Visconti - Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava Bronze Fountain pen

Author: Robert Van Hinsbergh

• Review Add on: 17-11-2023
• Average Rating: (5)

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava bronze edition has been one of those grail pens that I have wanted for a while.
When I received this pen, I was not disappointed. The feel of the pen is amazing, its surface is smooth and warms with use. It has a good weight and excellent balance posted or unposted. The cap sealing mechanism is unique and a pleasure to use. It can be opened and closed in an instant. Finally, and most importantly is the nib. It looks great and makes silky smooth lines and glides across the paper.
Basically, it is a pleasure to write with and encourages more frequent use and better handwriting. I am very impressed.

Author: Aaron

Review Title: Love My New Home Sapiens Bronze Age

• Review Add on: 16-08-2023
• Average Rating: (5)

Received my Bronze Age (XF) from Appelboom last week and it has not disappointed. Writes perfectly right out of the box and I have not stopped using it since inking it up. It fits in nicely with my M1000, KOP, 149 and Churchill. Great service from Appelboom and great pen!

Author: T.L

Review Title: Nice pen

• Review Add on: 16-07-2023
• Average Rating: (4)

Authentic product, The pen to have ink stains and perhaps scratches on the body, I contacted the customer services and they said those are due to nib customization and inspection. But it writes beautifully.

Author: Jeff

Review Title: Brinze Age is worthhe investment

• Review Add on: 28-02-2023
• Average Rating: (4)

Whether you want it to have it in your collection or to actually use it as a daily writer. It is worth the investment. I use mine to write with daily and it is inspriing. I agonized long over whether of not to make this purchase. I have not looked back with any regrets. In fact I am wondering why it took me so long. Smooth comformatable writter. It is fun.

Author: Richard Niewoehner

Review Title: VISCONTI HOMO SAPIENS LAVA BRONZE FOUNTAIN PEN

• Review Add on: 29-01-2023
• Average Rating: (5)

Received my VISCONTI HOMO SAPIENS LAVA BRONZE with F nib about a week ago. I had asked Appleboom to check the nib and I found right out of the box that the pen, for me, is near perfect. The nib is juicy, but puts down a good clean line similar in width to my Nakaya Japanese made M nibs. It writes even more smoothly than my Nakaya pens. The nib has a comfortable bounce but you would not call it flexible.

I like the weight of the pen. It feels substantial, but is very comfortable in the hand. The section is less girthy than some of the oversize pens which I find comfortable. Filling the pen with ink, and it holds a lot of ink, went off with out a hitch. The hook catch for the cap is a nice feature and works as designed. It will be a great pen for taking on a plane as one can shut off the ink supply, and not worry about ink leaking out.

A superior fountain pen.

Author: Michael

Review Title: Visconti HS Bronze Age Rose Gold Fine Nib

• Review Add on: 22-01-2023
• Average Rating: (5)

I had forgotten how attractive I had found this pen when it was first released several years ago. With the recent release of the Bronze Age Travel Edition, it once again got my attention, the bronze/rose gold set against the black giving it the understated elegance I find so appealing. I debated which I liked better, the standard Bronze Age or the Travel Edition, and couldn’t choose between them. As I already had a Visconti travel ink well, I opted for the standard model. I had asked to have the Fine nib tuned before shipping, and it is among my finest writing nibs in this size. Of course, the pen itself is lovely, and so comfortable to write with for me (I generally like pens with some heft and girth). Altogether an enjoyable pen and another excellent purchase experience with Appelboom.

Author: Dora_M

Review Title: Fantastic pen - fine nib

• Review Add on: 19-01-2023
• Average Rating: (4)

This pen is fantastic and is my favourite pen from the first line that I wrote. Since the pen was out of stock, I had to wait, but it was worth it. The material is very unique and smooth. It is an expensive pen, but I feel In comparision with mostly resin pens the price is fair. I have small hands, but I love the weight of the pen and the rose gold nib is a work of art. It is the smoothest pen in my collection - thank you very much for the nib tuning service! Appelboom kept me up to date and their service is highly recommended. Very happy customer.

Author: Ernest Phillips

Review Title: The Best Pen I Own

• Review Add on: 04-01-2023
• Average Rating: (5)

I have a few dozen pens and overall this pen is my favorite. The feel of the volcanic based material is excellent. Even on cold days the pen seems to be warmer than the surroundings. The slight texture makes it easy to hold on to; yet smooth enough to feel nice. The bronze accents look almost rose gold and stand out nicely against the black body. The gold nib feels very smooth, with just a small amount of feedback. You get a moderate ink flow, appropriate for the nib(medium in my case). There is enough flex in the medium nib for some nice line variation. The twist and lock cap is very smooth and pleasant to on and close the pen. The lock feels so nice, I had to open and close the cap a few dozen times when I first got the pen enjoying the feel and precision of the locking design. I am using Mont Blanc, Jimi Hendrix special edition ink. No flow problems with the ink, smooth and consistent. I only wish I had not waited so long to get this pen. Wonderful service from appelboom, as usual!

Author: ursula dodge

Review Title: Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze

• Review Add on: 13-12-2022
• Average Rating: (5)

Wow this pen is a dream. I have large hands for a woman and I wanted something with a decent weight to it. The composite with lava does not disappoint. The finish is mysterious and beautiful and cool with the slight porosity you've probably read about. The nib is a gorgeous work of art. The plunger makes inking a pleasure. I had Appelboom tune the nib (fine) and it glides, unobstructed, like skating. Juicy with a perfect start every time, and no puddling where I stop. The pen was out of stock when I ordered so i had to check on the progress from time-to-time and Appelboom was quick to reply. Extremely positive experience, I would definitely order my next pen here.

Author: Ronald

Review Title: Wat een iconische pen

• Review Add on: 15-08-2022
• Average Rating: (5)

Wat een prachtige pen, het materiaal, de clip, de wijze waarop die schrijft, Italiaans vakmanschap. Standaard onderdeel van mijn dagelijks gebruikte pennenset.

Author: David

Review Title: Amazing pen

• Review Add on: 12-05-2022
• Average Rating: (5)

Absolutely gorgeous pen, the pictures don't do it justice.

The pen feel wonderful in the hand, with a nice weight and smooth but grippy texture.

The fine nib is smooth and writes beautifully. It's quickly become my favourite writer. I chose the tune and smooth option and they did a fantastic job with it.

Shipping and communication was excellent also.

Author: Yuriko

Review Title: Best nib ever

• Review Add on: 08-05-2022
• Average Rating: (5)

I love the Visconti nibs. I got this pen in a fine nib. It is smooth and soft, like no other. Absolutely one of the best writing experiences out there.

I wanted the pen in the new Visconti clip design, and Mr Appelboom was very helpful with that. I am also satisfied with the competitive price at this shop for this classic pen.

Author: TL Wright-Brickhouse

Review Title: Underwhelmed

• Review Add on: 03-05-2022
• Average Rating: (4)

This pen has been on the top of my grail list for a longtime. I had a bit of a wait after finally pulling the trigger and ordering it. I was not as blown away as I thought I would be when unboxing the pen. Don't get me wrong, the pen is absolutely beautiful. The nib writes as it should, albeit a bit thin for a western EF. It writes more like a Japanese fine, which is still really thin. The pen seems to be a bit dry. The most disappointing feature of the pen was the plastic feed. For a pen of this price range I definitely expected an ebonite feed. As I stated before, beautiful pen. The feel of the pen is unlike anything else I've ever carried. It's just not exactly what I wanted it to be. I'm not sure I'll buy another Visconti.

Author: Bharath

Review Title: Wonderful pen

• Review Add on: 27-03-2022
• Average Rating: (4)

This pen feels amazing to touch…the rip section is good eventhough sometimes the cap holding area comes in the way of the grip. The nib is superawesome to look and it writes with amazing consistency..never had a hard start or stop with it…I ledt it for 2 weeks and wrote in my journal and it started instantly. The ink capacity is very good and one problem is the lack of a window to look at the ink level ( in this model) . Another problem is the clip is too tight and I had to manually pull it out to clip it in my pocket. Overall, a lovely pen to write

Author: Raghu Mallampati

Review Title: A pen you want to write with all the time

• Review Add on: 08-03-2022
• Average Rating: (5)

This pen feels great to hold. The lava resin feels nice in hand. The weight and balance is perfect on hand.

I chose the non tune and smooth for the EF. So it writes perfect out of box. I now like this more than my Montblanc 149 as my daily writer

Author: Georg

Review Title: Outstanding as always

• Review Add on: 14-02-2022
• Average Rating: (4)

This is my third Homo Sapiens pen and I have to say it is the best. Why? Because of the new 18K gold nib Visconti chose to equip the Homo Sapiens with. The former palladium nibs were a little bit more flexible than the new ones, but the gold nibs offer the better performance in my view.

Material and craftmansship are superb and the filling mechanism works like a dream. The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is a marvellous pen for everyone who likes bigger fountain pens with a luxurious look and that special feeling that none of the other pens in the same price category can offer. If you were doubtful about Visconti's nibs in the past, give the new 18k gold nibs a shot, it is one of the best nibs I have written with!

Author: Kunal Gupta

• Review Add on: 17-06-2021
• Average Rating: (5)

Its a must have pen in your collection. The nib is smooth as silk and the pen body is very unique. It is more or less a Grail.

Author: Bart Muijtjens

• Review Add on: 05-06-2021
• Average Rating: (4)

After several Visconti fountain pens, that always disappointed due to overly wet nibs, finishing issues, etc I was pretty much done with the brand. However, when I heard they started producing their own nibs, I took the plunge and bought the HS Lava Bronze fountain pen. The quintessential Visconti in my book. The size, the form, the material, the capping system, the filling system; all come together to what is probably one of the best designs in fountain pen history.

So how does this work out now Visconti has claimed to have taken steps in quality assurance and has started producing in-house nibs? The finishing of the pen is flawless, the tolerances are very good, and the nib...that is just how it should have been. Not too wet, a true Fine, with a slight bounce and minimal feedback that makes it sing on the page. I like it. A lot.

Service from Appelboom was as always: fast, accurate and very well packaged so it becomes a real present (to myself in this case). Thanks!

Author: Raymond Au

• Review Add on: 21-05-2021
• Average Rating: (5)

The Visconti Lava Bronze was one of my grail pens for the longest time. When I finally received the pen, it did not disappoint. The gold nib is an exceptional smooth writer, and the overall feel of the pen is one of luxury. Appelboom pricing and service was impeccable as ever!

Author: Moinak Banerjee

• Review Add on: 27-03-2021
• Average Rating: (5)

Few pens can make a “statement” , and this one is one of those very few pens.

**Not everyone uses a fountain pen.
****Not everyone uses a Fountain Pen made of lava.
*******Not everyone uses a fountain pen made of lava with titanium inners!
— therefore this is one of its kind! Unique in every way!

I got the stub nib version, and probably my only observation is the stub nib is more like a crisp italic. Stubs usually have more rounded edges.

Thanks to Appelboom for the amazing service!

Author: Brandon A Mahabir

Review Title: Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age

• Review Add on: 28-02-2021
• Average Rating: (5)

Exceptional pen and writing experience. I went with the stub nib and it lays down a nice thick line with enough variation to keep things interesting. The pen itself is flawless and communication with Appelboom was second to none. Excellent experience all around.

Author: Seyamak Shahrzad

Review Title: Love homosapien

• Review Add on: 29-11-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

This viscanti homosapien feels so amazing in my hand. The pen writes so smooth that I have stopped using my other pens. I would highly recommend it. I bought mine with Broad nib.

Author: Dominic Lewis

Review Title: Solid Pen, made of rocks

• Review Add on: 17-10-2020
• Average Rating: (4)

Great, sturdy pen, writes well straight out of the box and the delivery time was also very good considering all circumstances. Overall, solid pen, made of rocks.

Author: Michael Stephan

Review Title: Great pen and great service!

• Review Add on: 03-10-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

This is a great pen; the combination of lava and resin makes for a unique and very enjoyable pen body and provides an incredible writing experience. The nib is very smooth and is one of the favorites in my collection. I highly recommend this pen, and the service from Appelboom is great!!!

Author: Christopher Lam

Review Title: Beautiful pen

• Review Add on: 26-09-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

Fast shipping and great service from Appelboom.

This is a special pen with a unique heft and warmth to it. The lava resin body and brass ornamentation give the impression of durability that won’t show the wear that a regular pen would over time. The extra fine nib was tuned well and it writes smoothly. The one downside would be the inconsistency of the filling mechanism and the lack of in window making it impossible to know how much ink is remaining.

Author: Eric Lim

Review Title: Visconti Homo Sapien Bronze.

• Review Add on: 02-08-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

Until recently, most of my fountain pen collection has been 2nd hand.,This is the 2nd of new pens I have added.

I opted the have the nib smoothen and tuned by Appleboom, which of course extended the delivery time which made the wait excruciating. I can confirm without any doubt the nib writes butter smooth and with no skipping or drying. I have over 12 MB fountain pens, I have to say the homo sapien is the smoothest nib of all my fountain pens and writes effortlessly.

You could say I am ecstatic about the quality of the pen and the tuning completed by Appleboom.

This is also my first purchase from Appleboom, Service has been exceptional and the prices highly competitive.

Thank you so much.

Author: Verena

Review Title: I just love this pen

• Review Add on: 02-07-2020
• Average Rating: (4)

Even though the pen is quite pricey it’s just lovely! The material ist so smooth and beautiful I just had to buy it. Appelboom smoothed the nib for me because Visconti is kind of known for their bad quality testing for their nibs.
I ordered the Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a fine nib and I’m completely in love with this pen. Writing with it is so smooth and wet, just how I like it.
I had to wait a few weeks for my pen to arrive because I ordered it in that moment where corona started to be quite extreme in Italy. But Appelboom send me an e-mail that I will get my pen as soon as possible and that’s fine.
So yes to the pen itself and and yes and thank you to appelboom.

Author: Greg Byers

Review Title: Sensational Pen Sensational Service

• Review Add on: 02-07-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

A special pen with a unique association with Italy. Appelboom checked and smoothed the nib before sending it on to me. Due to the coronavirus pandemic in Italy there was a delay with Visconti in sending the required nib to Appelboom but there was never any concern and they kept me informed all along. Very professional, great service...and did I mention the pen?! A little heavier than usual due to the materials used (lava!) and it is known to have a more generous flow of ink, but what a work of art and what pleasure it gives!

Author: Vincent A

Review Title: The Perfect Pen

• Review Add on: 02-07-2020
• Average Rating: (5)

When you get this pen in hand, it is simply perfect. From the build quality/looks to the smoothness of the nib, this is the perfect pen!

Author: Arnab Sarkar

Review Title: One of the soft smooth nib

• Review Add on: 21-10-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

It is one of a kind and the price and service from Appleboom is also great.

Author: Max

Review Title: What a joy.

• Review Add on: 09-10-2019
• Average Rating: (4)

The material is made from lava which many reviewers found to be pitted at times. I, however, did not find this to be the case with my pen. The the bronze trimmings are absolutely beautiful. They are a bit darker than I expected, but I think this goes along with the styling of the pen. My only complaints about the pen are in regards to the clip and the lack of an ink window. I think it’s beautiful for the design; however, to use it properly you have to open the clip and attach it to your clothing. You can’t just slide it on. This is annoying. Where Visconti really takes the cake is with its nib. I purchased the broad 23k palladium nib. This nib is beautiful and the writing is magnificent. It’s like writing on butter - aka incredibly smooth and just a pleasure to write with.

Author: Jim Poulos

Review Title: I love this pen

• Review Add on: 26-07-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

I have been using this pen daily since I received it. I was a bit worried about the nib but Appelboom came through and tested the nib before shipping. Truly phenomenal customer service as usual from Appelboom. Thank you so much!

Author: RAGHAVENDRA S

Review Title: Long-term use review

• Review Add on: 24-07-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

It has been almost an year since I bought this pen from Appelboom and have had a wide grin on my face and a blissful state of mind whenever I write with it. The nib, ink flow and the overall quality of the pen is simply amazing. I'm very happy with the performance of the pen, and the unmatched price offer at Appelboom has only made it that much more pleasurable.

Author: Crescencio Altamirano

Review Title: Bronze Age

• Review Add on: 19-07-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

This pen is known as a grail pen for many people, I included (along with the London Fog). This pen writes very wet, it shows off ink it is filled with unlike any other pen that I have or ever tried. The nib is bouncy and supremely smooth, I have no pen smoother than this, truly like a red-hot glowing knife through cool butter. The finish is amazing and so far nothing has scratched it, I’m actually sure that it has scratched other things. The finish on the clip does patina but with a jewelers cloth, you are able to remove the patina to get it back to its bronze/rose gold finish.

Author: Mark Brandon

Review Title: Why did I wait?

• Review Add on: 05-07-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

I had considered purchasing a Visconti HS for some time, but hesitated because I had heard reports of quality control. When I finally decided to purchase, I asked Appelboom to tune the nib. (I ordered a Medium.) It arrived in perfect condition, and the HS is now among my favorite pens. It has heft. It is balanced. The material is unique and appealing. And, most important, it writes consistently and smoothly.

Author: Ryan Withers

Review Title: Visconti Homo Sapiens Lava Bronze Fountain pen

• Review Add on: 28-05-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

A fantastic pen with a well tuned nib provided by appelboom before arrival.

The material is something else, it is slightly porous that absorbs any moisture while writing, and allows for really comfortable writing.

It's a great oversized pen that I can not recommend enough.

Author: Kenneth Ng

Review Title: Great Service

• Review Add on: 18-04-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

I am very happy I bought this pen with Appelboom! The pen came very fast from very far (Netherlands to Canada in three days only!). They checked my pen and the thines were perfectly aligned: it wrote immediately out of the box. The packaging was also great and Appelboom also included two cookies that were delicious. It was very thoughtful on their end.

The only thing was that I was not expecting the Fine nib to be so fine (on review on Youtube, every fine nib was very broad). I had to smooth out the nib a bit on my end, but it is not Appelboom's fault as it is not their mandate to smooth out the nib!

Author: Tom Sample

Review Title: Premium service at Appelboom

• Review Add on: 19-03-2019
• Average Rating: (4)

I could not be happier with the service and experience I had with Appelboom.com.
Excellent service and price for this Homo Sapiens Bronze Age. The delivery time was amazingly fast. I'm not so pleased with the nib. I've read and heard the horror stories and had hoped that Visconti had addressed them. Nib is very "skippy" and is not a dependable writer. I will be sending it away for nib tuning soon.

Author: Courtney Ashton

Review Title: Great stock, great price, great service

• Review Add on: 16-03-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

Thank you once again for providing excellent pens at competitive prices. The customer service is always excellent. I cannot fault appelboom.

Author: Kunal Gupta

Review Title: Amazing Homosapiens

• Review Add on: 04-03-2019
• Average Rating: (5)

The Visconti Homosapiens is an iconic pen of Visconti. I bought the Fine nib and Mr.Joost as always was very helpful in procuring it quickly and shipping it.
The palladium 23KT nib is as smooth as silk and has a bit of bounce to it to. Overall a must have possession.

Author: Arnab Sarkar

Review Title: Smooth Pen

• Review Add on: 05-10-2018
• Average Rating: (5)

It is a very good pen and pleasure to write. Very much enjoyable

Author: Mashal ALhossan

Review Title: Visconti HS

• Review Add on: 20-04-2018
• Average Rating: (5)

one of the greatest pen in my collection. the nib is very smooth.
and i like the touch and the feel to it.

Author: Henny

• Review Add on: 30-08-2012
• Average Rating: (5)

Pen met een bijzonder vulsysteem. De palladium penpunt laat de pen heerlijk over het papier vloeien +1