Description
Visconti conceived the Homo Sapiens fountain pen for real writers, for those to whom the pen continues to represent a travelling mate, a daily friend to share with the same civilization that writing contributed to create.
The material in this pen is as antique as the world: lava from the Etna volcano. Visconti lava is: Virtually unbreakable, it has a high degree of resilience. Flameproof, Visconti lava has a resistance to heat of over 100°C. Slightly hygroscopic, allowing to absorb hand sweat during use.
Inspiration was drawn from the Bronze Age for all metallic parts. The Bronze Age, almost contemporary to the invention of writing, marked the eve of human civilization. The clip, the rings and the metal accessories -with the exception of the piston only- are all in bronze: natural bronze like the antique formula, that does not require plating or protection treatments which alter its original almost pink colour and which can be easily polished with special products.
The fountain pen has a 18 ct (950) gold nib. Dreamtouch is the term Visconti coined to define a nib that requires no pressure whatsoever in order to write, it traces in a gentle way thoughts and words for a dream handwriting. The charging high vacuum power filler is made of titanium, the only material resistant to ink aggression.
Click here for Visconti ink bottles.
The collection can be personalized using the well-known Visconti patent- My Pen System – with the instant application of the initials, the zodiac sign or the semi-precious stone preferred by the fortunate future owner of a Visconti pen. The My Pen System applications can be found in our webstore.
The name Visconti has been for the past twenty years a synonym for writing instruments of extraordinary beauty, historically and technologically studied. The fountain pens, rollers and ballpoint pens by Visconti make up a wide range of high quality instruments with a strong identification.
Mashal ALhossan (verified owner) –
one of the greatest pen in my collection. the nib is very smooth.
and i like the touch and the feel to it.
Pen Meester (verified owner) –
De lava pennen van Visconti zijn een droom om mee te werken. Het materiaal is aangenaam, zeker bij langdurig gebruik, omdat eventueel zweet via het ademend materiaal kan afvloeien en je steeds een goede grip behoudt.
Ik had nog geen ervaring met het vulsysteem van Visconti en moest wel even spieken op YouTube. Maar het werkt goed.
De palladium penpunt is uitzonderlijk. Zacht, vloeiend en een beetje flex voor lijn variatie.
Ik vind deze pen een echte aanrader.
Tom (verified owner) –
This is a work of art! Fashioned from lava, it has a very unique feel and the nib is truly a dream to write with. I love it!
In addition, the service at Appelboom is by far the best! I look forward to shopping with them again soon!
Milan (verified owner) –
Very nice writing instrument. I immediately fell in love with the material and the nib is really smooth. After being a bit nervous after reading about issues with nibs other people face with Visconti, I cannot complain about my nib. Works like a charm.
This pen came to my collection relatively early as my third pen, to commemorate someones passing away. But I can tell it will be a solid base for the collection.
Arnab Sarkar (verified owner) –
It is a very good pen and pleasure to write. Very much enjoyable
Arnab Sarkar (verified owner) –
Hi,
This is my first purchase with appelboom. When I saw that the pen is coming from Italy(far from the US) and it travels almost all the europian country I was in fear about whether I will get the pen on time or not. Surprisingly I got everything at the right time.
Pros:
1) Excellent look( soon after it launches it made a place in many of the fountain pen bloggers’ top list because of its resin mixed, lava material of Mount Itna; so it is hygroscopic(it absorbs your sweat from your hand and give you a soothing feel to hold)
2) Smooth writing
Cons:
1) Bit heavy( so might be problematic with a small hand, my hand size is medium and I find it a pleasure to write).
2) Ink window is not there.
I will update my review again after writing with it for 6 months.
Christoph (verified owner) –
The Homo Sapiens Bronze is the first Visconti I’ve added to my collection of pens. I own several Montblancs and Lamys with gold nibs, so these brands are my reference. I’ve ordered the HS because of its astonishing design and the exceptional lava-based material. I choose the 1.3mm stub nib, because something like this was still missing in my collection. The intended use is signatures and writing titles/subtitles in documents. Currently I use it with bottled Montblanc ink, which i never had an issue with. Besides all this positive remarks, there’s one downside: the pen is kind of a hard-starter although it writes relatively wet. In direct comparison to the 14k and 18k gold nibs from Montblanc, the Visconti palladium nib is just not as smooth as I hoped. At this point, I have to subtract 1 star for quality for this issue.
Kunal Gupta –
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.
Courtney Ashton –
Thank you once again for providing excellent pens at competitive prices. The customer service is always excellent. I cannot fault appelboom.
Tom Sample –
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.
Andrea (verified owner) –
I bought this pen as a present for my husband on his 50th birthday, because I wanted to give him something special and unique, and what would be more special than a fountain pen made with lava from the Etna volcano? I had read excellent reviews on this pen. so I knew it had to be a great product. It really is. The 23 ct palladium Dreamtouch nib is really a dream, it writes so smoothly, better than I had expected. I got it with an EF-nib, and it has an excellent flow. It’s surprisingly smooth for an extra fine nib! It’s the most wonderful EF nib I have ever seen. The pen is heavy and the material feels smooth and warm. It’s hard to describe it, as there’s nothing quite like it. The closing mechanism of the cap is also great. My husband loves this pen, and I do too.
Kenneth Ng –
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!
Ryan Withers –
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.
Mark Brandon –
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.
Crescencio Altamirano (verified owner) –
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.
RAGHAVENDRA S (verified owner) –
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.
Jim Poulos –
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!
Ravatar (verified owner) –
The homo sapiens is a very nice daily writer, the cap mechanism is nice for quick cap and uncap, the nib is smooth and juicy, and the body is solid and warm on touch.
Max –
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.
Arnab Sarkar (verified owner) –
It is one of a kind and the price and service from Appleboom is also great.
Henny –
Pen met een bijzonder vulsysteem. De palladium penpunt laat de pen heerlijk over het papier vloeien +1
Nathan W (verified owner) –
Once again Joost and the team at Appelboom for amazing delivery to Australia. The Homo Sapiens Lava Bronze really is a grail pen. It writes beautifully and a wonderful birthday present. Thanks again.
Vincent A –
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!
Greg Byers –
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!
Verena –
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.
Eric Lim –
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.
Fran Rodríguez Cuenca (verified owner) –
I’m an engineer that uses a lot of notes for work. Because I have big, sweaty hands I was forced to tape all sections with masking tape to make them less slippery.
I wanted a pen with a big enough section and that wouldn’t slip on me after the first hour of use.
This pen is perfect for that task, it doesn’t get slippery, it is big enough and an overall joy to write with.
Very satisfied.
Saurav Sinha (verified owner) –
An excellent, understated design. The material is unique to touch and the nib in its new, 18k Avatar is perfect. The Fine writes a juicy line and I could not be more pleased with this pen.
Excellent communication and service by Mr Joost and the team. The nib was tuned and smoothened to a lovely feel. I keep finding ways to use it all through the day!
Christopher Lam –
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.
Michael Stephan –
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!!!
Dominic Lewis –
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.
SIU CHUNG WONG (verified owner) –
Made by Lava is the main point I purchased this pen. Solid, durable and special touch feeling of the material attracts me. Nib tuning resolves my concerns of quality of ink flow as some people’s said about Visconti. A very special pen is now added to my collection.
Seyamak Shahrzad –
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.
Andrew Schmidt (verified owner) –
I have been using this for a week now. It truly is the smoothest nib I have ever used; almost zero feedback. I have an EF though the line it puts down seems to me to as wide or wider than a Japanese M. It also provides a generous ink flow so it is almost impossible to use both sides of the page. Thus, it is better suited for general / longterm writing than for note taking and things requiring a smaller hand.
Brandon A Mahabir –
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.
Moinak Banerjee (verified owner) –
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!
Raymond Au (verified owner) –
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!
Bart Muijtjens –
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!
Kunal Gupta (verified owner) –
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.
Regulo Rojas (verified owner) –
The texture of this fountain pen and the pleasant feeling to the touch are amazing. Keep in mind that the material it’s made of adds weight to the pen, however I can sustain long writing sessions with no issues or discomfort. The flow of the nib is quite wet, I have tried it with Waterman, Parker, Diamine and Iroshizuku inks, without problems or jumps. I think it is one of the best writing instruments available on the market.
Excellent material and high value/price ratio. Also, Appelboom service and nib tuning is the very best.
Georg –
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!
Raghu Mallampati –
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
Bharath –
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
TL Wright-Brickhouse –
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.
Yuriko –
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.
David –
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.
Ronald –
Wat een prachtige pen, het materiaal, de clip, de wijze waarop die schrijft, Italiaans vakmanschap. Standaard onderdeel van mijn dagelijks gebruikte pennenset.
Deep Adhkary (verified owner) –
Visconti Homo Sapiens does not need any review or recommendation. If you can afford name is enough.
I personally love the bronze or dark age edition without ink window. To me it damage its aesthetics.
Fine nib is suited for my writing style.
Appelboom’s nib master has done a suparb job in nib tuning. It is very wet and smooth. On some paper it writes medium-ish which is parfectly ok.
Thanks appelboom to help me my grail pen conquest. I was waiting for this pen more than 3 years.
Only thing is I miss the palladium version, which is unfortunately out of production.
James Biscomb (verified owner) –
I took a while to decide to purchase this pen because of the price, but I am glad I did. It is a superb pen! The material feels lovely to the touch and the nib makes for a very pleasurable writing experience. I would definitely recommend.
ursula dodge –
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.
Ernest Phillips (verified owner) –
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!
Mario Araneda (verified owner) –
It’s a Stunning fountain pen, I love the size, and de fill system, When I test the pen the RG Nib wrote very smooth,
The Lava Resin its incredible, and the cap system close very well.
colection
Now it’s the flag ship of my
Deven Govender (verified owner) –
The pen writes very smooth and wet. I currently have it inked up with Kon Peki. I purchased the broad nib. Don’t be put-off by the lines being too thick, I am able to write easily on my Hobonichi Cousin with this pen in cursive. There are minor quality issues in the fine details of the pen but otherwise it really feels like a luxury writing piece in your hand. The service from Appleboom was great, I received the pen in 3 weeks (shipped to South Africa) even though it was not in stock, during the Christmas period and I requested the nib smoothing. I also enjoy the little extras that they added.
Dora_M –
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.
Michael –
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.
Richard Niewoehner –
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.
Arun Bharti (verified owner) –
I just received this pen. It is just amazing. It felt so good in my hands just wonderful!!! I just loved it.
Jeff –
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.
Vincent Franzese (verified owner) –
Great pen, made even better thanks to appelbooms nib tuning and smoothing.
I’m looking forward to my next purchase.
Stephen Becker (verified owner) –
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this pen and service by Appelboom. I frankly was worried about poor quality reviews. But perhaps thanks to the touch up service by Appelboom, or good quality of manufacturing by Visconti, or both, I’m pleased to report that my HS, dressed in an EF nib, writes beautifully right out of the box. Very pleased.
Eunice (verified owner) –
I bought a broad nib and it does not spit out any ink at my writing angle. I’m not very happy with this pen at all. Who writes at 90 degree unless it is brush!
Matthew Dobinson (verified owner) –
I’d heard all the great things said about this pen and finally got hold of one, and I was delighted to find out, that it lived up to expectations.
The material is wonderful in the hand, and not as heavy as I had thought. It does have a very unique and very comfortable feel in the hand. The size, whilst ‘oversized’ was perfect, and I typically write with something the size of a 146 or M800.
The nib is incredible. It has a wonderful bounce to it and is the smoothest nib I own. It isn’t incredibly wet, but definitely isn’t dry. The EF line is actually an EF, rather than it being basically an F.
All in all, the rumours are true, this pen really does live up to its reputation.
Joseph Rizzo (verified owner) –
This has to be the epitome of fountain pens. Looks beautiful, writes wonderfully. The Holy Grail of fountain pens.
Appel boom is so great to do business with.
T.L (verified owner) –
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.
Aaron –
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!