly top heavy.

 

The filling system is via an internal piston, which is accessed by removing the blind cap. My only problem with this is that you have no ink window, so you don't know which way to turn to fill/empty. Obviously, I tried it with water first so I could work it out, it's a small thing and I'm sure you'd learn to do it automatically over time, but it did irritate me a little. Just an arrow etched onto the metal turning knob would have sufficed. The blurb on the museum site says it has a double reservoir. I have no idea what that means, all I know is it holds quite a bit of ink!

 

The writing experience is wonderful. The soft nib is very responsive. The grind has been done professionally and is excellent in quality. The metal screw threads at the very base of the section took a little getting used to, but I think that's because I use hooded pens quite a bit and tend to hold them very low down. I have been using it for days now, and find myself reachng for this pen before most of my own. I filled it with Diamine Graphite which seems to suit it perfectly.

 

In conclusion: I wouldn't hesitate to snag one of these at the right price. The overall look is elegant and stylish. The balance is perfect, even for tiny hands. The writing experience is wonderful, and being a piston filler, you get more ink taken up than you would with a converter. A big plus for those of us who write a lot.

 

 

Regards

T

 

edited for typos

Edited November 19, 2010 by tawanda

[goodguy]

Thank you for the review.

In the past I had the red star dust version of this lovely pen.

 

Enjoy

[opus7600]

Details from the Visconti Museum:

[...snip...]

Filling: Double Reservoir

[...snip...]

The blurb on the museum site says it has a double reservoir. I have no idea what that means, all I know is it holds quite a bit of ink!

 

What that means is that the Visconti Museum is a poor reference site. It's not the first time they've been wrong about an aspect of their own pens. A "Double Reservoir" is similar to a vintage Sheaffer vacuum filler in how it fills, but it has the added feature of a small chamber in front of the plunger for which the plunger itself serves as a cutoff valve. You can fill with ink for writing and empty for transport. The Wall Street LE has it, as does the Ripple family, and some assorted others. The Rinascimento definitely does not.

[tawanda]

I just wish my dear friend (you know who you are) wouldn't send me pens I'm bound to become attached to - it's so hard to send them back home when they're called home again...

 

Seriously though, I'm very grateful to my friend for giving me the chance to play with pens that are way beyond my budget. Its terrific fun doing the reviews for them, too.

[tawanda]

Details from the Visconti Museum: [...snip...]Filling: Double Reservoir[...snip...]The blurb on the museum site says it has a double reservoir. I have no idea what that means, all I know is it holds quite a bit of ink!

What that means is that the Visconti Museum is a poor reference site. It's not the first time they've been wrong about an aspect of their own pens. A "Double Reservoir" is similar to a vintage Sheaffer vacuum filler in how it fills, but it has the added feature of a small chamber in front of the plunger for which the plunger itself serves as a cutoff valve. You can fill with ink for writing and empty for transport. The Wall Street LE has it, as does the Ripple family, and some assorted others. The Rinascimento definitely does not.

 

Ah thanks for clearing that one up, Opus. I had a feeling you'd know...

[steersbylitning]

I have one of these, Tawanda. Aside from being a bit on the heavy side, I like the pen a lot. Nice review!

 

Debbie

[QM2]

Nice review. This is an interesting model, because there are so many variations. I would definitely like one at some point.

[kb1321]

Nice Review, will have to keep my eyes open for one!

[Ghost Plane]

Bryant has one down in the Sale forum. I love these pens as the body length really works for my back on the body hold.