Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy Set...sadly Very Disapointed

[Zillaxila]

I have to talk about my dissapointed experience with my first Visconti. It is very sad for me because I had huge expectations for this brand, and for italian pens in general.

 

First, I know it is the "cheapest" Visconti pen in their line, however for the price I paid ($200), I thought I was going to be pleased with my new pen.

 

When I received the package from Fahrneys Pens I was very excited, only yo my surprise when I held the pen it is veeeery light, not what I was expecting at all. The cap is generously heavy because the magnet thing, but the barrell and section is too light overall.

 

So light that when I opened the cap, there was NO nib section!!! The description says that the set comes with three nibs in total. I only got two, the 1.5 stub, and a flexy nib. The medium nib with the chromed section was not included in the box, very strange Fahrneys!

 

Ok, so After my first dissapointment, looking close at the fit and finish of the pen I started to look at small imperfections that I was not expecting from an Italian manufacturer like Visconti.

 

The small chromed button at the end of the barrell was not in place, I could see and feel a gap between the end of the resin and the chromed button or finial. Well, it was because the converter when installed was so large that it was pushing the button out. I had to cut part of the converter so it could fit correctly inside the barrell.

 

The imprint "Visconti" on the clip is not well made, it has some blemishes and is not even. Nothing to be worried about, but still noticeble.

 

Now to the nib perfomance. I first installed the so called flex nib. I know that Visconti uses Bock to make their nibs. Well, I am very disapointed with this particular nib. It is very dry, and veeeery scratchy. So scratchy that it tears the paper. I tried to smooth it with micromesh but no difference is noted. It has so much starting issues that it is very frustrating. It never writes the first time, and I have to tap the nib onto the paper so that the ink flows to the tip of the tines.

 

Then I tried the 1.5 italic nib. It was also very dry, after some tweakings on the feed I was able to write with it with some skips now and then. Also it has starting up issues like the flex nib.

 

In conclusion, it has only been one frustrating day with this pen. But I am really dissapointed with this pen. Maybe it was my high expectations.

 

Hopefully it doesn't happen with my next huge expectations pen that I will buy next. The Pelikan M 800.

[Crazyorange]

Check out this thread.

 

http://www.fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7045

 

I believe you're not the only person disappointed.

[Zillaxila]

On a positive note. I really love the design and the aesthetics of this pen. I bought the Red color, and it has a beautifull array and hues of oranges, grays, and black that contrast with the wonderfull red pearlesence of the resin. The cap band has a beautiful engraved pattern design, and it has a nice size overall.

[RMN]

Sounds a bit like Fahrneys send you a display item where things have gone missing, or something like that.

 

I have been looking at this set myself, but decided against it. Not sure what made me decide NO then....

 

I would send it back to Fahrneys and ask for a refund as the box is clearly incomplete.

 

 

D.ick

[DaveBj]

For that price and with those defects/missing parts, I would put it on its way back the next day, and if Fahrney's didn't send me a set that was as advertised and working properly, I would be in touch with my credit card company to cancel the charge.

 

(Full disclosure: I have had only excellent service from Fahrney's.)

[raging.dragon]

I believe the Calligraphy set was available with either two or three nibs. If the description didn't match what you recieved that was a mistake by Fahrney's.

[gclyn]

I have many Visconti pens and just acquired the Orange LE Rembrandt. I have a medium nib and it is wet and smoot. I have never had any of the quality problems that you have experienced. I concur with other members that you should return it back to Fahrney's for a refund or exchange as this is a gross mistake on someone's end as you must have gotten a flawed set or a display set where random customers abused the nib.

 

You will love the M800...I have 2 and love my Pelikans....on that note. Don't let this one bad experience turn you off of Visconti pens...they are gorgeous and have some great nibs.

[Zillaxila]

I went to the description on Amazon, and it appears that the set is the two nib set, my bad luck (I didn't know there was two sets) since for the same price I could have buy the three set nibs. Anyways, i changed the flex nib to the italic 1.5 and is much better performer, although in some angles it is a bit rough since it is a true squared italic and not a stub that is more rounded on the corners. The italic it much wetter than the "flex" nib. I will try it for some time and see if I like it.

[raging.dragon]

I suspect that part of the problem is that calligraphy nibs aren't designed or tuned for cursive writing. The italic probably has sharp edges that require great care when writing cursively, and the dryness of the flex nib would help in producing the hairlines required for Spencerian script. Unfortunately, the MF nib that isn't included in your set is the one designed for standard cursive writing.

[aawhite]

You are not alone, Zillaxila.

 

My Visconti Rembrandt calligraphy set is my biggest disappointment ever.

 

The ink flow in the 1.5 italic is too wet, while the (so called) high flex nib barely writes and is very, very scratchy. I chose a broad for the normal writing nib. This also is too wet. The sad part is that the pen is very comfortable (for me) to hold. If only it can write well.

[gclyn]

I know this would cost extra, but I think you can just buy a Fine or Medium replacement nib for around $35-40...then just put it on the barrel...and enjoy.

[GTOZack]

i did feel like those set were just a big bulk of sizes you would expect to get at Michaels crafts store

[freakman]

I got a Visconti Alchemy pen(double nib). And by comparing it with Montegrappa's Alchemist. I'd say the craftsmanship of Visconti is far inferior to Montegrappa. The finish of resin parts and surface treatment of this certain pen reminds me of the $10 pens made here in China.

I know there're good pens made by Visconti and I own some and admire their work. But some Visconti pens are so poorly made that it's even hard to believe it's made in Italy from the same manufacturer of other good ones.

[GTOZack]

is it possible that calligraphy set was made for school arts and crafts classes? i dont know

[Zillaxila]

Yes GCLYN, I found a broad nib for 25$ on thepencompany.com, very good price, I am giving the italic 1.5 nib a chance to see if I stick with it. If not certainly Im going to buy the regular nib....does someone could tell me how those nibs perform? I want to go for the broad however a wet medium is my fav size nib.

[aawhite]

I know this would cost extra, but I think you can just buy a Fine or Medium replacement nib for around $35-40...then just put it on the barrel...and enjoy.

 

Actually, that is what I ended up doing.

[Bryant]

To the OP… Sorry you dont like it.

The Rembrandt is my least favorite Visconti. I just find it too light and small for me. If its that light, than I need some girth on it, like a Large Ebonite pen. And I could never get along with the magnetic closure personally.

On the topic of the Pen coming with 2 or 3 points… The set originally came with 3 points for $295 MSRP, but then they dropped the Price to $195 and took out one of the points.

Regards,
Bry

[Zillaxila]

Ok, so a follow up on the calligraphy nibs on my Visconti Rembrandt.

I have been using the stub 1.5 nib the most, it is consistant and flows well, the line variation that produces is really nice. One thing that I noticed is that the flow is not so well with the Visconti black ink it came with the set; probably it os a very dry ink.

 

On the other hand, the "flex" nib is still horrible, i've tried to smooth it, but no success with neither the micromesh or the mylar paper. It seems that this nib doesn't have iridium tip, it is bare stainless steel and this makes the nib extremely scratchy, so scratchy that it tears the paper.. It is very bad, and tje ink flow is so poor that i have to tap the nib onto the paper to get it started, and after 5 seconds without writing, it is completely dry again. I really don't know what to do with this nib, there is really nothing that I can think of to make it better. Already tried different inks, opened the chanel on the feed, opened the tines a bit, applied pressure on the tip of the nib....nothing!

And compared to the other flex nibs that I have (eversharp, watermans, conklin) this is not a truly flex nib. I know, there is no comparisson with vintage flex, but even my Noodler Konrad makes better line variations and is much smoother than the Visconti "flex" nib.

 

Anyways, I will stick with the 1.5 stub with this pen.

[carlo_vlh]

It has been a long time since the last post on this topic, but I would like to share my experience with this pen: hope it can be usefull.
I bought two of them, one with the calligraphy set, the other with a fine nib.

I would say that the only nib that performs decently on this pen is the italic.

The EXTRA FINE flexible nib:
The extra-fine is so scratchy. Mine EF doesn't have ink flow issues, and it's perfect if you want to write a couple of lines with a bit flexible nib. But again, it's too scratchy, and in my opinion it can't be used for more than few minutes (not for everyday use).

The FINE nib:
Firstable, this is not a FINE nib, this is a pure medium nib. I'm not comparing it with japanese nibs, but the line thickness is exactly the same as the Parker Urban Medium Nib. Much more thicker than the Aurora F and Montegrappa F (which are italian pens as well). I'm a bit upset with this because I paid for a fine nib, not for a medium.
The second thing is that the nib was so dry that, while writing, there where some skips and the line was not regular. I've tried to swap the feeds, flushed them many times, used many types of inks... no way... So today I've mechanically fixed it, and now works well (as medium nib :-( ) but in my opinion, this in unacceptable for a pen with this price.
Said that, the nib is quite smooth (nothing extraordinary).

This is a pitty because the pen is very nice, but the writing experience is so poor.

Answers to some questions of the posts above:
1) No this is not foreseen to be a school callygraphic set.
2) If you buy the FINE nib, bear in mind that it will be like a MEDIUM (at least this is what I observed)
3) As far as I know, not all the pens are affected by ink flow/feeding issues (based on what i've read on other forums)


Regards,
Carlo

Edited January 28, 2015 by carlo_vlh

[Garageboy]

Just IMHO- but Visconti's fit and finish is definitely very "hand made" and "craftsman"

Poor clip imprints, rough finishing, gaps between parts, crudely finished non visible parts