Visconti Divina Proporzione 1618 Ed.

[PigRatAndGoat]

I like your review and the time you've taken to point out the little details. You are right about the "flashing" of excess metal along the inkview window frames. I'd venture that say that you wouldn't find this on a MB, but somehow on a Visconti you almost expect this bit of eccentricity from an Italian pen!

 

Its pretty clear that Visconti put a great deal of attention on many other aspects of this pen. The filling system and engraving; the cap securing system; and the overall shape while maintaining the design standard of the golden proportion.

 

At its retail of +$1,600 I don't think the excessive flashing problem is acceptable. On the secondary market and at a significantly reduced price however, its not so bad because in return you get a unique, well conceived design study that is also uniquely Italian.

 

Congratulations for a fine review.

 

Flashing, is that what it's called? I'm not to worried about reducing it's resale value, for I don't intend to part with it.

Thanks for reading!

 

PRAG

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Amazing pen -- thank you for the review.

[georges zaslavsky]

congrats on the purchase and happy writing.

 

Now what is my opinion about Visconti. I have testwritten several of their pens including Opera Master Limited Edition, Divina Proporzione and their limited editions. Their nibs are ok but they are certainly far to be comparable as smooth or as flexible as vintage 149 or 149 pre sod marked made nibs. The visconti nibs are on par with MB sod marked nibs, they are not bad but nothing spectacular. Even Omas and Montegrappa are beating Visconti in the nib department whether it comes to smoothness and flexibility. Sometimes the quality control leaves a lot to be desired especially with Visconti as it is the case with other italian pen manufacturers but much less with Omas, Montegrappa, Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta. The box and the case made by Visconti are very nice but the details on the pen are sometimes meh. For much less $ or €, I would go with a Pelikan M1000 or M800, which is a more than proven writer with a great reliability and a zero flaw out of the box product.

Edited June 27, 2009 by georges zaslavsky

[PigRatAndGoat]

Amazing pen -- thank you for the review.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

congrats on the purchase and happy writing.

 

Now what is my opinion about Visconti. I have testwritten several of their pens including Opera Master Limited Edition, Divina Proporzione and their limited editions. Their nibs are ok but they are certainly far to be comparable as smooth or as flexible as vintage 149 or 149 pre sod marked made nibs. The visconti nibs are on par with MB sod marked nibs, they are not bad but nothing spectacular. Even Omas and Montegrappa are beating Visconti in the nib department whether it comes to smoothness and flexibility. Sometimes the quality control leaves a lot to be desired especially with Visconti as it is the case with other italian pen manufacturers but much less with Omas, Montegrappa, Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta. The box and the case made by Visconti are very nice but the details on the pen are sometimes meh. For much less $ or €, I would go with a Pelikan M1000 or M800, which is a more than proven writer with a great reliability and a zero flaw out of the box product.

 

I'm a little shy about trying vintage MBs, so I haven't had a chance to compare. What I had was a modern 149 (sod marked). I had taken a look at Montegrappa, but I couldn't bring myself to get one with such a spectacular deal to be had with this Visconti. I do have a keen interest in Montegrappa nibs due to feiye's review of a very flexy modern Argento, among other things. I've also heard some things here and there about Omas' spotty QC (not that Visconti has anything to be proud of either), so I was a little put off by that. Plus, none of their current offerings or those by Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta get my attention like this one.

And finally Pelikan. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite on this one, since I almost always recommend a M200 or something on those "First Pen, What Should I Buy?" threads. Yes, it is very likely that you get a great pen out of the box with the much raved about piston filling system, but there just isn't anything exciting about them. I've never seen a Pelikan that has made me say "Wow, I have to get one of those ASAP!" I guess all I want is a pen that will take my breath away, and write well! If I feel like I'm missing out on something, I'll eventually make my way over to see what all the fuss is about.

Thanks for commenting!

 

PRAG

Edited June 27, 2009 by PigRatAndGoat

[georges zaslavsky]

congrats on the purchase and happy writing.

 

Now what is my opinion about Visconti. I have testwritten several of their pens including Opera Master Limited Edition, Divina Proporzione and their limited editions. Their nibs are ok but they are certainly far to be comparable as smooth or as flexible as vintage 149 or 149 pre sod marked made nibs. The visconti nibs are on par with MB sod marked nibs, they are not bad but nothing spectacular. Even Omas and Montegrappa are beating Visconti in the nib department whether it comes to smoothness and flexibility. Sometimes the quality control leaves a lot to be desired especially with Visconti as it is the case with other italian pen manufacturers but much less with Omas, Montegrappa, Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta. The box and the case made by Visconti are very nice but the details on the pen are sometimes meh. For much less $ or €, I would go with a Pelikan M1000 or M800, which is a more than proven writer with a great reliability and a zero flaw out of the box product.

 

I'm a little shy about trying vintage MBs, so I haven't had a chance to compare. What I had was a modern 149 (sod marked). I had taken a look at Montegrappa, but I couldn't bring myself to get one with such a spectacular deal to be had with this Visconti. I do have a keen interest in Montegrappa nibs due to feiye's review of a very flexy modern Argento, among other things. I've also heard some things here and there about Omas' spotty QC (not that Visconti has anything to be proud of either), so I was a little put off by that. Plus, none of their current offerings or those by Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta get my attention like this one.

And finally Pelikan. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite on this one, since I almost always recommend a M200 or something on those "First Pen, What Should I Buy?" threads. Yes, it is very likely that you get a great pen out of the box with the much raved about piston filling system, but there just isn't anything exciting about them. I've never seen a Pelikan that has made me say "Wow, I have to get one of those ASAP!" I guess all I want is a pen that will take my breath away, and write well! If I feel like I'm missing out on something, I'll eventually make my way over to see what all the fuss is about.

Thanks for commenting!

 

PRAG

 

Vintage MBs are something you should try. My recommendation for montegrappa would be to have the extra, their best pen alongwith the modigliani. About Pels, you will always be able to get a m1000 or a m800 from the sales forum on the board or on a pen show.

[PigRatAndGoat]

congrats on the purchase and happy writing.

 

Now what is my opinion about Visconti. I have testwritten several of their pens including Opera Master Limited Edition, Divina Proporzione and their limited editions. Their nibs are ok but they are certainly far to be comparable as smooth or as flexible as vintage 149 or 149 pre sod marked made nibs. The visconti nibs are on par with MB sod marked nibs, they are not bad but nothing spectacular. Even Omas and Montegrappa are beating Visconti in the nib department whether it comes to smoothness and flexibility. Sometimes the quality control leaves a lot to be desired especially with Visconti as it is the case with other italian pen manufacturers but much less with Omas, Montegrappa, Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta. The box and the case made by Visconti are very nice but the details on the pen are sometimes meh. For much less $ or €, I would go with a Pelikan M1000 or M800, which is a more than proven writer with a great reliability and a zero flaw out of the box product.

 

I'm a little shy about trying vintage MBs, so I haven't had a chance to compare. What I had was a modern 149 (sod marked). I had taken a look at Montegrappa, but I couldn't bring myself to get one with such a spectacular deal to be had with this Visconti. I do have a keen interest in Montegrappa nibs due to feiye's review of a very flexy modern Argento, among other things. I've also heard some things here and there about Omas' spotty QC (not that Visconti has anything to be proud of either), so I was a little put off by that. Plus, none of their current offerings or those by Ferrari Da Varese, Ancora, Aurora, Marlen and Delta get my attention like this one.

And finally Pelikan. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite on this one, since I almost always recommend a M200 or something on those "First Pen, What Should I Buy?" threads. Yes, it is very likely that you get a great pen out of the box with the much raved about piston filling system, but there just isn't anything exciting about them. I've never seen a Pelikan that has made me say "Wow, I have to get one of those ASAP!" I guess all I want is a pen that will take my breath away, and write well! If I feel like I'm missing out on something, I'll eventually make my way over to see what all the fuss is about.

Thanks for commenting!

 

PRAG

 

Vintage MBs are something you should try. My recommendation for montegrappa would be to have the extra, their best pen alongwith the modigliani. About Pels, you will always be able to get a m1000 or a m800 from the sales forum on the board or on a pen show.

:bonk: Where were you before? This was one my list of pens that I was choosing between! I ultimately eliminated it from the list because it wasn't celluloid (wanted to try it out), and some reported it to be a captive converter due to the lack of in and out motion of the filling knob (which I recently learned is not conclusive). I also dropped the Extra from the list, because of the Modigliani. Sigh, maybe next time.

 

PRAG

[yachtsilverswan]

No need for buyer's remorse PRAG. The Divina Proporzione is the most clever execution of a theme I have yet seen in a good pen. The DP is functionally fun to use and visually full of math, science, and art appreciation jokes. When responding to a casual inquiry about my pen by a fellow diner or event guest, I can spin more stories about the Divina Proporzione than about any pen I own. Fun to use, fun to show & tell. It doesn't get much better than that.

[PigRatAndGoat]

No need for buyer's remorse PRAG. The Divina Proporzione is the most clever execution of a theme I have yet seen in a good pen. The DP is functionally fun to use and visually full of math, science, and art appreciation jokes. When responding to a casual inquiry about my pen by a fellow diner or event guest, I can spin more stories about the Divina Proporzione than about any pen I own. Fun to use, fun to show & tell. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

Oh, I've hardly got buyer's remorse! Just wish I was a little more informed before. The Divine Proportions is so unique I don't think I could ever tire of it!

[bugmd]

Thanks for the very thoughtful review. It is a lovely pen down to the brown feed. I love the way mine feels and writes. One of the silver inlay spiral bands on my cap is not flush with rest of the cap. Also to me the ink view window is not well conceived, Frankly, I would rather have seen just the ink view window incorporated into the spiral twist without all the extraneous silver outlining the window. The box and protractor are over the top but I guess someone somewhere likes it. Finally, I am not thrilled about what I think is a fairly small ink capacity. Love the looks in general, glad I have one, but think that Visconti was a little off the mark with this one. I think I like my Desert Springs version better.

 

Having said the above, the celluloid is beautiful and my fine nib is as good as they get, bar none. Congratulations on what is still a wonderful writing instrument.

[PigRatAndGoat]

Thanks for the very thoughtful review. It is a lovely pen down to the brown feed. I love the way mine feels and writes. One of the silver inlay spiral bands on my cap is not flush with rest of the cap. Also to me the ink view window is not well conceived, Frankly, I would rather have seen just the ink view window incorporated into the spiral twist without all the extraneous silver outlining the window. The box and protractor are over the top but I guess someone somewhere likes it. Finally, I am not thrilled about what I think is a fairly small ink capacity. Love the looks in general, glad I have one, but think that Visconti was a little off the mark with this one. I think I like my Desert Springs version better.

 

Having said the above, the celluloid is beautiful and my fine nib is as good as they get, bar none. Congratulations on what is still a wonderful writing instrument.

 

I would call that defective!

I haven't had a chance to really test the ink capacity, but I think it is holding out quite well. As for the Desert Springs, the celluloid just isn't for me.

Thanks for reading!

 

PRAG

[Imzadi]

Beautiful review, thank you.

[breaker]

very nice review and pics