Viscontiti Van Gogh Maxi Tortoise Demonstrator

[Shelley]

For photos I reccomend checking out PinarelloOnly review, although I will attempt to add some before too long...

The compant Visconti is a fairly baby of a company, being in existence since 1988 it is still in its teens.

It was started by two Italian avid Fountain pen collectors who decided that the current lineup needed something more.

They named the company Visconti and then set about trying to resurect the dying arts of celluloid pens, slowly they expanded their base of pens and now have many different styles, various LE versions, and several other inovations and products, including cases, cute little cups for holding cartridges and of course their travelling ink pots.

Even ntheir standard ink bottles (glass) are pieces of art in themselves.

Visconti produce their own bodies, feeds, clips but rely on the german company Bock to produce their nibs -this is not a bad thing as Bock produce nibs for 31 pen companies at last count and are very very good at it.

The Van Gogh is one of their lower priced pens and this is in part to it being a cc only pen. Just because it is more affordable does not detract from its quality or beauty though.

Each van Gogh - bar the black and crystal versions - are unique works of art with no two colours being the same - I still find myself staring lost at it sometimes.

The pen is a fairly heavy pen and is not small, it weighs more and is larger than my P51's or my Lamy 2000.

I opted for an F version, it came beautifully boxed and with a little plastic bottle of Visconti Black ink with it (the ink is wonderful and thick, not at all washed out as I have found some blacks to look).

After washing and drying I filled the supplied converter, and almost immediately a fine line of good ink came flowing onto the paper as I wrote, there was no skipping or scratchiness at all, but unlike my Lamy 2000 there is a little bit of feed back-I think that this is derivied from being a full nib as opposed to a hooded nib, this will allow more vibration to occur in the nib and this is transferred back into the barrel and to the fingers. This is my guess but let me point out that this is not a bad or annoying feature - it is just different and I rather like it, it feels like the the pen is talking to me.

The nib on this model is engraved and is monotone, older models will come witha two tone nib but these modern ones are 14 k gold overlaid with a silver material - I assume rhodium but am happy to be corrected.

The cap takes about 1 1/4 turn to come off and post happily, the cap is definately a heavy one, and those that like light pens will not want to post it for long. The cap has a large clip that is spring mounted for retention and a large screw at the back holding it in place - this is a feature that I particularly like about this pen, it seems solid and well made.

Being a demonstrator the pen body is translucent so one can see the inner parts-but only just-this adds to the allure, and lets you see how much ink is left without having to unscrew the pen.

The pen is beautiful - truely beautiful, it makes my P51 and Lamy 2000 look rather drab and utilitarian by comparison, the attention to detail, the finish, the presentation, the engraved full bodied nib all spell beauty and quality and performance-much like a fine Italian car.

This is a pen that warms wonderfully in the hand, it makes you want to use it, the only problem is getting lost in the beauty of the pen.

However, this is not a pen that you would want to drop, it does seem fragile in way that my Lamy 2000 does not.

Also a slight quibble, when writing there is sometime a faint rattle as the end of the converter (which is well made and solid) can move and tap the inside of the pen body, I imagine that this would not be possible with a cartidge, as they are rather small, and I imagine that either a tiny piece of paper, or repositioning of the converter would fix this, next time I change ink I will play around with it.

So do I reccomend this pen, absolutely, it is a beautiful, well handling and lovely pen, I treasure it and use it with love, it is slightly heavy, it is a cc and it does have a german nib which while being an F is slighlt wider than the P51 F nib(but this allows for some line variation I have found if one alters ones angle enough).

I have not given the pen a numeriacal value because I think that would detract from the pen, like a Van Gogh, it is hard to classify or quautify - beautiful, well made and a pleasure to write with - what more could you want.

 

Also I have found that Visconti produce special Van gogh series inks to compliment the pens - I do not have any yet and I do not know how they perfrom.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2007 by Shelley

[Brian]

Thanks for the review. Good attention to the details of the pen. To your comments I add: (1) yes, the convertor rattle at the back should be fixed. I do not care for it, but considering the price point I think it is ok and something we can tinker with to fix and make it our own (consider it pen "bonding"); (2) yes, the transparency is a wonderful feature since you can see the remaining ink at a glance. I like too that the convertor is screwed in and has a little metal ring at the end for a grip. I consider them fine points of detail that are missing on many other more expensive pens; and (3) that little bottle of ink and the retro box make for a terrific package. Someone obviously thought about how to present this neat pen in an honest and artful way. And, the inks not bad. Thanks and hope you enjoy your Van Gogh.

[Ghost Plane]

I like the size, weight and balance of the pen. Nice wet B on mine and I like the extra detail on the converter as it's easier to turn. I don't have the demo, just the blue and green Van Goghs.

[Apeironer]

I also bought this pen(it was my second pen ever). You are correct in ever thing you said , even the fragile part. i recently broke the cap with very little effort at all. As for the inks they really aren't all they claim to be, just stick with what you love.

[Shelley]

Thats terrible, I hope they will find you a new cap!

Well I am glad I keep mine in the nice Leather open case I bought to go with it, and thanks for the info re the ink...am toying with getting a brown to match the pen though, something that looks good but is still nice to read and looks professional.

Hope you enjoy your pen and good luck with the new cap - I am definately going to be careful with mine!

[alvarez57]

Thanks for the review. Good attention to the details of the pen. To your comments I add: (1) yes, the convertor rattle at the back should be fixed. I do not care for it, but considering the price point I think it is ok and something we can tinker with to fix and make it our own (consider it pen "bonding"); (2) yes, the transparency is a wonderful feature since you can see the remaining ink at a glance. I like too that the convertor is screwed in and has a little metal ring at the end for a grip. I consider them fine points of detail that are missing on many other more expensive pens; and (3) that little bottle of ink and the retro box make for a terrific package. Someone obviously thought about how to present this neat pen in an honest and artful way. And, the inks not bad. Thanks and hope you enjoy your Van Gogh.

 

 

Agree.

Enjoy your new gorgeous pen...you have an "exquisite" taste! (I have the same pen! :embarrassed_smile: )

Here are other photos you can check

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...mp;#entry295765

[pankaj]

I like the size, weight and balance of the pen. Nice wet B on mine and I like the extra detail on the converter as it's easier to turn. I don't have the demo, just the blue and green Van Goghs.

I got the green, now can I steal a lil warmth from your blue

Edited July 12, 2007 by pankaj

[pankaj]

I also bought this pen(it was my second pen ever). You are correct in ever thing you said , even the fragile part. i recently broke the cap with very little effort at all. As for the inks they really aren't all they claim to be, just stick with what you love.

And the Barrel? Couldn't do anything ?

[Ghost Plane]

Probably took more effort to break. :ltcapd:

[wpblaw]

For photos I reccomend checking out PinarelloOnly review, although I will attempt to add some before too long...

The compant Visconti is a fairly baby of a company, being in existence since 1988 it is still in its teens.

It was started by two Italian avid Fountain pen collectors who decided that the current lineup needed something more.

They named the company Visconti and then set about trying to resurect the dying arts of celluloid pens, slowly they expanded their base of pens and now have many different styles, various LE versions, and several other inovations and products, including cases, cute little cups for holding cartridges and of course their travelling ink pots.

Even ntheir standard ink bottles (glass) are pieces of art in themselves.

Visconti produce their own bodies, feeds, clips but rely on the german company Bock to produce their nibs -this is not a bad thing as Bock produce nibs for 31 pen companies at last count and are very very good at it.

The Van Gogh is one of their lower priced pens and this is in part to it being a cc only pen. Just because it is more affordable does not detract from its quality or beauty though.

Each van Gogh - bar the black and crystal versions - are unique works of art with no two colours being the same - I still find myself staring lost at it sometimes.

The pen is a fairly heavy pen and is not small, it weighs more and is larger than my P51's or my Lamy 2000.

I opted for an F version, it came beautifully boxed and with a little plastic bottle of Visconti Black ink with it (the ink is wonderful and thick, not at all washed out as I have found some blacks to look).

After washing and drying I filled the supplied converter, and almost immediately a fine line of good ink came flowing onto the paper as I wrote, there was no skipping or scratchiness at all, but unlike my Lamy 2000 there is a little bit of feed back-I think that this is derivied from being a full nib as opposed to a hooded nib, this will allow more vibration to occur in the nib and this is transferred back into the barrel and to the fingers. This is my guess but let me point out that this is not a bad or annoying feature - it is just different and I rather like it, it feels like the the pen is talking to me.

The nib on this model is engraved and is monotone, older models will come witha two tone nib but these modern ones are 14 k gold overlaid with a silver material - I assume rhodium but am happy to be corrected.

The cap takes about 1 1/4 turn to come off and post happily, the cap is definately a heavy one, and those that like light pens will not want to post it for long. The cap has a large clip that is spring mounted for retention and a large screw at the back holding it in place - this is a feature that I particularly like about this pen, it seems solid and well made.

Being a demonstrator the pen body is translucent so one can see the inner parts-but only just-this adds to the allure, and lets you see how much ink is left without having to unscrew the pen.

The pen is beautiful - truely beautiful, it makes my P51 and Lamy 2000 look rather drab and utilitarian by comparison, the attention to detail, the finish, the presentation, the engraved full bodied nib all spell beauty and quality and performance-much like a fine Italian car.

This is a pen that warms wonderfully in the hand, it makes you want to use it, the only problem is getting lost in the beauty of the pen.

However, this is not a pen that you would want to drop, it does seem fragile in way that my Lamy 2000 does not.

Also a slight quibble, when writing there is sometime a faint rattle as the end of the converter (which is well made and solid) can move and tap the inside of the pen body, I imagine that this would not be possible with a cartidge, as they are rather small, and I imagine that either a tiny piece of paper, or repositioning of the converter would fix this, next time I change ink I will play around with it.

So do I reccomend this pen, absolutely, it is a beautiful, well handling and lovely pen, I treasure it and use it with love, it is slightly heavy, it is a cc and it does have a german nib which while being an F is slighlt wider than the P51 F nib(but this allows for some line variation I have found if one alters ones angle enough).

I have not given the pen a numeriacal value because I think that would detract from the pen, like a Van Gogh, it is hard to classify or quautify - beautiful, well made and a pleasure to write with - what more could you want.

 

Also I have found that Visconti produce special Van gogh series inks to compliment the pens - I do not have any yet and I do not know how they perfrom.

 

 

Did you find a "fix" for the converter rattle, or did you replace it/get used to it?

[Quadratus]

I was lucky enough to find a Visconti Van Gogh demonstrator pen in a bric-à-brac stall in London and immediately decided to take the plunge. (I know, I have far too many pens already and really don't need another one, but I am sure FPN members will understand...)

 

The pen has a splendid balance and the Boc 14k nib writes beautifully, with a generous but not gushing flow of ink.

 

It uses international cartridges and converters and I fitted a Pelikan converter without any trouble.

 

A first class writing instrument all round and certainly these Italians craftsmen-manufacturers are going to take over the industry: compare Delta, Visconti, Omas and Montegrappa with the competition. Who can match their sheer style and flair? Only Pelikan, in my view, who still probably make the finest fountain pens in the world.

[Newjelan]

I have one of the Brown ones - my first "luxury" pen and 8 or so years later, I still marvel at its beauty and the way it writes.

[Ghost Plane]

Using an Ocean and Musk duo this week, B nibs, and they're just as lovely as they were when purchased 2008. Why Visconti stopped making them and turned to the nasty steel nibbed dreck currently sold under the Van Gogh name is a mystery of corporate thinking.