Jump to content

Visconti Hs Lava Steel Midi F (Expanding Long Term Review)


TheDutchGuy

Recommended Posts

Six-month update.

 

+ The nib is becoming gradually softer, bouncier, more feathery, and hence is showing more wonderfully subtle line width variation. Its sort of verging on semi-flex territory and I love that. Its my only non-vintage pen that offers me this.

 

+ The beauty of the design continues to impress, without fail. I dont get used to it. It doesnt fade. Visconti really hit it out of the park with this one.

 

+ For longer sessions and/or for those who have larger hands, the cap posts very securely and when posted the pen has more length than youll ever need. Surprisingly, it doesnt become too back-heavy; instead, the extra weight of the cap seems to push down on the nib and boosts the wonderfully subtle line width variation.

 

/ Sometimes (and only sometimes), there seems to be an air bubble somewhere in the pen that trpas the ink and impedes its flow. A gentle tap against the section solves this, e.g. with a wooden pencil.

 

/ The ridges of the cap lock mechanism sometimes bother me when I write, but to be fair most pens have something that bothers me.

 

/ The cap lock mechanism, though ingenious and beautiful, is not secure. Put this pen anywhere on your body and sooner rather than later the cap will come off.

 

/ Having the Midi, frantic bouts of Pen Acquisition Syndrome invariably hit me whenever I see a nice, full-size Lava Bronze... Restraint is required.

Edited by TheDutchGuy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • TheDutchGuy

    24

  • Says

    4

  • Driften

    3

  • syntax

    2

Received a question via PM about ease of maintenance of the Midi. Indeed I have not mentioned much about that in this review, so here goes.

 

The Midi has a friction-fit nib/feed assembly that you can pull out if necessary, so if you really need to get in there, you can. But obviously you should not do that frequently because the fit will become less secure. I believe the full-sized HS has a screw-in nib/feed assembly. The piston mechanism on the Midi is well-built and works great, but to disassemble it you would need some specific tooling and knowledge (Visconti is not exactly forthcoming with info on how to do this). Having said that, I cannot think why it would have to be disassembled.

 

To clean my pen, I dip the pen in a glass of lukewarm water and repeatedly fill/empty it by turning the piston knob. Within a minute, clear water exits the pen. If needed, you can leave water in the pen overnight to remove all traces of ink. I only use high-quality ink in my HS and refrain from using pigment inks, iron gall inks or shimmering inks. I did use Sailor Kiwaguro once, which is an intensely black nano particle ink, and even that ink was easily removed from the pen.

 

To summarize, in terms of maintenance and dependability, this is a hassle-free pen. It simply works and requires very little maintenance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You like this pen dont you The Dutch Guy. . .

Yes, ma’am, I do. If you get a HS with a good nib and good flow, then it is almost impossible not to fall in love with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Another reason to love this pen: reverse writing is a completely viable option. The abundance of tipping material makes it super-easy to create a reliable, mirror-smooth reverse-writing pen. Its a very thin line (note the scale on the left of the writing sample below), nevertheless a pleasant, ultra-smooth writing experience. Note that it did not require a regrind or major work; it was achieved within 5 minutes and some 12k grit.

 

fpn_1567786316__80beb994-b77a-4c35-9119-

 

fpn_1567786529__01ae375b-b192-4862-aba1-

 

Ive been considering to buy a Vanishing Point with F-nib to get a very thin line combined with a smooth writing experience, but after several weeks of serious writing with both sides of this nib, I can save myself that money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love this review. It was a brilliant idea and continues to be useful for those of us who haven't bought one yet.

 

Thanks for keeping the thread going.

 

One question for you: how has the material aged over time? I've seen several images of older models that show a discoloration of the material. It seems to develop a patina of white dots as it ages. Has this been the case with yours?

 

I was just on the cusp of purchasing one a few months ago (after reading through your review), and suddenly, all of the pens seemed to vanish from retailers in my area... I'm waiting anxiously for a restocking to take place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love this review. It was a brilliant idea and continues to be useful for those of us who haven't bought one yet. Thanks for keeping the thread going.

Youre welcome! And thank you for reading it!

 

One question for you: how has the material aged over time? I've seen several images of older models that show a discoloration of the material. It seems to develop a patina of white dots as it ages. Has this been the case with yours?

Absolutely not. Personally I was worried about the section becoming recolored from dipping the pen in ink, but in fact it is easy to clean. I have seen pens in stores that were very pale-grey, at least compared to the usual black-ish look of most HS pens Ive seen. Personally I dont think the pens change colour over time, but that some of them happen to be made from a lighter shade of material than others.

 

I was just on the cusp of purchasing one a few months ago (after reading through your review), and suddenly, all of the pens seemed to vanish from retailers in my area... I'm waiting anxiously for a restocking to take place.

I strongly advise to try before you buy, or to buy from a webstore that allows a trial period refund policy. Pens are so very very personal... For some hands, the Midi may be too small. Some may be bothered by the ridges of the caplock mechanism. As has been noted many many times, the quality of the nibs can vary widely. I guess I was fortunate with my Midi, in the sense that it really suits me and doesnt have QC issues. I hope youll find one soon! Edited by TheDutchGuy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks DutchGuy. I buy all my pens at stores because I absolutely agree with you; feel in the hand has everything to do with whether or not I'll like a pen. And there have been many pens I have wanted to buy but just haven't been comfortable for me. Thankfully the HS fits and feels wonderful! I'm looking forward to one very soon.

 

And thanks too for answering my question about discolouration. I'm glad to hear that that pale grey look isn't something that happens to the pen over time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice! I am also late to the party and got a second hand Bronze Age the other day. Funnily I am also at walking distance of Appelboom - though I guess it would be around an hour's walk.

<p>Hors d'oeuvres must be obeyed at all times.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice! I am also late to the party and got a second hand Bronze Age the other day. Funnily I am also at walking distance of Appelboom - though I guess it would be around an hour's walk.

Congratulations on finding your Bronze Age! May it serve you well. It’s really nice to live near a good store like Appelboom. I always walk into town for my groceries and such and about once a week I pop into Appelboom, sometimes for a Preppy to give away to friends or colleagues, or for some ink, or just to stare at some nice pens, or for a quick chat with the always-friendly staff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...