Description
Visconti conceived the Homo Sapiens Dark Age 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.
The fountain pen has a 18 ct gold nib. 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.
Ritchy Allas –
I have yet to ink the pen but the single fact of touching it is exquisite.
Thé way the pen feels in the hand, the weight you can feel the quality.
It’s stealth and understated beauty, it’s not bling it’s for someone who does not need to show off but is still impressive.
I simply could not believe it. The material looks different for every pen, it feels so natural, I am from a volcanic island and I have seen the minerals in the rock that somehow can be seen in the material of the pen. Depending on the rock you have a unique pen.
Simply WoW ????
Forget the price tag, just hold the pen you’ll understand.
Kavee –
The Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark age is a beauty to behold. Mr. Appelboom also provides great support and prompt reply to inquiries.
Erwin Gijzen –
The material of this pen is unlike any other pen. It feels very luxurious and it’s very well-balanced, so it’s comfortable even during longer writing sessions. This black version is more subtle than its brothers with a silver/gold/bronze trim.
The nib is called Dreamtouch and for good reason: at the slightest touch on the paper you have the full ink flow at your disposal: no skips, no hard starts (aanloopproblemen).
The pen closes with a hook-lock-mechanism (bajonetsluiting) that’s very secure and very easy to open. Because you don’t have to rotate the cap very much, you could open it single-handedly. Very handy when you want to write down something while on the phone.
Interesting to know: in 2019, Visconti began replacing their 23kt palladium nibs with 18kt gold nibs. I’ve written with both types and both are terrific writers. If you prefer one over the other, you could always send an email to Appelboom. They’re usually very helpful.
Pablo –
Full disclosure: I don’t own this pen. But I’ve tried it and I’m writing this review because I plan to own it one day.
The design of the pen is not classic Visconti – and that’s my favorite part. It’s simple and restrained, and the full black dark ages design looks gorgeous with many black tones. It’s a well-balanced pen uncapped that feels grippy to hold because of its body featuring some basaltic lava in the body – which has an added bonus of absorbing some sweat while writing. The cap also has a hook locking mechanism, which holds the cap firmly and is difficult to knock loose:
The dreamtouch palladium nib is effortlessly smooth, writes with almost no pressure and has great line variation. The pen is beautifully wet and I had no problem with flow. The pen uses a vacuum filler that holds about 1ml of ink, which is probably my least favorite aspect of the pen.
This is a famed pen for good reason – and I look forward to the day I can add it to my cart.
Anne Virtanen –
This is an expensive pen. That being said, I’d add that this is also a pen which is worth every cent.
The pen feels solid and well balanced without being heavy, even for a female hand. Just holding this pen is a pleasure the texture being so smooth. Also the ink flows beautifully giving a smooth writing experience.
Mohammed Abdul Athick AS –
I wanted to own this pen for a long time and started to save for it. But when I saved sufficient money, the Stub nib became out of stock or expensive on most online shopping websites. Finally, I made a request to Appelboom for the Stub. Appelboom was kind enough not to provide me with a stub directly from the factory but also with an attractive price, discount code, free shipping and nib tuning support. Further, I made changes to my order twice they readily accepted it. Finally, they surprised me with a gift. I love the pen very much.
Rene Damm –
Quite unexpectedly, this has become one of my most used pens. The material feels quite unique. Very pleasant to the touch. No annoying fingerprints left on the material. Also, very robust. Doesn’t seem to scratch easily. The clip is the usual Visconti awesomeness as is the unique Hook Lock. Weight of the pen hits the sweet spot.
I did replace the 18k Bock stub nib the pen came with using one of Visconti’s no longer produced 23k Palladium nibs (EF). And boy, that nib is an absolute dream. Also, the nib is rose gold which IMO looks just absolutely awesome on the otherwise very dark Dark Ages.
Overall, I think this is easily one of the best pens ever made. IMO the only weakness is the filling mechanism. I’m pretty sure the pen has good capacity internally but the pneumatic filling mechanism seems to make it impossible to get good fills. So, the pen runs out of ink *much* faster than piston fillers of comparable size.
alistair likeman –
I’ve ordered this pen from a few websites and had issues with nib quality, a classic trait of Visconti in that their QC is lackluster at best.
Ordering from Appelboom was amazing, quick, and customer service was excellent, ordered with the nib tuning and smoothing meant my nib came perfect straight out the box and the pen is an absolute delight. 10/10!
Bhagya –
Very nice pen
NIB tunning is nicely done
Promt reply from customer service
Had to pay customs duty but it was fine for me
Overall very nice experience
Malte Kollakowski (verified owner) –
Once I got into fountain pens, I was always looking for something special. Not the usual gold-trim torpedo shaped and two-coloured gold nib pens, but really special. Talking of special materials, such as palladium or “only” stainless steel – you can get this from other brands with standard look and nibs.
But everything at once?
The Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age has it all. Specifically made of resin/lava it has a feel to the touch that is unique. It simply does not get slippery and is comfortable to hold. The nib has a nice dark-silverish shimmer and just enough flexibility to have a pleasant really special writing experience. The power filling mechanism is easy to use and the general design is unique and yet discrete enough to not arrogantly show off.
Absolute recommendation for this unique pen. The possibility of having it checked by Appelboom specialists before shipping was ensuring me that it may not have the so often reported flaw of unsatisfying nib quality.
Niek Jurgens (verified owner) –
Zeer goede service, bijzonder mooie pen schrijft fantastisch geeft een mooie fijne lijn zonder skipping zonder meer een uitzonderlijk mooie pen !
Gaurav Palikhe (verified owner) –
I got this pen recently in EF nib. Love everything about it. Got perfectly tuned nib along with gorgeous all black body. Of course great customer service and prompt delivery by Appelboom. Definitely recommend,