Being curious about the "squaring the circle" saga, I've bought an Opera Club. Now I realise the square design has (at least) one flaw.

The barrel and the cap have eighy faces. The four larger faces are the four sides of the square, and the four smaller ones are from the "cut corners" of the square. When I screw on the cap, the faces from the barrel are not in line with those from the cap. The larger faces of the barrel are facing the corners of the smaller faces and the larger faces of the cap.

I wonder if it is just my pen or whether all "squaring the circle" pens have this problem.

Most of the Squaring the Circle series have this problem to a small extent, in that all of the Opera Clubs I've had do not line up 100% perfectly. However, none seem to exhibit the same extremity of the problem as you describe on yours.

It should be covered under warranty so you can contact Visconti about it and get them to fix it for you. I recently sent in my Art Nouveau because the silver overlay didn't line up properly and the cap was replaced under warranty.

The Opera Club should line up enough that it stays mostly flat on a table surface.

My faulty WallStreet LE had that as just one of its problems.
I mentioned it, but the replacement had that problem, too (the others were, fortunately, sorted!)
Can't send it back to Italy again...just something I have to live with....although I wonder if a 'restorer/repairer' could do something to the threads? Mine is only about 10 degrees out.

The inner cap of an Opera is threaded in. The depth of the inner cap is set so that when the cap is screwed on the flats of the barrel and cap line up as the section stops against the edge of the inner cap. The depth is locked in place with a heat sensitive adhesive. It can be adjusted, but it's a royal pain to do.

This is the single most frustrating problem with square pens. In fact, I've pretty much limited myself to round pens for future purchases for this very reason.

Thankfully, Omas did not use a screw mechanism for its 360s. That pen would have looked REALLY bad if the corners didn't line up!

Cap and body must be perfectly aligned. If they aren't, you can contact Visconti and have it fixed, under warranty. It's a problem of the internal rubber piece that slipped.

A friend's Opera Club exhibited the same problem. She never got it fixed and has decided to live with it. Not pretty, though. It's a shame that they don't take care of such problems while the pen is still at the factory. I mean how hard is it to see that the cap doesn't line up?

Precisely. Considering the price one pays for one of these pens, I would've certainly expected much better than this.

I have received the pen back from FCI Luxury Brands in Australia. I have paid a $27.50 AUS handling fee, and the turn-around time was one month (...and 4 days). The pen is now 99% aligned. Overall, I am happy with the service.

I hope Visconti will increase its quality control measures and not let misaligned pens out into the market, instead of waiting for people to send them back, and rejoyce in saving itself the trouble if they don't.

Interestingly enough, I sent my Art Nouveau to FCI as well and the turnaround was exactly 2 weeks (handling fee was $7.50). I also received an email from them wishing me the best and hoping that I enjoy my pen as a courtesy follow up after I had picked up my pen. I was very impressed and happy with the service.

Once again the lack of quality control of modern pen companies rears it head. I hope anyone who has had problems takes a pen and writes a letter to the president of the company complaining about the dismal QC.

Kurt

I think I am paying extra for international postage.

My Wall Street is now 45 degrees off, but I actually prefer it that way. I know, I'm weird.

Frankly People - Here is what AMAZES me:

After reading this post the next day at work I found myself using one of my pens and noticed that it was Octagonal. It is an absolutely beautiful Retro 51. I actually own 2 of them - and before anyone goes "snobbish" on me because they are not Italian, I need to tell you 2 things - first their colors are beautiful like an Italian resin is (especially the blue one) and secondly they are eight sided and the sides match up so perfectly you would probably need a precision instrument to tell if they were off - which I can tell you they are not. They line up PERFECTLY - both of them on all eight sides.

What amazes me is that I paid about 60.00 (that's right folks - that's a 60 - not 600) for each of these pens. If Retro 51 can perform this simple lining up process during the manufacturing process - why can't Visconti????

Please someone tell me WHY!!!!!!!!! It astounds me that we get less quality for more money - and worst of all - we thank them for it by continuing to buy porly made products (myself included).

To make matters worse - I own both an Opera Cherry Blossom and a Wall Street and after reading this post I checked them - the caps are a little off and do not line up perfectly! Compared to the Retro's which are absolutely right on the money for lining up I don't mind telling you I got angry..

And, after paying what I did for the Viscontis compared to the Retros - I do not feel I should be asked to send them back to Italy - the should be made right the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments welcome.

My Wall Street LE has that problem but my Kakadu does not.

Hallo!

I had such a problem with my Visconti Wall Street. Facets of the cap misaligned with the ones on the body. I unscrewed everything, I mean the cap and the bpdy from the metal part. I took a very fine sandpaper sheet and gave 2 or 3 grits to the threaded part extremity of the celluloid body. I rebuilt everithing, and voilà, faces perfectly aligned! Because the threaded part of the body became slightly shorter, now is aligned.
I don't know if I have been clear.....
Ciao dall' Italia!

This may not be a satisfactory response since it doesn't particularly bash the manufacturer <g>, but here goes:

I have one of these (don't recall which color) where a buddy had another but he preferred the color pattern on my cap and his barrel. I was willing to trade, but where the allignment on each of our pens was fine, with the cap from the other pen the allignment was off. We did not complete the trade but kept our own correctly alligned caps.

-Tom

I've been asking this question for years and suggest that any problem be reported to the seller, distributor and manufacturer as much and as often as possible.

The more bad quality we accept as a whole the more bad quality will be the norm.

The newer Opera Elements has the same fastening mechanism that the Divina had, so Visconti has started to re-engineer newer models made with that issue.

They have heard you, in other words.

I just purchased an opera club. I was very happy until I read this thread and now realize I have a problem I was unaware of! I usually send things in for repair, but since the pen and cap are separated when using, I don't really see the need for repair here. I guess perfect alignment would be preferable, but the pen is still gorgeous the way it is.

Several years ago Omas offered an all-titanium version of the 360. Ridiculously expensive as they said it had to be drilled from a solid block which was difficult etc. Yet on the one I saw in a shop the center lines of barrel and piston knob were not aligned. The whole knob was offset, on a pen that cost easily five figures. Beautiful material, though, and the corners did line up. The dealer said he was sure never to sell this pen, and he was also sure Omas would not be willing or able to get the pen aligned. Just a matter of poor fitting ...

Susanna, you are beginning to persuade me that my WSLE should go on its travels again..preferably while it is still under warranty!

(So far it's been Italy>California>Spain>Italy>Spain>New Hampshire>Spain )

I am am not short of pens to use while I'm waiting

I have got the faults down to just one!

Old comment... but: the facets on my retro 51 double 8 do not line up perfectly, nowhere near. I've the brown LE w/ an 18k nib

That said, I'm not too terribly peeved by it- where else do you get such lovely cellulose acetate for $60?

Aaron

Well, I've thought about it, and contacted ken Jones. He said to send him my Opera Club for an exchange - and off it went this morning. This pen cost a lot of bucks and ought to be right.....

DOesn't the blind cap twist to fill the pen- so it could be aligned?


Kurt