Visconti's Traveling Inkpot

[omasfan]

I got a traveling inkpot from Visconti a couple of weeks ago. I would like to post a more detailed review soon. Just to give you the heads-up:

 

Looks very nice and works mostly really well. You get about four to five fp fills out of it.

 

However, my first inkpot's inner tube came loose from the outer metal section. So I discovered that it is just cheaply glued into it. Also, the insert is made of cheap plastic which is a good thing when you take it with you since it is light. But then the price rankles with you when you think of the plastic...

I got mine for $60 which is not as bad as the MSRP of (I think) $85. Honestly, the material itself isn't worth 60 bucks. The invention, however, is nifty and cool.

So, yes it's a great tool especially when you are at a lecture or in a meeting where you can refill your fp if you need to. Or if you are somewhere on the go...

However, it's overpriced for a piece of rubber, plastic, and metal. I'll write more about it later and post it under fp review.

 

What are your experiences with the traveling inkpot? I would like to collect some impressions.

[umenohana]

I don't have one, but I feel the same way about the materials. I still want one sometimes, though.

 

Where did you get yours?

 

-Hana

[ConnallMac]

I went to a Gander Mountain store in Indianapolis a couple of months ago and bought a package of 8 nalgene bottles and jars, ranging in size from about 8 ounces down to 1 ounce. The package cost me about $9, and nalgene is tough to break. A much cheaper solution to ink on the go than $85 for a metal sheathed piece of plastic!

 

 

--J. Haney

[mholve]

I went to a Gander Mountain store in Indianapolis a couple of months ago and bought a package of 8 nalgene bottles and jars, ranging in size from about 8 ounces down to 1 ounce. The package cost me about $9, and nalgene is tough to break. A much cheaper solution to ink on the go than $85 for a metal sheathed piece of plastic!

I would have to agree - small nalgene bottles would be the way to go. They don't react with ink and you'd need a grenade to "break" them.

[omasfan]

Well, the Traveling Inkpot is a little more than just a piece of plastic. You can fill your fps on the go without spilling ink. You put your pen with the feed section into the inkpot (which looks like a vial). There is a nifty rubber sheath in there that will seal of the nib from the rest of the pen. Then you can fill your pen 100% because you hold the inkpot with the pen in it upside down, and by doing so you eliminate all remaining air. It's pretty cool and not only like an ordinary inkpot. I was just saying that one pays the $60 for the invention rather than the material itself. Well, I'll post more soon.

[pd999]

Is there any quality difference between the Version 1 of the Visconti Travelling Ink Pot, and the newer version ?

 

I've heard that the originals were better quality, but that the newer versions come in a greater variety of colored tops.

[Nikolaos]

I have the Visconti '96 travelling inkpot, which i think is the old original version and it works as great as it looks. I don't like the looks of the new ones and when i had the chance to fiddle with it in a store i was not so convinced about the quality.

[cmeisenzahl]

I went to a Gander Mountain store in Indianapolis a couple of months ago and bought a package of 8 nalgene bottles and jars, ranging in size from about 8 ounces down to 1 ounce. The package cost me about $9, and nalgene is tough to break. A much cheaper solution to ink on the go than $85 for a metal sheathed piece of plastic!

I would have to agree - small nalgene bottles would be the way to go. They don't react with ink and you'd need a grenade to "break" them.

mholve, I love your avatar!

[mholve]

mholve, I love your avatar!  

Thank you!

 

I can't really take credit for it though. In fact, I had only planned on using it temporarily as it's surely copywritten by Apple. It's actually the application icon for one of their iLife apps, called "Pages." A fledgling word processing app. Sssshhhh!

 

In the Finder, I resized the icons to 96x96 on a white background, took a localized screenshot - and in Photoshop created a new white 100x100 (standard avatar size) image. Opened the screenshot, copy - went over to the new image, paste. Automatically centered on paste. Saved... Voila.

Edited December 11, 2006 by mholve

[maryannemoll]

Swisher pens has the Visconti Millenium Traveling Ink Pot made of metal and with the different colored tops (71 US Dollars or so), and the older Orange Sassuolo Traveling Ink Pot (56 US Dollars).

 

Which one do you think is the better buy, considering looks, materials, performance, and general reliability?

 

Thanks!

[acfrery]

QUOTE (maryannemoll @ Feb 24 2007, 05:22 AM)

Which one do you think is the better buy, considering looks, materials, performance, and general reliability?

I bought mine, which is the simplest in plain transparent and black plastic, from The Inked Nib. Maybe you could check with Natalie the models and prices she has. Just a very satisfied customer.

 

Alejandro

[maryannemoll]

Thats for the tip. I looked, but they did not seem to carry it anymore. Oh, well.

 

Anyway, I think I am more inclined to buy the older model. The Millenium model looks rather strange.

[saintsimon]

This is how a Visconti ink pot should look like ...

 

(Visconti Moonlight Voyager Pink Gold Vermeil set)

[JRodriguez]

Barring the prices we pay for lots of plastic and metal as FP enthusiasts, I've found my Visconti traveling inkpot a handy tool and traveling companion - especially over the past couple of weeks of travel.

[HyperCamper]

Just wondering... Are those nalgene bottles available from the net as well?

[MYU]

QUOTE (saintsimon @ Feb 24 2007, 10:45 AM)

This is how a Visconti ink pot should look like ...    (Visconti Moonlight Voyager Pink Gold Vermeil set)

Saint Simon, is that an eye dropper pen? It is... so... gorgeous... must have one. Must have the precious!

[johnr55]

I've been looking at these for many years and am surprised that someone, possibly the Chinese, haven't come out with a more reasonably priced equivalent. What are nalgene bottles?

[Spongebob]

A Nalgene bottle is a "plastic" bottle made of a substance called Nalgene, which, among other things, is non-reactive. They are used a lot in camping because you can fill them with anything and they will not retain odors or colors and they are virtually indestructable.

 

I have a pair of 20 ounce bottles that must be 20 years old and they still hold up. You can fill it with hot chocolate in the morning, rinse it out and put soup in it at dinner time and not get any cross over odors or tastes. They handle hot as well as cold fluids. I've filled mine with hot water and put it in my sleeping bag in winter, to keep warm.

 

I can see where they'd be great for transporting ink. They come in a host of sizes and shapes all the way down to pill bottle size.

 

Hope this answered your question

Bob

[johnr55]

Sorry to be dense, but where would I find these? Would I look at somewhere like Academy or REI, or more likely a Michael's or Hobby Lobby?

[Philly Rider]

REI and EMS both carry them. Go the REI site and do a search for "nalgene". They are on either page 2 or 3 - $1.40 for a 1oz. jar. Shipping probably costs more than the item! If you have any kind of outdoor gear/hiking/climbing/camping store, even a big box chain like Dicks you should be able to get them there. Hope this helps.