ViscontiRembrandt Fine Nib Fountain Pen - Blue

This was a gift to my husband. He prefers the use of a fountain pen. The ink flow is neat and consistent. The cost comparison is favorable.

An heavy Fountain pen, the fine nib is a bit scratchy, but it's a beautiful pen.

If you’re looking for a beautiful piece of artwork in the shape of a pen, then this “writing instrument” is for you! If you’re looking for something that actually writes on paper, steer clear. This device is absolutely NOT a writing instrument (hence the use of quotes above), which is why I’ve given it only one star because it is SUPPOSED to be a writing instrument but is not.I really want to love Visconti’s products. They are creative, beautiful, and well made, with the exception of the polishing job on the nib. The problem with Visconti is that they do not make pens that write. I can say this with confidence because I now have three Visconti “pens” (a Rembrandt and two Van Goghs) and they all have the exact same problem. EVERY Visconti pen is delivered to you with a severe case of baby’s bottom. If you don’t believe me, see some of sbrebrown’s videos where he also complains about Visconti for the same reason. I had seen the videos, I had read other reviews, but I wanted so much to disbelieve them and thought that perhaps I’d get lucky and receive a functioning Visconti pen. I wanted a working Visconti so much that after my first one arrived with baby’s bottom I bought a second, which came the same way, and then a third. Now I am 3 for 3 with pens from Visconti that don’t work. I even tried ordering them from different vendors hoping for different results to no avail.Just for background, I know how fountain pens are supposed to work. I have more than 50 of them, and so far the trend (although not a rule, thanks mostly to Pilot) is that the more expensive the “pen”, the worse it writes. If you are looking for a true writing instrument, get something that costs between $2 and $40. All of my Jinhao pens cost <$10 and every single one of them writes better than any of the three Visconti “pens” I have. Other good brands I’ve got multiples of that write well include: Hero, Baoer, Platinum, Monteverde, Conklin, Lamy, TWSBI, Noodler’s, and most of all Pilot. Pilot (I have at least 20 Pilot pens) is by far the most consistent nib maker. EVERY SINGLE ONE of my Pilot pens has written flawlessly from the day I got it, so if you really want a good writing fountain pen that you don’t have to mess with at all, just get a Pilot and you won’t be disappointed.So why is it that I can buy 20+ pens from Pilot that all write superbly, yet spend almost $600 on pens from Visconti and not get a single one that actually writes on paper? I don’t know. I would like to hear an explanation from Visconti as to why they think it’s ok to send out beautiful, well made things sold as “pens” that have nibs so over polished that they can’t even put ink on paper! This is inexcusable as far as I’m concerned. Perhaps it’s just an Italian thing, similar to how Ferraris and Lamborghinis are beautiful cars but also notorious for being horribly unreliable—don’t’ use them as daily commuters or you’ll end up missing quite a few days of work. Yet go buy a Nissan GT-R NISMO and you can drive it to work every day and then take it to the track on the weekend. Look to the Italians for form, but NOT functionality!So there you have it:Visconti = Ferrari or Lamborghini (good for a nice view in the pen case or garage, but not designed to actually do what its main function is purported to be)Pilot = Nissan GT-R (not quite as pretty, but outperforms the competition in both performance and reliability)Bottom line: if you want a pen that writes, PLEASE do not buy a Visconti! And whatever you do, don’t make the same mistake I did and think “well, this person just got a dud, I’m sure all Viscontis can’t be that bad” because I had the very same thought THREE TIMES IN A ROW and now have three pen shaped pieces of art that don’t do anything but sit there looking pretty in my pen case.UPDATE: I had been attempting to use my Visconti pens on Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Moleskine, and standard laser copier papers all to no avail. I recently purchased some Tomoe River paper and I can't say for sure whether it's the paper alone, or whether Visconti employs little Nib Elves that come and fix the nib on your Visconti after you leave a scathing review, but for some reason I was able to get an entire page of writing out of this pen without any major problems. Since it now seems to write on Tomoe River paper just fine, I had to increase the rating to 3-stars. I still maintain, however, that Visconti over-polishes their nibs and creates baby's bottom a lot more than they should given the price of their pens.

I think the pen is overall a good one. It has a healthy and satisfying weight to it. The magnetic cap give a gratifying snap when in position. It holds a decent amount of ink. And most importantly, the nib, although SS, is buttery smooth. Indeed, the nib is even better than some of the rather more expensive pens I own.However, the V on the crest of the cap is misaligned (a small detail but it seems an easy thing to do right), and it seems to be rather prone to corrosion. This is a pen you have to look after.Still, I recommend it for the price.

This pen writes well but it is extremely cheap in the way it is put together. I was somewhat lucky that the pen shop I bought it from replaced the pen a few months after I bought only to watch it come apart again. Simply put its a cheaply made pen with pieces that are glued together and will come undone with regular use after a few months. For the price paid there are better more durable options. Buyer beware

I really want to like this pen, and in some ways I do.First, nice color and size. The magnetic cap is actually a great feature, and so is the ability to unscrew the nib from the body for cleaning. ( though this also seems to be the core of the ink flow issues as well ).The ergonomics really make fun to write with. Though there are issues with inkflow, and don't slow down when the ink does flow or you will have wet spots. I don't consider this a fine nib. Though I generally prefer a pen which can produce crisp lines.. so it might be my own bias working against the pen.I use fountain pens for everything, and I would not use this as a daily writer. Though the nib is smooth even though it is a bit wet for my liking, but is an effortless pen.Here is where I put this pen.. I think there are better pens for the price.. Lamy studio is alot cheaper a 100% reliable, or the Lamy 2000 for around the same price is an outstanding pen.This is not a great starter pen, because the ink issues will turn you away from fountain pens. Also, if you were buying a business gift for someone you knew was into fountain pens, they would be unimpressed with this and you. For your spouse or a friend, it would be a nice gift.This pen really turned me off of visconti. Though I do enjoy writing with it and the smoothness of my writing when using it.

Assolutamente soddisfatto. Bellissima e funziona benissimo, scrive ottimamente su ogni carta ed é capace anche di dinamica di tratto pur nei limiti del pennino.