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Visconti Opera Black

Mrsal

By Mrsal
in Fountain Pen Reviews

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Mrsal Vintage

Mrsal

Posted
Posted

I. Appearance and Design~ 9/10

 

this pen is not your standard round barrel, it is part of viscontis squaring the circle line. it is a faceted pen, with 8 sides. suprisingly, it feels no different than my other round barreled pens, so i may get some more of these.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02159.jpg

 

II. Construction and Quality~ 10/10

 

i was quite amazed when i opened this pen up and saw all of the detail on it. everything is fery clean fitting, with no sharp edges. the resins gently curve into the chrome parts. on the cap band, there is an engraving the says "OPERA", and is nice and clean looking, fitting in with the pen and all of the other parts. the clip is firmly seated on the cap, and will not move or wiggle, so i think they did the right thing with this type of clip. i really dont have any worries with this pen, i dont think it will fall apart if you look at it the wrong way.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02161.jpg

 

III. Weight and Dimensions~ 8/10

 

well, this is not an overly heavy pen, just heavy enough and not too light. i like it. has some heft. its not quite as thick as my van gogh though, which is the perfect size for my hand, only its a bit to long. if this pen had a bit more thickness to it, it would quickly become my favorite pen.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02166.jpg

 

IV. NIb and Performance~ 10/10

 

like my other 2 viscontis, this nib is great. not to much feedback, but it is there, and you know it. has great flow, and all of the usual visconti nib feature. 14kt. gold, rhodium plated, and the works.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02163.jpg

 

V. Filling System and Maintenance~ 8/10

 

yawn. standard C/C filler. could have done with one of those fancy visconti fillers, but its got the C/C that screws into the section. simple and reliable, so thats why it got such a high score.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02164.jpg

 

VI. Cost to Value~ 9/10

 

this pen is a really good value, especially because it includes the visconti travelling inkwell that matches the pen, and i got it at a great price from bryant. if only it was a bit thicker and had a better filler, that would make it the ultimate value for me.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02167.jpg

 

Conclusion and Final Score~ 54/60!! (hope my math is right!!)

 

an almost perfect score! i really like this pen, and i got it from bryant at a great price. would i buy this pen again, you ask me??? well, yes i would, and i a heartbeat!!

 

 

some extra pics!!

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02168.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02169.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02170.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02165.jpg

 

 

Sal

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Kamiyashi Extremely Rare

Kamiyashi

Posted
Posted

Great review! I don't have that pen in black, but the Opera is a solid series and I love them. Nice to see another fan of them as well! :thumbup:

 

Although, if you like them a little thicker, you might want to try the Opera Master Demonstrators. They're thicker, with a bit more heft, has the double reservoir power filling system, but they are a bit longer in size as a result. There's also a black version with gold accenting and gilloche that might interest you. I picked one of the demonstrators up from Bry a while back and it's a great pen as well.

Visconti: Aida 0/1871, Amigdala, Black Ripple 4/199, Black Storm 8/88, Blue Ripple 870/999, Blue Symphony 88/208, Carbon Dream 4/993, Chatterley Ripple^3 4/25, Custom Ripple 4/4, D'Essai, Gulliver, Homo Sapien, Metropolis 64/288, Millennium Arc 2/1000, Opera Aqua, Opera Demo 547/888, Opera Nordic^2, Opera Water^2, Pericle^2, Ponte Vecchio^2, Ragtime, Ragtime 1174/1988, Replica, VG Custom^8, VG Demo^2, VG Green^2, VG Red, VG Vanilla^3, Versailles 317/365, Viscontina 39/188, Voyager^2

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HenryLouis Collectors Item

HenryLouis

Posted
Posted

awesome review! the wall street LE has a similar design and can be had with the palladium nib, so you should check it out next time...

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/Aurora%20Talentum/IMG_3779.jpg
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Mrsal Vintage

Mrsal

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  • Author
Posted

thanks guys! yea, ive been checking out the opera master to kamiyashi, i would love one of those!

 

yea henry, i really want to try a palladium nib, i hope that i can buy one from visconti or bryant and just have it put on my opera.

 

titanium500, the ink that im using is noodlers green marine, one of my lesser flowing inks.

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HenryLouis Collectors Item

HenryLouis

Posted
Posted

True, but I think the Palladium nibs only fit on the Visconti's with 18K nibs, like the Opera Master series. That's what I think...

 

But I'm not sure if Visconti will be moving right into palladium nibs or if they will just keep them on their most prestigious models..

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/Aurora%20Talentum/IMG_3779.jpg
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georges zaslavsky Museum Piece

georges zaslavsky

Posted
Posted

Nice review :thumbup: I missed an opportunity to buy one with the power filler and which was priced for 220€ :bonk: Next time I see one I will snap it for sure.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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fenriz Rare

fenriz

Posted
Posted

Good review! Thanks- I love to see someone else write about pens I love. I've got an Opera Club in a cool olive color with a black cap and gold plated trim. It was just too beautiful to pass up. The M nib is distracting, it's so pretty, and smooth smooth. I'm pretty sure that the 18k nib will fit on this pen. The nib looks exactly the same size (huge). Now I'm on the lookout for an EF palladium nib for it.

Enjoy your Visconti!!

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carlc Vintage

carlc

Posted
Posted

MrSal

 

Nice review!

 

Would you mind expanding on the difference in girth from a van Gogh Maxi? Particularly the section.

 

Pics or numbers would be good but even a description would be helpful.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Carl

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch" Orson Welles

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agchristie Extremely Rare

agchristie

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately I cannot see the photos and the links dont seem to work either. Anyone else have this problem? Otherwise nice review. How long is the pen in cm or inches? May I ask how much you paid for the pen with inkwell? Thanks

Wish list: Aurora Optima

Current inked Pens: Pilot Decimo - Noodlers BBH, MB Mozart - MB Lavender

Pelikan M150 - Noodlers Kung te Cheng

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carlc Vintage

carlc

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately I cannot see the photos and the links dont seem to work either. Anyone else have this problem? Otherwise nice review. How long is the pen in cm or inches? May I ask how much you paid for the pen with inkwell? Thanks

 

Hi

 

I had that problem yesterday and again today - I had seen the pictures previously and oddly when I wrote a response yesterday (using 'reply' under the post not 'add reply') the pictures appeared in the quoted section of my reply - didn't need them so I cut them out to save on bandwidth).

 

Sadly I tried that again today but they aren't showing - I bet it's an IP board problem!

 

As for price - where are you based? European prices are far over US prices.

 

Dimensions: Swisher has these dimensions listed: DIMENSIONS: CAPPED 5 1/2" POSTED 6 1/2" DIAMETER 1/2"

 

Whereas the van Gogh is: CAPPED 5 3/4" POSTED 6 5/8" DIAMETER 1/2"

Sadly they don't give section sizes.

 

Any help?

 

Carl

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch" Orson Welles

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agchristie Extremely Rare

agchristie

Posted
Posted

thank you very much. Well I am based in Europe but would probably take advantage of bryants good prices, was just interested how much it was.

Wish list: Aurora Optima

Current inked Pens: Pilot Decimo - Noodlers BBH, MB Mozart - MB Lavender

Pelikan M150 - Noodlers Kung te Cheng

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carlc Vintage

carlc

Posted
Posted

thank you very much. Well I am based in Europe but would probably take advantage of bryants good prices, was just interested how much it was.

 

Okay two things to say:

 

I believe Bryant has good prices but remember if you import from the US there are import duties.

 

GBA pens (http://www.gbapen.net) are based in the UK and have the Opera Club with inkwell at 50% off European price (comes to £181.47 and no import tax in the EU) - I don't know what postage would be.

 

Having said that Bryant may have such a good deal that he still undercuts GBA pens even with import duties - worth asking!

 

Carl

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch" Orson Welles

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dizzypen Antique

dizzypen

Posted
Posted

This should help:

 

I. Appearance and Design~ 9/10

 

this pen is not your standard round barrel, it is part of viscontis squaring the circle line. it is a faceted pen, with 8 sides. suprisingly, it feels no different than my other round barreled pens, so i may get some more of these.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02159.jpg

 

II. Construction and Quality~ 10/10

 

i was quite amazed when i opened this pen up and saw all of the detail on it. everything is fery clean fitting, with no sharp edges. the resins gently curve into the chrome parts. on the cap band, there is an engraving the says "OPERA", and is nice and clean looking, fitting in with the pen and all of the other parts. the clip is firmly seated on the cap, and will not move or wiggle, so i think they did the right thing with this type of clip. i really dont have any worries with this pen, i dont think it will fall apart if you look at it the wrong way.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02161.jpg

 

III. Weight and Dimensions~ 8/10

 

well, this is not an overly heavy pen, just heavy enough and not too light. i like it. has some heft. its not quite as thick as my van gogh though, which is the perfect size for my hand, only its a bit to long. if this pen had a bit more thickness to it, it would quickly become my favorite pen.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02166.jpg

 

IV. NIb and Performance~ 10/10

 

like my other 2 viscontis, this nib is great. not to much feedback, but it is there, and you know it. has great flow, and all of the usual visconti nib feature. 14kt. gold, rhodium plated, and the works.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02163.jpg

 

V. Filling System and Maintenance~ 8/10

 

yawn. standard C/C filler. could have done with one of those fancy visconti fillers, but its got the C/C that screws into the section. simple and reliable, so thats why it got such a high score.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02164.jpg

 

VI. Cost to Value~ 9/10

 

this pen is a really good value, especially because it includes the visconti travelling inkwell that matches the pen, and i got it at a great price from bryant. if only it was a bit thicker and had a better filler, that would make it the ultimate value for me.

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02167.jpg

 

Conclusion and Final Score~ 54/60!! (hope my math is right!!)

 

an almost perfect score! i really like this pen, and i got it from bryant at a great price. would i buy this pen again, you ask me??? well, yes i would, and i a heartbeat!!

 

 

some extra pics!!

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02168.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02169.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02170.jpg

 

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af71/salleggieri/DSC02165.jpg

 

 

Sal

Equal Opportunity Ink and Fountain Pen User.

 

My blog: The Dizzy Pen

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